Spaghetti & Meatballs

Spaghetti & Meatball

Dry-fried Beef Hor Fun (干炒牛河)

Dry-fried Beef Hor Fun (干炒牛河)

What's the most important element of a great Dry-fried Beef Hor Fun? If you ask me, I'd have to say a great light soy sauce or sang chao followed by tender beef and lots of "wok fire"! So, to put it blantly, don't attempt to fry noodle if you do not have a conventional stove with really big fire... it really doesn't taste the same on a hot pan or induction cooker!

Chinese Beef Stew

Chinese Beef Stew

I like sharing basic recipes that you can add your own flavours and make it something out of this world. A basic Chinese beef stew is one of those recipes that you are able to magically transform from a simpleton bowl of wholesome goodness to a 5 star restaurant gourmet dish.  

I used carrots to accompany my beef for this stew as I find the flavour of white radish rather overpowering sometimes. You could use a combination of both if you like. You could also add dried beancurd sticks which will add texture to the dish or flavour the beef with cinnamon bark and star anise if you like spices.

As for me, the plain ol' beef stew is good enough!

Chinese Beef Stew Recipe

Ingredients:

1 kg stewing beef

3 carrots

3-4 cloves of garlic, minced

2 shallot, minced

1 tsp peppercorn (optional)

2 tbsp oyster sauce

1 tbsp superior soy sauce

1 tsp dark soy sauce

1 tsp of brown sugar

Water, enough to cover half the beef in pot

Salt & pepper to taste

Method:

1. Before you cut the beef into chunks, blanch in hot water to get rid of any impurities. Then cut the beef into large chunks. Skin and cut the carrots into 1" pieces.
2. Heat up a tbsp of cooking oil. Saute garlic and shallot mince. Add beef and stirfry for 1 minute or until you see juices flowing out of the beef. Add carrots, sauces and brown sugar.
3. Add enough water to cover half the beef and lower heat to simmer. Stew for minimum 1 1/2 hour or until beef has softened to your liking.
4. Add salt & pepper to taste when ready. Beef stew taste best overnight so do keep the leftover for later!

Stirfried Black Pepper Beef Cubes

Stirfried Black Pepper Beef Cubes

Thai Beefball Noodle Soup

Thai Beefball Noodle is a common street food in Thailand. It is basically rice noodles with some beefballs and beansprouts in a beef broth, garnished with some Thai basil and fried garlic oil. There are many versions of the tasty noodle ~  some with beef slices or tendon, some are spicy or prepared dry.

Nevertheless, to do the noodle justice, you've got to prepare a good beef broth / stock. I don't like quickies so I prepare the broth from scratch which takes a minimum of 4-5 hours. However, if you are pressed for time, just purchase beef stock in powder or liquid form. You will still have to add the spices to the stock to get that Thai flavour.

I am lucky to have a authentic Thai grocer in Section 17, Petaling Jaya, which means I could actually get fresh beefball and real Thai rice vermicelli from Thailand instead of the ones sold at the markets. 

Thai Beef Noodle Soup (4 Servings)

1 kg beef bone, blanch in hot water

300gm beef shank

3 litre water

1 brown onion, sliced

3 star anise

1 cinnamon stick

 1 packet of dry rice vermicelli

 24-30 beefballs

Seasoning:

1 tsp Thai sweet dark sauce

1 tbsp Thai fish sauce

Salt to taste

Garnishing:

50g beansprout

A few sprigs of Thai basil

Deep fried garlic mince

Lime

Method:

1. To prepare the broth, blanch the beef bones in boiling water for 3 minutes. Place beef bone and beef shank in a stock pot. Add water, onion, star anise and cinnamon stick. Bring stock to boil then allow to simmer for a few hours. If you are using ready stock, one hour will do.
2. When broth is ready, blanch the rice noodle and place it in individual serving bowls. 
3. Bring the heat back up for the broth , add the seasoning and let it boil for 15 minutes . Put in the beefballs. When the beefballs are floating on top, place the beef ball and some beef shank into your serving bowl with noodles and pour a ladle of soup on top. 
4. Garnish with beansprouts, basil leaves. Pour a little more soup on top of the garnishing, to cook the beansprout slightly. Squeeze some lime juice and serve!

Beef Rendang

Beef Rendang (Nov 2011)

I have to confess... I have not given a good thought nor study the origins of Beef Rendang before I made it. It didn't matter to me because I've always cross path with it since I was a baby girl. In my toddler years, we were neighbours with Auntie Badariah & Uncle Ismail. I hold fond memories of the couple as they were not only kind and helpful, but the sight, sound and smell of their kitchen each morning truely fascinate even a 4 year old like me! Auntie Badar (as I fondly called her) made kuih-muih (Malay cakes/snacks) which she'd supply every afternoon to a nearby vendor. And every evening, she'd called out my name and pass an assortment of kuih-muih to my brother & I. There would be fresh curry puffs, kuih dadar, pulut inti, kuih keria, and my personal favourite fried popiah with homemade chili sauce!

Naturally, Auntie Badar cooks very well. I would always look forward to any kenduri (house party) held by her family. I'd make a beeline for one thing only....her beef rendang, which she would serve with lemang (bamboo rice). The taste has lingered til now..... Sounds exaggerating, eh? Well, it does and I have yet to find another beef rendang as good as hers! Thank you, Auntie Badar, for making my childhood 'flavourful'! 

So back to my recipe.... I looked up a couple of recipes and found that the basic ingredients are the similar. The taste and texture would differ if you add more or less of certain ingredients. I adapted a recipe by Rohani Jelani. Hopefully, I'll be able to join her classes one of these days! Care to join me?



Beef Rendang Recipe

Spice Paste:
3/4 cup grated coconut
15 dried chillies
10 shallots, sliced
4 cloves garlic, sliced
1 inch ginger, sliced
1 inch galangal, sliced
1 inch turmeric, sliced
2 stalks lemon grass, sliced 

2 bird chillies, optional

Cooking: 

400 gm stewing beef, sliced into chunks
1 1/4 cup coconut milk
1 cup water
1 turmeric leaf, tied into knot
2 kaffir lime leaves, torn
1 1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon sugar
1-2 pieces asam keping

Procedures

1. Place coconut in wok over medium heat and dry-fry until golden brown. Cool slightly before grinding finely in mortar and pestle.
2. Snip chillies into 1-inch lengths. Soak in hot water until softened. Discard half the seeds and place the chillies in electric blender jug with shallots, garlic, ginger, galangal, turmeric and lemon grass. If you want a hotter rendang, add bird chillies. Add 1/2 cup water and grind to a paste- but not too finely.
3. Place spice paste, beef, coconut milk, and water in a roomy wok. Bring to a boil and simmer on medium heat, stirring now and then until mixture is well reduced and thick and oil surfaces—at least 1 hour.
4. Add ground toasted coconut, turmeric leaf (if using), kaffir lime leaf, salt, sugar, and asam keping (if using). Cook another 5-10 minutes, taste, and adjust seasonings if necessary. Take pan off heat. Serve with rice.The taste is even better overnight!