Japanese Dinner Party Recipe: Teriyaki Beef Mince Canapé

Be the queen of home parties this holiday season!

It’s the season of house parties and many of you may be planning on inviting a friend or two over the upcoming holidays. But while at-home-parties can be so greatly entertaining, organizing them can easily become overwhelming — making sure that everything is on top while also finding the best recipes can be challenging. If you are one of those people who still hasn’t planned what will be gracing the dinner table at your upcoming house party, and if this season you’d like to impress your guests with some easy-made Japanese food, here is one of my best recipes that my friends and family members have come to enjoy very often at my home. It’s easy, delicious, and perfectly fit for a larger group of guests. Enjoy!

Teriyaki Beef Mince Canapé

Ingredients

*Makes 15 portions

• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 1 large onion peeled and finely diced
• 450g good quality beef mince
• Lettuce cups to serve
• Handful mangetout finely sliced to garnish

Teriyaki sauce: 

• 8 tablespoons soy sauce
• 4 tablespoons mirin
• 4 tablespoons sake
• 2 teaspoons sugar

Instructions

1. Mix the ingredients for the teriyaki sauce together in a small bowl until the sugar is dissolved, then set aside.
2. Heat the vegetable oil in a medium-sized saucepan over a medium heat.
3. Add the diced onion and fry for few minutes on a medium to low heat (do not brown the onion).
4. Add the mince and stir using a wooden spoon to help break up the mince. Continue to fry until the meat is nearly cooked (do not cook the meat fully or it may become dry).  
5. Pour the teriyaki sauce over the mince and mix well together. Cook on a high heat for a few minutes, then let it simmer until most of the liquid has been absorbed.
6. Serve on lettuce cups and garnish with finely sliced mangetout.

Note: This recipe can be frozen or made a few days in advance (actually the flavors develop over time so it becomes even tastier) and doesn’t require a lot of ingredients.

Bonus: A few tips on entertaining at home

As a person who regularly hosts Japan-inspired (and other) house parties, here are a few tips that have helped me host the events without much stress and food failures over the years. Enjoy!

1. Create a menu that is affordable for you and manageable for your cooking skills (to avoid stress avoid trying complicated dishes for the first time the day of the party — I’ve done this and it didn’t work out well!)
2. Create a menu that allows you to prepare a lot of the dishes in advance. This will allow you to spread the workload over a few days and hopefully enjoy the process.
3. Choose dishes that are relatively easy to make and look impressive even after sitting around for an hour or so.
4. Look up Pinterest or Instagram for creative and attractive ways to serve your dishes (remember people eat with their eyes). You could make a really tasty dish but if it doesn’t look appealing people may not want to try it. Teriyaki Beef Mince Canapé looks great on a large wooden chopping board.
5. Don’t forget the garnishes or finishing touches — these can add a bit of color and bring a dish to life. I garnished this recipe with greens to add a little color to the mince.

I hope your party will be successful and enjoyable for you and your special guests!