Weeknight Meat Doria
ミートドリア·(mīto doria)
The Yōshoku Table: Western-Influenced Comfort
This is the ultimate, unpretentious taste of Japanese nostalgia. Born in a grand Yokohama hotel but perfected by mothers trying to feed their kids on a busy Tuesday, Doria is a masterpiece of lowbrow ingenuity. Forget four-hour ragùs and careful roux; this is about doctoring supermarket ground meat with ketchup and Worcestershire to fake slow-simmered depth, and nuking a béchamel in the microwave to save a pan. It is bubbling, unapologetically rich, totally untethered from French tradition, and exactly what a weeknight requires.
Before you start
Rescue leftover cold rice.
If you are using leftover short-grain rice from the fridge, it will be hard and crumbly. Microwave it briefly with a tiny splash of water until it is pliable and warm before folding in the butter and turmeric.
Ingredients
- cooked Japanese short-grain rice2 cup
- unsalted butter1 tbsp
- turmeric powder1/2 tsp
- salt1/4 tsp
- chicken bouillon powder1/4 tsp
- olive oil1/2 tbsp
- yellow onion1/2 med
- garlic1 small clove
- ground beef4 oz
- ground pork4 oz
- canned crushed tomatoes1/2 cup
- ketchup2 tbsp
- Worcestershire sauce1 tbsp
- sugar1 tsp
- black pepper1/4 tsp
- unsalted butter2 tbsp
- all-purpose flour2 tbsp
- whole milk1 1/4 cup
- salt1/4 tsp
- white pepper1/4 tsp
- chicken bouillon powder1/4 tsp
- low-moisture mozzarella cheese1 cup
- dried parsley1 tsp
Method
- 01
Sauté the aromatics and brown the meat.
Heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat, soften the onion and garlic for about 3 minutes, then add the beef and pork. Break it apart with a wooden spoon and cook until fully browned.
- 02
Simmer the shortcut meat sauce.
Pour in the crushed tomatoes, ketchup, Worcestershire, sugar, and black pepper. Lower the heat and let it rapidly simmer for 5 to 7 minutes until the sauce tightens up and looks glossy.
- 03
Season the turmeric butter rice.
In a bowl, gently fold the warm short-grain rice with 1 tablespoon of butter, turmeric, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon bouillon powder until the grains take on a bright, even golden hue. Divide this evenly into the bottom of two individual, oven-safe gratin dishes.
- 04
Whisk and microwave the white sauce.
In a microwave-safe bowl, melt 2 tablespoons of butter for 30 seconds, then whisk in the flour to form a paste. Gradually whisk in the milk until smooth, then microwave on high in 1-minute bursts, whisking vigorously between each, until the sauce is thick and velvety (about 3 to 4 minutes total). Stir in the remaining salt, white pepper, and bouillon.
- 05
Layer the gratin and broil until blistered.
Preheat your broiler. Pour the warm white sauce evenly over the rice, spoon the thick meat sauce directly into the center, and aggressively scatter the cheese over the top. Broil for 5 to 8 minutes until the cheese is bubbling and heavily charred in spots, garnish with dried parsley, and serve molten hot.
Notes
Replicating aibiki-niku.
American supermarkets rarely sell the 50/50 ground beef and pork blend (aibiki-niku) central to Japanese home cooking. Buying half a pound of each and mixing them yourself yields the exact texture and fat content you'd find in a Tokyo grocery store.
The chuno sauce substitute.
Mixing Worcestershire and ketchup perfectly mimics the sweet, fruity depth of Japanese Chuno sauce, delivering long-simmered flavor in mere minutes.
From Cook Japanese in America.