Recipes Strip Loin Steaks with Garlic-Sake Sauce 5.0 (5,882) Add your rating & review The simple Japanese sauce for these juicy steaks from chef Kuniko Yagi is garlicky and intense, with hints of sweet carrot. Slideshow: More Steak Recipes By Kuniko Yagi Kuniko Yagi Japanese-born Kuniko Yagi is an award-winning chef and owner of Pikunico, a Southern-inspired karaage fried chicken restaurant in Los Angeles. She was the opening chef of David Myers' Hinoki & the Bird, which was named one of Bon Appetit's Top 50 New Restaurants in 2013. Kuniko competed on Bravo's Top Chef Season 10.Experience: Kuniko Yagi probably would not have had a career as a chef had she not left her job as a banker in Tokyo to move to Los Angeles with her new husband in 2003. Barely able to speak English and in need of work after her divorce a year later, she landed a server position at Nobu Matsuhisa's Udon. Kuniko quickly realized that the path to building a sustainable career resided in the kitchen. Determined to learn the craft, she convinced chef David Myers, a regular at Udon, to hire her at Sona. Kuniko worked her way from chef de cuisine to executive chef of Myers' popular bistro Comme Ça. In between, she staged at three-Michelin-starred restaurants in Paris and Japan. Kuniko and Myers collaborated to open his highly acclaimed Japanese-influenced concept Hinoki & the Bird in late 2012, which coincided with her appearance on Top Chef. She left Hinoki & the Bird in 2014 with the intent of starting a casual restaurant where she could cook to feed and nourish everyone. It took Kuniko another four years to secure a partnership with Kaizen Dining Group to open Pikunico, inspired by happy childhood memories of the special fried chicken her grandmother would buy her on the weekends.Education: Kuniko graduated from Ferris University in Yokohama, Japan with a degree in literature. Food & Wine's Editorial Guidelines Updated on April 1, 2015 Print Rate It Share Share Tweet Pin Email Photo: © Con Poulos Total Time: 45 mins Yield: 4 to 6 Ingredients 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil Four 12-ounce strip loin steaks Kosher salt Pepper 2 tablespoons finely grated fresh garlic 1/4 cup finely grated onion 1/4 cup finely grated carrot 3 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce 3 tablespoons sake 3 tablespoons mirin Directions Preheat the oven to 425°. In a large cast-iron skillet, heat the oil. Season the steaks with salt and pepper. Cook 2 of the steaks over moderately high heat, turning once, until browned on both sides, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a plate and repeat with the remaining 2 steaks. Return all 4 to the skillet and roast in the oven for about 8 minutes, until an instant-read thermometer inserted in the thickest part of a steak registers 125° for medium-rare. Transfer the steaks to a cutting board; let rest for 10 minutes. Pour off all but 3 tablespoons of fat from the skillet. Add the garlic and cook over moderate heat, stirring, until fragrant, 30 seconds. Add the remaining ingredients and cook, stirring, until the sauce is slightly reduced and thickened, about 2 minutes. Thinly slice the steaks against the grain, top with the sauce and serve. Serve With Steamed white rice. Suggested Pairing Pair this steak with a bright, earthy Portuguese red. Rate it Print