Satsuma Wagyu from SUGALABO
this is another dish i want to highlight from my time staging at SUGALABO:
satsuma a5 wagyu filet mignon
red wine sauce
hokkaido 1 yr snow-aged carrots
sansho flower buds (hanazansho)
with japanese cuisine, a lot of the dishes are about just letting the ingredients shine on their own. i’m not really a filet-mignon fan, but this satsuma-gyu (a5 grade) is absolutely ridiculous. this is the 9th course on the 11 course tasting menu here.
Sansho Flower Buds (Hanazansho)
i had no idea how expensive these were (about $300 for 200g of this). it’s because it’s only available for 2 weeks in the entire year. they blanch them in salted water for 15s, shock in ice water, and store in hondashi until service. they steam them when ready to serve. if you’re wondering what they taste like, it’s like the texture of the tops of broccolini florets, combined with the flavor & numbing properties of sansho.
Hokkaido 1-year Snow Aged Carrots
these aren’t just any carrots, they are snow-aged carrots. what does that mean? they literally leave the carrots in the snow up in Hokkaido for 1 year (max 3 yrs). the snow-aging process makes the carrots naturally sweeter. once harvested, the carrots are simply peeled, shingled with a benriner, and sautéed in butter/salt/cumin/cumin seed/orange juice/chicken stock in a dutch oven before service. they are re-flashed right before serving.
Satsuma A5 Wagyu Filet Mignon
Technique:
Chef Suga will portion the filets, season with salt & pepper.
Brush on a grapeseed oil & butter mixture for fat
Sear on highest heated part of Teppanyaki grill, about 1-2min
Rest for 1hr (just because its during service, can be sooner though)
Brush on “Garlic Sauce”, then grill on high on Infrared Grill about 1min
Then place underneath in “oven” for about 2-3min until 51-54C internal
Rest about 10min, then slice & plate
this “garlic sauce” - composed of garlic, honey, soy sauce, olive oil. it’s like a “finishing” sauce he brushes on the beef
Jus
12kg chicken wings
4kg beef tendons
enough water to cover
so they roast the wings on a parchment lined tray at about 200C for 1.5hrs, turning every so often
and they roast the beef tendons for about 30min, or until caramelized
they then add just enough water to submerge the wings/tendons, simmer for about 4 hours while removing impurities, and then strain out the bones. they take those bones and add a new batch of water and simmer for 1 hour. This is like their “second brew stock”.
so they have a “first brew” and “second brew” stock. they reduce both, and then combine the two together at the end.
also, i asked why they don’t use mirepoix? they said they think the vegetables add too much sweetness. also, they are using Satsuma A5 Wagyu, which they said has a natural sweetness. if they need to, they’ll add sweetness later on, but this is their standard jus. it’s actually way simpler than i was expecting to be honest. but they use this to make the red wine sauce for this course.
Red Wine Sauce
it’s a combination of a reduced port wine, the jus above, black garlic puree, and salt.
I find these recipes to be very helpful in learning a new “philosophy” to cooking. i’m thinking about dishes very differently now. a bit more minimalist, but ingredient focused.
hope this was a valuable read!