One of life’s great delights is eating with friends. For me, St. Patrick’s Day has become an annual get-together with friends, where everyone sits down to enjoy heaping platters of corned beef and cabbage and boiled potatoes, along with crusty loaves of freshly baked Irish soda bread (and plenty of beer to wash it all down, of course).

Here’s my Japanese rendition of one of my basic recipes for this classic Irish dish:


1 corned beef brisket
3 bottles of Japanese dark beer (Asahi Black and Sapporo Black Label are good choices)
1 tbsp mustard seed
1 tsp black peppercorns

For Braised Cabbage:

1 medium-size cabbage
1 tsp white sesame seeds
2 tbsp ghee or clarified butter

For Sauce:

2 tbsp sake
3 tbsp mirin, rice wine, or sherry
3 tbsp shoyu
1 tbsp sugar
1 tbsp brown sugar
2 tsp grated fresh ginger

1. Place beef brisket in stockpot. Pour in Japanese beer and add just enough water to cover the brisket. Add mustard seed and peppercorns. Bring to a boil, skim off foam, cover, reduce heat and let simmer for three hours, until meat is fork-tender.

2. Just before brisket is done, wash and core cabbage and remove tough outer leaves. Cut cabbage lengthwise into quarters, then slice each quarter into 1/4-inch-wide stripes. Set aside.

3. Carefully remove brisket from the stockpot and place it on a serving plate. Slice brisket along the grain into 1/4-inch slices and cover to keep warm.

4. Prepare sauce--place all ingredients into a saucepan and bring to a boil. Lower heat and simmer until sauce is slightly syrupy. Cover and set aside.

5. Heat ghee and 1 tsp sesame oil over medium heat in a large skillet until hot. Add cabbage and sauté 5 minutes. Stir in sesame seeds and continue to sauté until cabbage is tender, about two minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

6. Arrange brisket slices over a bed of cabbage on a serving platter. Drizzle with warm sauce and serve immediately.