2h 15mFood Wars! (Shokugeki no Soma)
Takumi Aldini's Lemon Semifreddo
Sweets & Desserts · Hard
Soma's Multi-Cut Beef Stew (Autumn Election Ragout)
- Prep
- 1h 15m
- Cook
- 3h 30m
- Total
- 6h 45m
- Serves
- 6
- Difficulty
- Hard
Season 2 Episode 6 (Episode 30 in some lists) is the Autumn Election semifinal where Soma Yukihira faces copycat Subaru Mimasaka. The official theme is Beef Stew: Autumn Election Special (often translated as beef ragout). Soma's answer is a multi-cut stew built on Yukihira logic: each cut cooked the way it wants, united only at the end.
Manga and anime tie the sauce to oxtail collagen and a Japanese secret in the demi-glace: shiro miso (white miso), not a soy-mirin shortcut. Soma also nods to Kyushu chikuzenni (game-ni) — separate treatments, one composed bowl. You get grilled bavette blocks, butter-glazed tongue, braised cheek and oxtail in lacquer gravy, waffle potatoes, charred onions, and whole shiitake like the screenshot.
Budget a project day: about 75 minutes active prep, 3½ hours cooking, plus 2 hours passive (cheek marinade and tongue cooling). Blanch tongue and marinate cheek the night before if you want. Yields six generous shallow bowls with about 220 g of cooked beef per serving.
Ingredients
Recipe ingredients
- 1½ tbsp
- 6
- Beef tongueKey1 lb (450 g)
blanch and peel
- Beef cheekKey1 lb (450 g)
red-wine marinade
- Beef oxtailKey1½ lb (680 g)
braise with cheek — canon collagen cut
- Flank steak (bavette)Key½ lb (225 g)
bavette — grill only at the end
- Red wineKey3 cups (720 ml)
marinade + gravy
- Beef stock (or bouillon)Key5 cups (1.2 L)
one-pot cheek and oxtail braise
Pantry staples
Salt, oil, butter, and other basics you likely already have — scaled with servings above.
- Fresh flat-leaf parsley · cheek marinade + finish1 small bunch
- Bay leaves · cheek marinade3
- All-purpose flour · ¼ cup cheek + ¼ cup gravy roux½ cup
- Unsalted butter · 2 tbsp tongue glaze + 1 tsp per bowl finish4 tbsp
- Extra-virgin olive oil · tongue sear1 tbsp
- Neutral oil · sear cheek, gravy, and waffle potatoes5 tbsp
- Yellow onion · 2 charred half-moons + 2 mirepoix4 medium
- Carrot · 2 mirepoix + 2 waffle garnish4
- Potatoes · waffle-cut garnish2 large
- Garlic · mirepoix4 cloves
- Tomato paste · stew body2 tbsp
- Kosher salt · all stagesto taste
- Black pepper · cheek + gravyto taste
- Granulated sugar · balance gravy1 tsp
- Water · blanch tongue2 quarts
Shop ingredients & tools
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Best Value
Waffle & crinkle-cut mandoline slicer
Anime-style waffle potatoes and carrot chips — faster and safer than freehand crinkle knives.
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Shiro miso (white miso paste)
Adds sweet, savory depth to the demi-glace without the harshness of dark miso.
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Shop on AmazonPremium
Enameled Dutch oven (5–6 qt)
One heavy pot for searing, braising cheek and oxtail, and building the lacquer gravy.
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Shop on AmazonInstructions
- 1
Blanch and peel tongue
Simmer 1 lb beef tongue in 2 quarts salted water with 2 smashed garlic cloves for 2–2½ hours until fork-tender. Lift out; remove the outer skin while still warm. Cool completely; trim root end.
- 2
Marinate beef cheek
Cube 1 lb beef cheek. Combine 1 cup red wine, ½ cup chopped fresh parsley leaves, 3 bay leaves, 1 tsp kosher salt, and ½ tsp black pepper. Add cheek; refrigerate at least 2 hours (up to overnight).
- 3
Butter-glaze tongue bites
Slice skinned tongue into ½-inch coins. Warm 2 tbsp unsalted butter with 1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil in a skillet over medium-high. Sear tongue coins 1–2 minutes per side until golden. Set aside — reserve 1 round for the center garnish.
- 4
Flour and sear cheek and oxtail
Drain cheek; pat dry; discard bay leaves. Dust cheek with ¼ cup all-purpose flour. Cut 1½ lb beef oxtail into segments. In a Dutch oven, sear cheek and oxtail in 1 tbsp neutral oil until deeply browned. Transfer both to a plate while you build the gravy — only a few minutes off heat.
- 5
Gravy and braise cheek with oxtail
In the same Dutch oven, sauté 2 chopped onions, 2 chopped carrots, and 2 minced garlic cloves in 1 tbsp neutral oil. Dust with the remaining ¼ cup all-purpose flour; cook 1 minute. Add 1 cup red wine; reduce by half. Stir in 5 cups beef stock, 2 tbsp tomato paste, 1 tsp granulated sugar, and strained cheek marinade wine. Return seared cheek and oxtail; cover and simmer (or bake at 300°F / 150°C) 2½–3 hours until both are fork-tender and the gravy naps a spoon. Off heat, whisk in 1½ tbsp shiro miso; season with kosher salt and black pepper.
- 6
Char-grill bavette
While the braise simmers, season ½ lb flank steak (bavette) with kosher salt and black pepper. Grill over charcoal or on a cast iron grill pan until medium-rare with crosshatch marks. Rest 10 minutes; slice against the grain; cut into thick cubes. Keep separate from the pot.
- 7
Waffle potatoes, carrots, and mushrooms
Slice 2 large potatoes and 2 carrots with a waffle mandoline (or thin crinkle blade). Pan-fry in 3 tbsp neutral oil until golden and crisp. Char 2 onion half-moons in the same pan. Pan-sear 6 shiitake caps until edges brown. Hold garnishes warm.
- 8
Unite and plate
Off heat, fold butter-glazed tongue coins into the braise. Ladle into shallow bowls. Top with grilled bavette cubes, waffle potatoes and carrots, shiitake, and charred onion. Set the reserved tongue round in the center; top with about 1 tsp cold unsalted butter per bowl to melt. Scatter chopped fresh parsley leaves and serve.
Pro tips
Blanch tongue until the skin slips while warm — a 1 lb tongue may finish faster than a 2 lb piece. Keep cheek marinade under 24 hours. Sear bavette hot for marks only; slice against the grain before cubing. Braise cheek and oxtail together in one Dutch oven pass so collagen and gravy develop at once. Dust mirepoix with the second ¼ cup flour before wine so the 5 cups stock naps the spoon. Whisk shiro miso off the boil so it stays sweet, not bitter. Fold grilled bavette last so crosshatch stays visible.
Storage & leftovers
Stew keeps 3 days refrigerated; grilled bavette cubes soften submerged — store separately and add when reheating. Freeze gravy without bavette up to 2 months.
What to serve with
Crusty bread to mop the gravy, or steamed rice for a Japanese table. A light side salad cuts the richness.
Equipment
All kitchen equipment guidesFAQ
Season 2, Episode 6 — Autumn Election shokugeki vs Subaru Mimasaka. The dish is Beef Stew: Autumn Election Special (multi-cut beef stew / ragout in English fan guides).
