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DARK PRAWN CURRY

by siow on in RECIPES, Seafood

A very aromatic dark curry inspired by south Indian curry. Prawns are very tasty seafood, delicious on their own when poached, fried or even when added to stir-fry dishes. They often have a very strong fishy smell, the smell of the ocean. Cooking them with the strong aroma of the spices helps to reduce the strong ocean smell and gives a very beautiful fragrant to the dish.

Strangely or lucky for me my partner can not eat prawns, he’s got a strong allergy to certain seafood (prawns, crabs, some fish) that I love to eat. Just because he can not eat them doesn’t mean I can’t have them as well. They are treats for me and these prawns were bought especially for my cravings. I often have them poached or added to my Cambodian curry or Thai dishes, but I felt like something different so I decided to make this inspired dark curry. A friend from Fiji taught me to make a dry chicken wings curry so I applied the same method used to make the wings curry to this prawns curry dish. The curry base is made up of spices in the ingredients list, salt and water, different from the typical curry where we add fresh tomato, yogurt or such for moisture and extra flavour.

Note: the curry base is quite strong so if you don’t like to have a too strong curry aroma I recommend  you reduce the amount of spices used. Adding in a small amount of cooking cream also helps to soften the strong aroma flavour of the spices. 

DARK PRAWNS CURRY

Prep-Time: 10 mins                         Serve: 3

Cooking Time: 30 mins

Ingredients

10 green banana prawns, washed and deveined

1 small sweet potato. chopped

1 onion, chopped

3 asparagus, chopped

1 carrot, roughly chopped

3 cloves garlic, minced

5 thai chilies, chopped

2 bay leaves

1 tsp turmeric

1 tsp paprika

1/2 tsp garam masala

1/4 tsp fenugreek

1/4 tsp cumin

1 star anise

1 tbsp tomato paste

salt to taste

1 cup water

oil

Method 

Heat the oil in a wok/pot over medium heat. Add in the onion once the oil is heated and cook the onion thoroughly for 3-5 minutes or until they soften.

Add in all of the spices and salt, stir to mix and dry roast the spices for a few minutes or until the spices start to fragrant.

Add in sweet potatoes, carrot and water into the mixture and then turn the heat to high. Bring the mixture to a boil and cook the potatoes and carrot until well cooked.

Now add in the prawns and asparagus, constantly stir to coat with the curry sauce and cook for 5 minutes or until the prawns are cooked through. Remove from heat and served with steamed basmati rice.

        

 

COQ AU VIN

by siow on in Poultry, RECIPES

A beautiful traditional burgundy dish that you can’t say no to. It is getting cold in Australia, the perfect time to make this dish for a couple or family lunch or dinner. There are many versions of the dish out there and here is my version of it with chicken drumsticks and button mushrooms. My cooking method is probably different to others out there, but its simple and its still very delicious and heart warming. It is normally cooked in a dutch oven or a skillet and often cooked on the stove and then baked in the oven to finish, but since I haven’t got any one of them I am showing you my version using a stainless steel pan/wok and only slow cooking it on the stove.

There are also recipes that also add thickening ingredients such as tomato paste and cornstarch to thicken the sauce. I like my food to be natural and using fresh ingredients as much as possible so my recipe does not include any thickening agents. I slow cook the meat and allow the sauce to reduce and thicken itself.  The other method I was told I could use is to cook it the night before and leave it in the fridge over night and then cook it in the oven the next day to finish up. This method is good for you if you are busy and don’t have the time to wait for it to cook all in one go. Leaving the dish in the fridge over night will also allow the chicken to rest and absorb the flavour from the wine and make the dish more flavourful the next day. However I wouldn’t be using this method because our fridge isn’t big enough for a big pan. I am cooking it in one go with extended cooking time. Instead of cooking it for an hour I am slow cooking it for 2 hours, long enough to allow the chicken to absorb the wine flavour and long enough to tenderise the meat.

Note: when making this recipe its best to have a lid on when slow cooking the meat. It helps to keep the moisture in and allow the top and bottom of the meat to cook equally.

If you are using a pan like I do and do not have a lid that fits your pan, you can always use aluminium foil to wrap the top of the pan while the food simmer down. 

COQ AU VIN

Prep-Time: 15 mins                            Serving: 4

Cooking Time: 2 hrs 15 mins

Ingredients 

4 large drumsticks or maryland

250g button mushrooms, washed

250g shallots

4 pieces bacon, cut into strips (preferred fat free)

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 tbsp fresh thyme, chopped

2 cups red wine

50g butter

1 tbsp olive oil

salt and pepper to taste

Method

Heat a pan/dutch oven over medium high heat, add in the butter and oil once the pan is heated. Place the drumsticks into the heated butter and sear to brown all sides. Transfer the browned drumsticks onto a plate and set aside.

In the same pan cook the bacon until brown or until all fat excess. Add in the garlic and stir for a minute and then add in the shallots. Cook the shallots until they soften.

       

Toss the mushrooms into the pan and stir to cook for 3 minutes. Pour in the wine and return the drumsticks back into the pan. Turn the heat to high and allow it to simmer. Once the wine starts to simmer, reduce the heat to medium and leave to slow cook with the lid on for 2 hours. Add in the thyme, salt and pepper to taste. Serve with mashed potatoes.

         

 

 

STEWED LAMB AND SPINACH

by siow on in Lamb, Meat, RECIPES

Stewed lamb and spinach with the combination of mixed indian spices is a heart warming dish great for a cool winter day and evening. It is very similar to curry due to the use of the same spices that are used in Indian curry. The use of pine nuts and nutmeg slightly differentiates the flavour from typical Indian curry. However to people from south Asia (India, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Pakistan..etc) it is just another good lamb curry.

Lamb can never go wrong in stew or any other dishes. It has a very strong distinctive flavour and tender texture. Making lamb with spices is the best combination, spices help to reduce the strong smell and make it very flavourful. This dish can be made in a dutch oven or a skillet if you have one.

Note: the name of the dish is stewed lamb and spinach because we use both lamb and spinach, but we do not stew the spinach as long as the lamb. The reason is obvious that lamb needs more time to be tenderised by stewing. Spinach are leaf vegetables and therefore can soften easily when heated so it is very important to keep in mind to add the spinach at the end to prevent them becoming over cooked and getting too mushy. 

The colour of the dish maybe different while cooking and when finishing. The reason it changes into a lighter yellow colour than and orange is because of the yogurt being added at the end of the dish to thicken and smoothen the flavour. 

STEW LAMB AND SPINACH

Prep-Time: 15 mins                   Serve: 3

Cooking Time: 1 hr

Ingredients 

500g lamb leg, cut into pieces

1 onion, chopped

3 large tomatoes, chopped

500g baby spinach

2 tbsp pine nuts

4 cloves garlic, minced

2 tsp turmeric

1 tbsp paprika

1/2 tsp nutmeg

1/2 tsp grounded cinnamon

1 tsp grounded chilli/5 dried chilles

5 tbsp oil

salt to taste

Method

Roast the pine nuts in a pan for 2-3 minutes over high heat or roast them in the over with 220°C Fan Force for 3 minutes. Remove from the pan or oven and set aside.

Heat the oil in a dutch oven/pan over medium high heat, add the lamb pieces in to the heated oil and sear all sides to brown.

Add the onion and garlic onto the seared meat and give it a quick stir. Cook the onion for 2-3 minutes to soften.

Now add in all of the spices and about 2 tsp salt and stir to coat the meat with the spices for 2  minutes. Toss in the chopped tomatoes and 1 1/2 cup  of water or enough water to cover the meat. Leave to cook over high heat for 30 minutes and then reduce the heat to medium heat and cook for a further 30 minutes.

        

Remove from the heat and then add in the spinach. Stir until the spinach softens. Leave to cool for 10 minutes and add in the yogurt and pine nuts and then stir until well mixed. Serve with rice, naam bread or couscous.

 

GRILL GLAZED CORN

by siow on in RECIPES, Veggies

Grill glazed corn is a street snack in Cambodia. In Cambodia, there are many types of corn street snacks and this one is often available when corn is in season. The original types of corn that are available in Cambodia are white and purple corn however in the last 10 years the yellow sweet corns have been introduced to the country. This recipe is traditionally only made with white corns and not yellow corns even now that they are commonly available. However there are no white corns in my area or anywhere that I know in Sydney so I am using the sweet yellow corn we have here.

The white and purple corns that are available in Cambodia are harvested when they are mature so they are often not sweet unless picked when they are really young or old enough to have corn covering the whole cob. Despite the slightly different flavour of the corns, sweet corn still makes this recipe taste good, I would even better than the white and purple corns.  It is a very simple recipe to make as a side dish, snack or even added to salad.

Note: to pick the perfect corn I was taught to take a corn and pull some of the leaves back about 3cm down, enough to see the flesh and to see if they are good or not. If you see the cob is full with corn and the tip is green then its a fresher good corn, otherwise move on to the next corn. 

GRILL GLAZED CORN 

Prep-Time: 5 mins                         Serve: 2

Cooking Time: 15 mins

Ingredients 

2 corns

Olive oil

glazed 

1 spring onion (leaves only), chopped

1 cup coconut milk

pinch salt

1/4 brown sugar

Method

Preheat oven at 200°C Grill, line a tray with baking paper.

Remove the corn from its leaves and rub with oil. Place the rubbed corns in a lined tray and bake for 10 minutes.

Heat the coconut milk in a saucepan over medium heat. Add in the sugar and salt into the heated coconut milk and stir until melted. Once the coconut milk starts simmering add in half of the spring onion. Stir until the spring onion softens and remove from the heat.

After 10 minutes remove the corn from the oven and glaze with the seasoned coconut milk. Bake for further 5 minutes and give the corns a second glaze. Now cook the corn for 5 minutes further or until cooked.

Leave to cool a bit an transfer onto a serving plate. Drizzle the rest of the seasoned coconut milk onto the cooked corns and sprinkle the rest of the spring onions. Cut of the coup to serve or serve as they are as a side dish or snack. Enjoy!

 

 

 

 

PAPRIKA DRUMSTICKS

by siow on in Poultry, RECIPES

Are delicious foods always complicated to make? My mum used to tell me that delicious foods often take time to make, but not necessarily be complicated to make. True that some foods are complicated to make because of the many different ingredients required for the dish. However that doesn’t apply to this dish. I find this dish the simplest to make and also one of the most tastiest dishes that I’ve made.

Before I came across this recipe I would marinate chicken breasts with paprika and a bit of salt and then pan grill them, sided with a nice salad for a basic meal. Paprika has always been one of my favourite spices to add to my cooking, but for some reason I’ve never thought about using it to marinate drumsticks. I honestly didn’t have good experience grilling or shallow frying drumsticks so I stopped adding grilled or roasted drumsticks to the menu until recently. This recipe was shared to us by my partners’ sister in law. We visited them for their daughter’s 10th birthday and this dish was on the menu. The drumsticks were beautifully cooked, so tender that the meat came of the bone while the skin wasn’t too soggy nor too crispy.  It was so good we couldn’t help but ask for the recipe.

Before I received the recipe I thought the cooking process would be complicated and maybe there was a lot of ingredients that go in to the seasoning. I was wrong. All they used was paprika, salt, pepper and olive oil. Just that to make the tastiest chicken drumsticks. I can’t stop bragging about how good they are.

Note: the preparation time looks like it’s very long, but it only goes for the marinating and the cooking time. There’s not much work needed to prepare the dish. It’s mostly waiting time which you can do other tasks while waiting. The marination can also be done over night to save time and it will also marinate the meat better. Otherwise 3-5 hours will do. 

It needs to be in the oven for at least and hour, but for best result with the temperate I use it’s best to cook it for 1.5 hours. Again it may sound like a long time and you may think it needs a lot of checking. I would recommend doing a check once after it’s been cooked for an hour to make sure it doesn’t burn depending on the oven you have, but mine is electric and I didn’t need to check it at all until it finished. 

PAPRIKA DRUMSTICKS 

Prep-Time: 5 hrs                              Serving: 2-4

Cooking Time: 1.5 hrs

Ingredients 

4 drumsticks

1 tbsp sweet paprika

1 tsp olive oil

Salt and Pepper to taste

Method

Marinate the drumsticks with paprika, oil, 1 tsp salt and pepper. Leave to marinate in the fridge for 5 hours or over night for a better result.

         

Preheat the oven at 180°C Fan Force

Line the marinated drumsticks in a baking dish. Sprinkle more salt and pepper on to the top of the skin, this will help to make the skin somewhat crispy. Place in the oven and leave to bake for 1.5 hours. Check after an hour if needed to be. Serve with steamed rice and a side vegetable dish.

         

 

SUNFLOWER SPROUTS SALAD

by siow on in RECIPES, Veggies

Sunflower is one of the most amazing plants that mother earth provides us. The flower is so beautiful when it blooms, bright yellow just like the sun. It is one of those flowers that just stands out in any land it is grown in. Growing up loving sunflowers and it’s seeds, I’ve never thought how amazing the sprouts would taste. Just like the seeds, the sprouts are full of minerals, vitamin B, are a great source of protein and help to boost up your antioxidant levels.

The first time I started experimenting with sunflower sprouts was last December, I found the flavour unforgettable and since then started to experiment with other sprouts. So far sunflower sprouts are one of my favourite sprouts. Adding them to this salad was the perfect decision and I can swap a bowl of pasta for this salad any time.

Note: this recipe is very simple to make and the seasoning can be adjusted to your liking. The key to keeping it tasting great is to balance the sweetness with the saltiness and the sourness. I also like to balance those 3 flavour with a good amount of heat, otherwise it wouldn’t taste right for me. Just like mentioned earlier you can make it the way you prefer. 

I eat a lot of chilli and this salad recipe is actually quite hot for me, so if you don’t like hot food bear in mind to reduce the amount of chilli added to this recipe or even remove it. It is best to eat the salad fresh straight after you make it, because like most vegetables sunflower sprouts become soggy fast. 

SUNFLOWER SPROUTS SALAD 

Prep-Time: 10 mins                   Serve: 2

Ingredients 

125g sunflower sprout

1 tbsp hot chilli sauce

4 thai chilli, chopped

1 tbsp palm sugar

2-3 tbsp fish sauce

3/4-1 large lime juice

1 tomato, chopped

1 carrot, grated

3 stalk coriander, chopped

3 shallot, sliced

Method

In a large mixing bowl combine chilli sauce, lime juice, palm sugar and fish sauce. Mix together to dissolve the sugar.

Add in the rest of the ingredients and then toss around with a salad fork to mix and coat the vegetables with the dressing. Once nicely mixed, transfer onto a serving bowl and serve with your favourite meat dish.

 

STIR-FRY EGG NOODLES

by siow on in Poultry, RECIPES

Noodles can be labelled as an unhealthy food. There are many different types of noodles and depending on the variety they can be made from different ingredients. Noodles are placed in the unhealthy food category because it’s high in carbs. Just because noodles are high in Carbs doesn’t mean you have to keep clear of them. Like other nutrients and minerals, your body also need some amount of good carbs for your digestion, therefore choosing the right type of noodles to use in your cooking is very important and always watch the amount that you consume.

My most preferred type of noodles is long and thin egg noodles. I find egg noodles are the healthiest variety of noodles because egg noodles are made using more amount of eggs and less amount of flour compare to most wheat noodles. They also contains more protein from the eggs and are low in fat, especially trans fat which are very bad for your body. Make a healthy egg noodles meal by jazzing it up with a good amount of different vegetables.

What I like about stir-fry noodles is that it’s easy to make and you can easier adjust the flavour by changing only a small amount of seasoning. My partner loves stir-fry noodles so I often make it once or twice a month. I choose the long and thin egg noodles over the long and thick egg noodles  for two reasons. Number 1 they are less filling and number 2 they take less time to cook.

Note: egg noodles taste amazing when cooked right. Sometimes when cooking noodles in bulk not all parts of the noodles are cooked because they are compacted together from the packet for example and become thicker and stickier when just added in to hot water in one go. This will prevent the boiling water cooking the noodles that are in the middle of the  bulk. What I don’t like about egg noodles is that they smell if they are not cooked properly. So if you don’t like the smell like I don’t, I recommend drizzling about a handful at a time into the boiling water. This will help to prevent the noodles sticking together. So if the noodles aren’t cooked evenly when boiled and are then added into the stir-fry wok, it won’t make much changes to texture and you will be able to taste and smell the raw egg and flour. 

The other thing you need to do to make sure the noodles are evenly cooked and to prevent them from sticking to together or to the pot is to stir them with tongs and to cook them for a little longer. When you cook them longer in boiling water, the flour will be cooked properly and will loosen up.

STIR-FRY EGG NOODLES

Prep-Time: 15 mins                  Serve: 4

Cooking Time: 10 mins

Ingredients

1/2 packet fresh egg noodles

1 large chicken breast, thinly sliced

1 large carrot, sliced

1/2 red capsicum, roughly chopped

1 medium broccoli, chopped

3 stalk choy sum/Chinese broccoli/broccolini, chopped

4 cloves garlic, mince

1/2 tbsp black soy

1 tbsp oyster sauce (optional)

2 tsp brown sugar

1 1/2 tsp salt

1/4 cup water

4 tbsp oil

1/2 tbsp sesame oil

Method

Boil 1/2 a pot of water. Drizzle the egg noodles into the boiling water. Stir occasionally and leave to cook for 5-7 minutes. Remove from the heat and transfer into a strainer and then rinse under cold water.

              

Like most of my stir-fry dishes I like to infuse the oil and fragrant it with garlic before adding other ingredients to it. So to start, heat the oil in the wok over medium heat. Add in the garlic once the oil is heated and then stir to cook until it becomes fragrant and turns lightly brown.

Add in the chicken along with all of the seasoning and then bring the heat to high. Cook for 2 minutes or until most of the chicken turns white then add in the water and allow the water to simmer.

Once the water starts simmering add in the vegetables and cook for 3 minutes or until they slightly soften. Make a whole in the middle of the wok and then add in the cooked noodles. Stir thoroughly to separate the noodles and allow it to mix well with the seasoning. Remove from heat and serve.       

              

 

PEPPER PRAWNS FRIED RICE

by siow on in RECIPES, Seafood

I often get confused and I am still confused when people talk about prawns and shrimp. To some people prawns and shrimps are the same, but depending on the countries prawns and shrimp can also be different. For some countries such as America and some parts of Asia they are called prawns, where as in Australia and other parts of Asia they are called shrimp. The reason I am confused is because where I grew up shrimps are very small generally smaller than 0.5cm and are always found in fresh water. Where as prawns are bigger often coming in different sizes and types and are from salt water.

Because the shrimps from where I grew up are always small they are always eaten whole, where prawns always need to be peeled before eating. This is my understanding of prawns and shrimps. We don’t get fresh water shrimp in Australia so to me they are all prawns, that’s why when they call them shrimps I get confused sometimes.

The fact is that prawns and shrimps are similar in many ways, however there are a few features that can help to identify the differences between shrimps and prawns. What makes them very much the same is that both have 10 legs with the same body structure and they have very similar flavour, they also like to stay near the ocean, river or lake floor. Unlike the body structure their gill structures are different, shrimp have branching gills, while prawns have lameller gills with a platelike structure. Prawns are also considered to be bigger, while shrimps are smaller.

Note: there are many ways to cook prawns such as poaching, deep-fry or stir-fry ..etc. Prawns have very  lean flesh protected by the shells, because of their lean meat they can become dry fast when cooking. What I like to do in stir-frying to prevent them from getting too dry and hard is to cook them on hight heat with seasoning for a very short time then adding other ingredients to finish up. The other way I like to cook them is to add the ingredients that need a longer cooking time first before adding in the prawns.

I wouldn’t say that you must use this specific type of prawns for your cooking, because different people prefer different types and sizes so it’s really dependent on the type that you like. Green tiger prawns are my favourite so they are the ones that I will be using in most of my prawns recipes.

Like mentioned in my pork fried rice recipe, it is very important to cook the rice a bit crispier/drier than you would normally would. Because if your rice is too soft, when added into the stir fry to make fried rice the rice might get even softer and soggy from the stir-fry liquid. This fried rice is an inspiration from a Cambodian dish, stir-fry prawns with lime and pepper sauce.

PEPPER PRAWNS FRIED RICE

Prep- Time: 10 mins              Serve: 1

Cooking Time: 10 mins

Ingredients

10 green tiger prawns, peel and de-vein

1 1/2 tsp grounded pepper

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp sugar

1/2 tbsp fish sauce

4 cloves garlic, mince

1 small spring onion, chopped

1/2 Lebanese cucumber, sliced

1/2 a handful of sliced green cabbage

1/4 lime

3 tbsp oil

2-3 cups steamed jasmine rice

Method  

Prepare a serving plate with the sliced cucumber and green cabbage. Set aside.

Heat the oil in a wok over medium high heat. Once the oil is heated, add in the garlic and cook the garlic until it is fragrant and turns light brown.

Add in the prawns along with all of the seasoning and then stir to cook for 2 minutes. Once most parts of the prawns are cooked, go ahead and add in the steamed rice. Stir to separate the rice for 5 minutes or until mixed well with the rest of the ingredients in the wok.

Remove from heat and transfer on to the prepared serving plate. Top with the spring onion and the lime wedge.

 

POPCORN LAMB

by siow on in Lamb, Meat, RECIPES

I feel very blessed to be living in a country that doesn’t run out of lamb or mutton. Cambodia is a tropical country and the humidity is very high so it’s not the best place for sheep. There are very few black sheep around, but I’m not really sure what they do with them. We were living in Cambodia then when my dad first introduced lamb to us, it was Australian imported lamb which was only sold in a Cambodian western supermarket that sold mostly Australian imported products. They weren’t the best looking pieces of meat back then, but they tasted amazing. Since then lamb has became one of my favourite meats, probably more than pork and beef. Because of it’s strong and unique smell and flavour I found that it also goes very well with asian strong spices and herbs. For those of you with courage you can try camel meat which tastes similar to lamb but is more mild in taste.

I made this recipe because I sometimes have a craving for battered or crumbed meat. I used to work in a fast food store a long while back and I used to love their pop corn chicken, but after I worked around oil for a while I kind of get sick of the smell and really don’t want anything to do with deep frying. It wasn’t just the smell that bothered, it was also the type of oil that they used and how long it’s been there. So if you are the healthy people like we are and want to try something new that is simple to make but delicious, this recipe is for you!

Note: to make this the healthiest way I recommend using the lean meat rather than meat with fat. Some oil will be sprayed on the meat before they go into the oven so there will be enough oil to help them cook and stay moist.

I use paprika in this recipe, but I also can use chilli powder instead if I want to add some heat. If you are making this as a meal I recommend having it with a soup dish to help with your digestion.

   

POPCORN LAMB 

Prep-Time: 25 mins                Serve: 2

Cooking Time: 30 mins

Ingredients

600g lamb, cube medium

1 cup plain flour

1 tsp salt

1 tsp fresh grounded pepper

1 tsp paprika

oil

Method

Marinate the lamb with 1/2 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp pepper and 1/2 tsp paprika. Leave it to sit for 15-30 minutes.

 

Preheat the oven at 220°C Fan Force. Line a baking tray with baking paper and set aside. Mix the flour with the rest of the salt, pepper and paprika.

Dredge the marinated lamb with the seasoned flour in batches and then place them on the lined tray. Spray oil evenly over the lamb and then cook in the oven for 15-20 minutes. After 20 minutes remove the tray out of the oven and turn them over. Return the tray to the oven and cook for another10 minutes or until they turn golden brown.

                 

 

 

 

THAI BEEF SALAD

by siow on in Beef, Meat, RECIPES

In general salads are usually considered healthy and so is red meat when cooked to medium rare or rare. When I’m out eating or wanting to make a salad at home I often like to make a chicken salad, it’s very simple and made with ready to serve roasted chicken. However when it comes to asian salads my most favourite is beef salad with bbq or grilled beef. The reason I like this salad more than other asian salads is because I find the flavour of the dressing goes very well with the grilled beef and a few of other asian herbs and vegetables. Another reason is because it’s all about the spice, I love spicy food and when I first had Thai grilled beef salad they made it very spicy to my liking and it was beautiful. I’m not saying that other asian salads that use different meat don’t taste good, it’s just that I like beef more in asian salads than other meats.

Beef salad, why do they call it beef salad instead of an asian salad? That’s because the quantity of beef used in this salad is more than the amount of vegetables used. To make beef salad or any other meat salad the most common herbs and vegetables used are cucumber, mint, coriander, tomato and some greens of your choice. So the base vegetables are those and all you need is a good amount of juicy marinated grilled beef. The salad dressing used in Thai’s salad is pretty much the same for different meats. The basic ingredients are chili, sugar, fish sauce and lime juice. The spiciness can be adjusted according to your liking and this goes for the sweetness and the saltiness of the dressing as well, however the original flavour should have the balance of sweetness, saltiness and sourness all in one taste.

Note: barbecuing the meat is the original way of cooking the beef in Thailand and in Thai restaurants around the world, but if you don’t have a bbq at home not to worry. The way I cook my meat is by grilling it in a pan instead of bbq. I don’t like getting my meat burnt like the burn stripes you get from the barbie and besides grilling them is best for health. I still get to cook the meat to my liking without burn stripes.  

THAI BEEF SALAD 

Prep-Time: 30 mins                 Serve: 4

Cooking Time: 4 mins

Ingredients

4 steak fillets

Salt

Pepper

1 tbsp oyster sauce

2 tbsp soy sauce

1/2 large carrot, thinly sliced

1 Lebanese cucumber, chopped

1 red onion, sliced

6 stalk mint, leaves

3 stalk coriander, chopped

1/2 cup mini Roma tomato

2 stalk celery, sliced

4 Romaine lettuce leaves, chopped

dressing

7 Thai chilies

1 clove garlic

1 large lime, juice

5 tbsp fish sauce

1 tbsp sugar

Method

Marinate the steak fillets with salt, pepper, oyster sauce and soy sauce and then leave them to set for 30 minutes.

In a mortar and pestle grind the chilies and garlic into paste. Add in the rest of the dressing ingredients into the mortar and then mix until the sugar dissolves. Set aside.

       

Heat the grill or a frying pan on medium high. Once heated, grill the steak for 2 minutes on both sides. Remove from the grill/pan and leave them to rest.

       

Combine all of the salad vegetables in a large mixing bowl. Slice the cooked steak into large stripes and add into the same mixing bowl. Pour the dressing over the bowl and toss around until the salad is well mixed and coated with the dressing. Serve with steamed Jasmine rice.