These garlic teriyaki steak bites are a flavourful dish that goes perfectly well with a bowl of rice, mashed potatoes, or can be served as a tasty appetiser. The steak bites are pan-seared till tender and juicy inside with a nice golden-brown crisp exterior. With fried garlic adding crunchiness, aroma, and a subtle, creamy flavour, this dish elevates your culinary experience with multiple layers of flavours and textures!
Using just a few simple ingredients to make a homemade teriyaki sauce, this dish is both quick and easy to make, and is amazingly delicious! Each bite is a burst of umami goodness, with the rich, caramelised notes of teriyaki dancing harmoniously with the bold, aromatic essence of garlic. With a dish full of so many flavours, I’m sure this will become your new favourite.
Table of contents
- What makes these garlic teriyaki steak bites so good
- Ingredients for garlic teriyaki steak bites
- How to make garlic teriyaki steak bites
- Success tips for making fried garlic
- Success tips for making garlic teriyaki steak bites
- How to store leftovers?
- How long can this dish last?
- More quick and easy recipes
What makes these garlic teriyaki steak bites so good
- Quick and easy: Simply marinate the steak bites, fry the sliced garlic, and throw everything else together, the dish will be ready in minutes!
- Layers of textures and flavours: The rich, juicy, and tender steak bites nicely complement with the sweet and savoury teriyaki sauce that gives a caramelised glaze. The addition of crunchy fried garlic gives the dish an added level of fragrance, flavour, complexity, and depth.
- A hearty, cosy dish: With a comforting medley of flavours and textures, these bite-sized pieces give you a mental bliss. You can even boost the weeknight dinner game by serving them over a bowl of rice. I’m sure everyone will find these garlic steak bites tempting and satisfying!
Ingredients for garlic teriyaki steak bites
- Steak: The main ingredient of this dish. This recipe uses 1 steak which is about 300g.
- Garlic: I used 7 garlic cloves in this recipe to make the dish incredibly garlicky and flavourful.
- Teriyaki sauce: Simply mix together soy sauce, mirin, rice wine, and sugar to make your own teriyaki sauce at home!
For the marinade:
- Sugar: Sugar helps caramelise the meat when cooked, creating a delicious crust on the surface. It also aids in browning and adds a depth of flavour to the meat.
- Cornstarch: Acting as a thickening agent, cornstarch helps tenderise the steak and allows the marinade to cling onto the meat better, forming a flavourful coating. It also helps to create a glossy finish on the meat when stir-frying or pan-searing, giving it a more appealing appearance.
- Salt and pepper: These enhance the natural flavours of the beef. Black pepper also helps balance out the meaty taste through added notes of heat.
- Soy sauce: This adds a rich, savoury umami flavour to the marinade, enhancing the overall taste of the meat. It also adds depth and complexity to the dish.
- Sesame oil: Sesame oil is a key staple ingredient used for marinade in Asian cuisines due to its unique flavour and aromatic qualities. Not only does it add depth, richness, and a pleasant fragrance to the marinade, it also helps tenderise the meat by adding moisture, producing juicier and more flavourful steak bites.
- Water: This penetrates extra moisture into the beef, tenderising the meat to make it juicier when cooked.
How to make garlic teriyaki steak bites
- Prepare the ingredients by chopping the garlic cloves into thin slices and the steak into bite-sized cubes. Set aside.
- Marinate the steak bites for 10-15 minutes. In the meantime, prepare the teriyaki sauce by mixing soy sauce, mirin, rice wine, and sugar together.
- Prepare the fried garlic by stir-frying the sliced garlic over medium-low heat until golden-brown crisp. Set aside.
- Over medium heat, pan-sear the steak bites both sides for 2 minutes maximum (1 minute per side), then add in half of the fried garlic. Add in teriyaki sauce, increase the heat, and stir-fry for another 1-2 minutes.
- Transfer the garlic teriyaki steak bites to a serving plate and garnish with the remaining fried garlic.
Success tips for making fried garlic
Wash the sliced garlic before frying.
Rinse the garlic to wash off the sticky bits on their surface then pat to dry. This helps remove the bitter taste of garlic while preserving their aromatic and flavour qualities. You may also soak them in water for 10 minutes to further remove their bitterness, but in my opinion, this will reduce the aroma and garlicky flavour which is the key highlight of this dish!
Fry the garlic over low heat.
Frying garlic until golden-brown crisp requires some patience. You’ll need to slowly cook the garlic with oil over low heat until both sides are golden brown while the garlic slices lose moisture gradually to achieve a crispy, crunchy texture. Cooking fried garlic over low heat prevents them from being burnt as well, as their surface can change colour very easily and rapidly.
Increase to medium-high heat in the end.
As you see the oil becomes bubbly, increase the heat to medium-high to allow rapid evaporation of moisture from the garlic’s surface. As you fry the garlic, you’ll be able to hear the sizzling sounds decreasing. That means they have lost most of their moisture. Increase the heat and stir-fry constantly to achieve a golden-brown, crispy, and crunchy exterior.
Success tips for making garlic teriyaki steak bites
Make sure the oil in the wok is fully heated in advance.
Hot oil allows for immediate searing and browning of the food to cook them more evenly. When you add steak bites in hot oil, the rapid evaporation of moisture from the meat’s surface creates a golden-brown crisp exterior. This also allows flavours to develop quickly and intensify, enhancing the overall taste of the dish.
Do not overcook steak bites.
Since beef meat will be cooked in just a few minutes, be sure not to overcook the bite-sized pieces from the beginning. Before stir-frying with fried garlic and teriyaki sauce, the steak bites should still be rare inside while having a golden-brown exterior. 2 minutes of pan-searing the steak bites over medium heat would be more than enough. You can do a finger test to check their doneness. Simply press the tip of your index finger to the tip of your thumb, then use your index finger from the other hand to push on the fleshy area below the thumb. This is what meat cooked to rare feels like.
Cook the dish over medium heat.
You’ll need enough strength and intensity of heat when cooking in a wok to bring out the flavours of the food. This is known as “wok hei” 鑊氣 in Chinese. The entire cooking process, from pan-searing the bite-sized steak pieces to throwing everything together, shouldn’t take over 5-6 minutes. This allows you to cook an aromatic and flavourful dish. As you add in fried garlic and teriyaki sauce, increase the heat, and stir-fry quickly to allow the sauce to evaporate quickly. This way, you’ll form a caramelised glaze over the steak bites!
How to store leftovers?
To store leftovers, place them in an airtight container, or wrap the serving plate with cling film, and store in the refrigerator.
How long can this dish last?
These garlic teriyaki steak bites are best enjoyed on the same day when they are served fresh and warm, but any leftovers will last for up to 3-4 days in the refrigerator. You can always fry garlic slices in a large batch, so when you reheat this dish, you can top with fresh crunchy fried garlic!
Seasoning tender steak bites with a mouthwatering blend of garlicky goodness and sweet teriyaki sauce, these little bites of heaven are like a flavour explosion in your mouth. Whether you’re having a cosy night in with friends or family, or simply treating yourself to some good food, these steak bites will take you on a delicious journey!
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Garlic Teriyaki Steak Bites
Ingredients
- 1 steak (300g), chop into cubes
- 7-8 garlic cloves thinly sliced
- 2-3 tbsp oil for cooking
For the marinade
- 1 tsp sugar
- 1 tsp cornstarch
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 1 tsp soy sauce
- 1 tsp sesame oil
- 1 tbsp water
For the teriyaki sauce
- 1 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tbsp mirin
- 1 tbsp rice wine
- 1 tsp sugar
Instructions
- Prepare the ingredients by chopping the garlic cloves into thin slices and the steak into bite-sized cubes. Set aside.(Optional) Rinse the sliced garlic to wash off the sticky bits on their surface then pat to dry. This helps remove the bitter taste of garlic.
- Marinate the steak bites with sugar, cornstarch, salt, black pepper, soy sauce, sesame oil, and water for 10-15 minutes.
- Meanwhile, prepare the homemade teriyaki sauce by mixing together soy sauce, mirin, rice wine, and sugar.
- Prepare the fried garlic. In a wok, add in about 1 tbsp oil and sliced garlic. Stir-fry over low heat until golden-brown crisp. Be patient with this step to prevent burning the garlic slices. As the oil becomes bubbly, increase the heat, and stir-fry quickly to achieve a crispy, crunchy texture. Set aside.
- Using the same wok, heat another 1-2 tbsp oil then add in the marinated steak bites. Pan-sear both sides for 2 minutes maximum, then add in half of the fried garlic.
- Add in teriyaki sauce, increase the heat, and stir-fry for another 1-2 minutes.
- Transfer the garlic teriyaki steak bites to a serving plate and garnish with the remaining fried garlic.