How to make Justine Pattison’s slow cooked teriyaki beef

This technique provides the luxury of being able to throw all the ingredients into one pot, and the results are delicious

Teriyaki beef

Serves 4​

25g chunk of fresh root ginger
3 garlic cloves
4 tbsp dark soy sauce (or wheat-free tamari)
​250ml cold water
50g sultanas
½ tsp dried chilli flakes
2 medium red onions
1 tsp Chinese five spice powder
4 thick slices good-quality braising steak, 175g each
2 tbsp cornflour
2 tbsp cold water
Ground black pepper
2-3 spring onions, to serve

A luscious Asian-inspired dish with a rich savoury flavour, this teriyaki beef is ideal for a long slow cook when you have a busy day.

Serve simply with boiled noodles or rice and some freshly cooked greens. Using sultanas to sweeten the sauce cuts out any refined sugar but you can add 2 tablespoons of soft, light brown sugar instead if you like, and skip the blitzing stage.

Peel and finely grate the root ginger and garlic and put in a small saucepan with the soy sauce, water, sultanas and chilli flakes. Bring to the boil and cook for 3 minutes to soften the sultanas.

Remove from the heat and blitz with a stick blender until as smooth as possible. (Alternatively, cook for a few minutes and blitz in a food processor.) Pour the soy mixture into the slow cooker. Peel and cut the onions into thin wedges. Add the onions and five spice to the slow cooker.

Trim any hard fat off the beef and season the meat well with pepper. Add to the slow cooker and turn a couple of times. Keep the beef in large pieces so it cooks slowly. Cover with the lid and cook on high for 5-6 hours or low for 7-9 hours, until the beef is very tender.

Mix the cornflour with the water, remove the slow cooker lid and gently stir it into the slow cooker, taking care not to break up the beef too much. Cover again and cook for a further 10 minutes, or until the sauce is thickened and glossy.

Transfer the beef and sauce to a warmed serving platter. Sprinkle with sliced spring onions and serve with small portions of rice or noodles.

The cooked and cooled beef can be frozen in zip-seal bags or freezer-proof containers for up to three months. If doing this, thaw overnight in the fridge then reheat in the microwave or a frying pan over a medium heat, stirring occasionally, until piping hot. Don’t worry if the meat breaks up a little.

Justine Pattison’s ‘Slow Cooker Without The Calories’, published by Orion Books in trade paperback and eBook, priced £14.99/£7.99