A favorite izakaya (gastropub) dish in Japan, fabulous Garlic Saikoro Steak is super easy to make at home. Simply sear the tender cubes of beef steak and top them with ponzu sauce, grated daikon, and garlic chips. It's a restaurant-quality steak dinner in just 20 minutes!
Gather all the ingredients. I recommend a stainless steel pan or cast iron pan for this recipe as steaks required high heat to cook. Most nonstick pans are not designed for use at high heat.
Cut the top 2 inches daikon radish to use in this recipe (the top green part is sweeter than the white part, which gets bitter toward the bottom) and peel the skin.
Grate the daikon. Drain the liquid from the grated daikon and set aside.
Slice 2 cloves garlic. Thinly slice 1 green onion/scallion and set aside for garnish.
Trim off the fat and tendon from ¾ lb tenderloin steak and cut into cubes 1–1½ inches (2.5–3.5 cm) wide.
Season the steak with Diamond Crystal kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper.
Heat 1½ Tbsp neutral oil in a large stainless steel frying pan or cast iron pan over medium heat. Fry the garlic slices until they are golden brown. Reduce the heat if necessary so the garlic slices do not burn. Transfer them to a paper towel to drain the excess oil. Keep the garlic-infused oil in the pan.
Heat that same oil over high heat until it begins to smoke. Pat dry the steak with a paper towel and place it in the pan in a single layer. Cook the steak until browned, about 1 minute. Don‘t move the steak until the bottom browns and releases on its own. Flip the steak over to continue cooking the other side until nicely browned. To prevent oil splatter, you can use an oil splatter guard.
Pour 2 Tbsp sake and shake the pan to evenly distribute it in the pan. Then, transfer the steak to a plate if you like it medium rare. For a medium steak, continue cooking for 1 more minute.
To serve, place the garlic slices, grated daikon, and chopped green onion on top of the steak. Garnish with Korean chili thread. Pour 3 Tbsp ponzu over the grated daikon before serving.
To Store
You can keep the leftovers in an airtight container and store in the refrigerator for 2 days and in the freezer for a month.