Request: Persona 4 – Aiya Rainy Day Special Mega Beef Bowl

Back in the initial days of Gourmet Gaming I made the Steak Skewers from Persona 4. It was one of my earliest requests and the first popular post that seemed to strike something within the incredible Persona fan-base. I thought it was only fair that after a slew of new requests for the Aiya Rainy Day Special Mega Beef Bowl that I repay their kindness and revisit Persona 4 as a game that’s helped make Gourmet Gaming what it is today. To be honest the thing that sold me on making this dish was the idea that this “bowl is a portal to the meat dimension”. A meat. Dimension. Let’s think about that for a moment… Do you think you have enough understanding, knowledge, courage and diligence to face this challenge?

This recipes serves 2.

What you will need: A large wok, a frying pan and a large bowl.

Ingredients:

250g / 1 Cup White Rice

500g / 17oz Frying Steak

4 Tablespoons Light Soy Sauce

1 Teaspoon Cornflour

2 Tablespoons Olive Oil

2 Teaspoons Sesame Oil

100g / 1 Cup White Onion (Sliced)

1 Teaspoon Garlic

1 Teaspoon Fresh Ginger (Grated)

1 Teaspoon Red Chilli (Chopped)

2 Teaspoons Chinese Five Spice

200g / 1 Cup Brown Chestnut Mushrooms (Quartered)

50g / 1 ½ Cup Pak Choi (Sliced)

150g / 2 Cups Bean Sprouts

2 Teaspoons Dark Soy Sauce

250ml / 1 Cup Beef Stock

1 Egg

Preparations:

1. Boil the rice as per the instructions; usually 1 part rice to 2 parts water.
2. Slice the steak into strips and place them in a bowl. Add the light soy sauce, cornflour and mix well. Leave the beef to marinate for about 15 minutes.

Making the Aiya Rainy Day Special Mega Beef Bowl:

1. On a high heat, heat the wok then pour in the olive oil and sesame oil. Add the beef and fry until browned (about a minute or two) then remove from the wok and set aside.
2. Add the onions to the wok and fry them until soft. Add the garlic, red chilli, ginger, Chinese five spice and lightly fry.
3. Add pak choi, bean sprouts and mushrooms and stir fry for several minutes. Once lightly cooked return the beef to the wok.
4. Pour in the beef stock and dark soy sauce. Allow the mixture to reduce for about 5 minutes.
5. Heat a little oil in a separate frying pan and fry the egg until lightly crispy, then remove from the pan and set aside for later. Feel free to poach the egg or leave it raw for authenticity.
6. By now your rice should be cooked; spoon the rice into a bowl then layer on the beef and top with the egg. You’re now ready to face the Aiya Rainy Day Special Mega Beef Bowl Challenge!

You can also make a vegetarian version of this dish by replacing the beef with tofu and the beef stock with vegetable stock. I don’t know if it’s because it was 11PM by the time I got to eat this after a horrible mix up with my food delivery or if it actually is one of the best things I’ve ever tasted. Either way this wasn’t much of a challenge for me as I practically inhaled the dish. I’ve had egg fried rice before, but I had no idea how awesome a fried egg on top of a stir fry would be - all this time I’ve been missing out! It’s a rich, spicy and sweet dish that would, funnily enough, be a perfectly reinvigorating meal on a cold or rainy day. So the next time it rains, why not make this dish and set yourself a challenge of your very own! It’s sure to improve some aspects of your personality (your friends can thank me later). Aiyaaaaa!

Like this? You might also enjoy the Persona 4 - Steak Skewers.

Request: Persona 4 - Steak Skewers

Megatenn began following me in the early days of Gourmet Gaming and sent through a request forever ago for some Persona based foods (I believe Mystery Burger and Steak Skewers were on the list). After what seems like an eternal winter, this weekend there was some fabulous weather and I felt a fresh and light Asian inspired meal might be in order - so Steak Skewers were the ideal choice. I’ve never played any of the Persona games but I remember an old housemate having Persona 4 and I spent quite a few hours watching him play - I am however a big fan of many Atlus titles so I must annoy him during the week and see if I can borrow his copy. Speaking of Atlus I am VERY excited for Catherine! I watched the review last night and.. Wow. Cara (who wrote about me on Feed The Gamer several weeks ago) and Ben came over to help demolish the meal; I was rather nervous cooking something I had never made before for other people. In order to eat the food, however, they were forced to watch the Catherine review - it seemed like a fair trade. 

This recipe serves 4.

What you will need:

Wooden Skewers, griddle pan, grater

Ingredients:

300g of Sirloin Steak

300g of Chicken Breast

Or 

200g of Tofu

For the Steak/Tofu Marinade:

150ml Dark Soy Sauce

3 Stalks Spring Onion (chopped)

2 Tablespoons Sugar

1 Tablespoons Sesame Oil

1 ½  Tablespoons Flour

1 Clove Garlic (grated)

1 Teaspoon Ginger (grated)

1 Teaspoon Red Chilli (deseeded, chopped)

For the Chicken Marinade:

2 Tablespoons Sesame Oil

1 Teaspoons Chilli Flakes

1 Teaspoons Ginger (grated)

1 Teaspoon Garlic (grated)

1 Tablespoon Fresh Lime Juice

For the Satay Dipping Sauce:

3 Tablespoons Crunchy Peanut Butter

1 Teaspoons Sesame Oil

1 Teaspoons Soy Sauce

1 Clove Garlic (grated)

1 Teaspoon Ginger (grated)

1 Tablespoons Sugar

1 Teaspoon Chilli Flakes

2 Tablespoons Fresh Lime Juice

Milk/Coconut Milk

Optional Serving Vegetables:

Asparagus Spears

Red Onions

Chestnut Mushrooms

Preparing the Steak/Tofu:

1. Mix all the marinade ingredients in a bowl.
2. Cube the steak into 1 inch pieces and store in a separate bowl.
3. Pour half of the marinade over the steak, mix well, cover and place in the fridge for several hours.
4. Store the rest of the marinade in the fridge for later - as you will use this as extra sauce for serving/dipping.

Preparing the Chicken:

1. Cube the chicken into 1 inch pieces and place in a bowl.
2. Add the marinade ingredients to the chicken and mix well.
3. Cover and store the chicken in the fridge for several hours.

Preparing the Satay Dip:

1. Mix all the ingredients in a bowl.
2. Slowly add the milk/coconut milk a tablespoon at a time until a creamy but firm consistency is reached. 
3. Cover and set aside for later.

Preparing the Skewers:

1. Skewer the steak and chicken onto skewers - 4 pieces on each.
2. Heat a griddle pan to a medium heat and cook.
3. If you are making the tofu version - cook the skewers in a frying pan with some olive oil.

I served the skewers with thin egg noodles, ribboned  carrot and cucumber salad and skewered asparagus, mushroom and red onion that was roasted in the oven.

I was so hungry I inhaled my tofu version, which from what I can recall was really tasty, but I’ve since been told the food was actually delicious. I’ve amended the Satay recipe slightly to reduce the amount of Soy Sauce as I found it slightly salty so it should be more balanced now. Although that Satay was piled precariously high on the steak at one point in the meal! I sadly couldn’t find a good enough image of the Steak Skewer in the game to compare, but I did find this lovely drawing of it (if you have an in-game shot, please send it!). After eating those Skewers I am now even more intrigued to play Persona 4 - it will definitely be making an appearance at our gaming night, Warp Zone, in the near future!

Like this? You might also enjoy the Persona 4 - Aiya Rainy Day Special Mega Beef Bowl.