Exit cook Basashi — Kumamoto's Raw Horse Sashimi (馬刺し)
Screen on

Basashi — Kumamoto's Raw Horse Sashimi (馬刺し)

Step 1 of 6 ·
Serves 4

Ingredients

· · ·

Method

  1. 1
    Keep the horse meat refrigerated until the moment of preparation. Assess colour: the meat must be brilliant deep red throughout. Any browning at the surface signals oxidation; do not proceed with such meat. Remove from refrigeration only when all other elements are ready.
  2. 2
    Combine the amakuchi shōyu and sesame oil in a small bowl. Stir briefly to integrate. Set at the table alongside the grated ginger and sliced onion.
  3. 3
    Arrange a firm bed of crushed ice on a serving plate or shallow bowl. The ice must be dense enough to keep the meat below 5 °C throughout service.
  4. 4
    This is where the dish lives or dies. Slice the horse meat across the grain at precisely 3–5 mm. Horse meat's density makes any thicker cut irreducibly chewy; thinner and the texture is lost. Use a single drawing stroke of a sharp knife — do not saw. Lay each slice flat on the ice immediately after cutting; the surface should be smooth, glistening, and uniformly deep red.
  5. 5
    Place the grated ginger and sliced onion directly on or alongside the meat. Serve within minutes of slicing. The dish must reach the table while the meat is still cold and the ice unmelted — deterioration in freshness begins within 15 minutes at room temperature.
  6. 6
    Each diner takes a slice, adds ginger and onion to taste, and dips into the sesame-amakuchi shōyu. The flavour should be clean and distinctly sweet, with a faint mineral note and no gamey edge — the ginger is a functional bridge, not decoration, and its spice must be perceptible against the sweetness of the meat.
Profession plan
See plans →
Cost this recipe
Loading…
HACCP Brief — Codex Alimentarius CXC 1-1969 Basashi — Kumamoto's Raw Horse Sashimi (馬刺し)
Loading…