Tag Archives: Meats
Shaking Beef – Bo Luc Lac
Posted on 14. Aug, 2009 by Guy Boulud.
The weather in England seems so erratic these days! A couple of weeks ago, it was so hot and all of a sudden, it feels like Fall/Autumn now! The leaves on the trees are falling, and the temperature has dropped about 10˚C! Seems like summer has come and is now quickly bowing out..
Anyway, I had made this Shaking Beef-Bo Luc Lac for dinner last night. This is a fantastic Vietnamese beef dish; sweet, sour, spicy, and tangy! I like the pineapples in the dish. Well, if you are going to give this a try, just make sure you have some hot steamed rice to go with it!
Recipe adapted from Pleasures Of The Vietnamese Table by Mai Pham
Ingredients
1 1/2 Tbsp Fresh Lime Juice
1 Tbsp Fish Sauce
1 Tbsp Sugar
2 Thai Bird Chilies, chopped
1 Tbsp Oyster Sauce
2 tsp Soy Sauce
2/3 lb Beef Sirloin or Flank Steak, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
2 to 3 Tbsp Vegetable Oil
2 Cloves Garlic, sliced
1/4 Ripe Pineapple (about 1/2 cup), cut into bite-sized slices about 1/4 inch thick (optional)
1/2 Cup Asian Basil Leaves, cut in half
1/4 Red Onion, thinly sliced lengthwise
3 Cups Watercress, washed, picked over and torn into bite-sized sprigs
1 Ripe Tomato, cut into thin wedges
Method
Combine the lime juice, fish sauce, sugar and chilies in a large bowl. Set aside.
Place the oyster sauce, soy sauce and beef in a medium bowl and toss to coat the meat evenly.
Heat the oil in a large skillet over high heat. Add the garlic and stir until fragrant, about 5 seconds. Add the beef and quickly stir-fry it until just charred on the edges, about 2 to 3 minutes. Add to the bowl with the lime sauce.
Add the pineapple slices, if using, Asian basil and red onion to the beef mixture. Spread the watercress and tomatoes in an attractive manner on a serving platter. Arrange the beef mixture and all its juices on the watercress and serve immediately.
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Beef Wrapped In Pepper Leaves
Posted on 29. Jul, 2009 by Guy Boulud.
This is a delicious Vietnamese appetizer. It is part of a popular dish known as Beef in Seven Ways, featuring multiple beef courses. If you are are unable to get pepper leaves, you can substitute it with grape leaves. The beef rolls are typically served with table salad and a dipping sauce. The salad consists of either red or green leaf lettuce, cucumber, bean sprouts, and some Vietnamese herbs. As for the dipping sauce recipe, you can find it here.
Recipe adapted from Pleasures Of The Vietnamese Table by Mai Pham
Beef Wrapped In Pepper Leaves – bo nuong la lot
Ingredients
4 Tbsp Vegetable Oil
1 1/2 tsp Minced Garlic
1/2 Yellow Onion, chopped (about 2/3 cup)
2 Tbsp Finely Chopped Lemongrass
3 Tbsp Chopped Roasted Peanuts
1 tsp Ground Turmeric
2 tsp Sugar
2 tsp Fish Sauce
1/4 tsp Sea Salt
1/2 lb Coarsely Chopped Ground Beef
30 Large Pepper Leaves (Betel leaves)
4 (6 – 8 inch) Bamboo Skewers
Vietnamese Dipping Sauce, for serving
Table salad, for serving
Method
Heat 2 Tbsp of the oil in a pan over moderate heat. Add the garlic and onion and stir until softened, about 2 minutes. Transfer to a bowl. Add the lemongrass, peanuts, turmeric, sugar, fish sauce, salt and ground beef. Mix with a fork until well blended and sticky, about 2 to 3 minutes. Set aside for 30 minutes.
To make the rolls, place 1 heaping Tbsp of the meat mixture in the center of a pepper leaf. Using your fingers, shape the meat into a cylinder about 2 inches long and 3/4 inch wide. Wrap the leaf around the meat but leave the sides open. (If necessary, use 2 leaves.) When done, place the roll seam side down. make the remaining rolls in the same way.
Thread 5 rolls onto each bamboo skewer, positioning the rolls so they touch one another at the seams. Set aside until ready to cook.
Heat the remaining 2 Tbsp oil in a large nonstick frying pan over a low heat. (Make sure the pan is large enough to accommodate the skewers. If not, shorten the skewers.) Add the beef rolls and cook until the meat is done, about 5 to 7 minutes total. Do not overcrowd the pan. Reduce the heat as necessary to keep the leaves from charring.
Transfer the skewers to a platter. Remove the skewers and serve the rolls with salad and Vietnamese Dipping Sauce.
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Sweet And Sour Spare Ribs
Posted on 16. Jul, 2009 by Guy Boulud.
These sweet and sour spare ribs appetizer are really yummy and “finger licking good”, I might add! You can consider to serve them as a main course, if you prefer, by doubling-up on the recipe. I am sure many of you are well aware that this dish goes very well with just some plain steamed rice. 
Recipe adapted from Revolutionary Chinese Cooking by Fuchsia Dunlop
Sweet And Sour Spare Ribs
Ingredients
1 lb Meaty Spare Ribs, cut into bite-size sections
2 (1 oz), Pieces Fresh Ginger, unpeeled and crushed
4 Scallions, white parts only, crushed
1 Tbsp Shaoxing Wine
Sea Salt
2 tsp Dark Soy Sauce
4 Tbsp White Sugar
1 Tbsp Chinkiang Vinegar
1 tsp Sesame Oil
Peanut Oil for cooking
Method
Place the ribs in a saucepan of water and bring to a boil over a high flame (heat). Skim the water, then add one piece of ginger, 2 scallions, the Shaoxing wine, and salt to taste. Boil for 15 minutes, until the meat is cooked and tender; strain and set aside, reserving the cooking liquid.
Optional deep-frying step: Heat the oil for deep-frying in a wok over a high flame until it reaches 350-400˚F. Add the ribs and fry for about 5 minutes, until golden; drain and set aside.
Pour off all but 3 Tbsp of the oil in the wok and reheat over a high flame. Add the remaining scallions and ginger and stir-fry until fragrant. Add the ribs and toss for a couple of minutes in the fragrant oil.
Add slightly less than 1 cup of the reserved cooking liquid, the dark soy sauce, and the sugar, with a little salt to taste (take care not to over salt, because the liquid will eventually be reduced to a glaze). Simmer over a medium heat flame, spooning the liquid over the ribs, until the sauce has reduced to a heavy, syrupy consistency.
Add the vinegar and cook for another 1-2 minutes, until the flavors have fused. Switch off the heat, stir in the sesame oil and leave to cool before eating.
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Deep-Fried Wonton
Posted on 15. Jul, 2009 by Guy Boulud.
Here is the deep-fried Wonton recipe for you to consider trying and another simple picture guide to wrap the Wonton. Enjoy!
Ingredients
30 pcs Wonton Wrapper
Oil for deep-frying
Chili Sauce for dipping
Filling
150 g Ground Pork
100 g Peeled Shrimps, finely chopped or minced
3 Water Chestnut, finely diced
1/2 tsp Minced Fresh Ginger
2 tsp Corn Flour
A pinch of Ground White Pepper
1/2 tsp Sea Salt
1 tsp Sesame Oil
2 tsp Soy Sauce
Method
Combine the wonton filling ingredients and mix well.
Place about 1 to 1 ½ tsp of filling in the center of the wrapper and wrap firmly.
Deep-fry the wontons over low to medium heat for about 3 minutes or until the wontons are golden brown in color. Drain on a paper towel and serve with chili sauce.
A simple guide on how to wrap the wonton.
Place 1 portion of the filling in the center of the wonton wrapper.
Lift up to form a triangle.
Gather all the corners to the center, dap with a little water and press firmly.
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Wonton Soup
Posted on 14. Jul, 2009 by Guy Boulud.
After quite a few requests from my kids, I finally got around to make some Wonton soup and deep-fried Wonton for them recently. Actually they are quite easy to prepare and yet so tasty, as many of you will know. So, today I’m posting a Wonton soup recipe with a simple picture guide on how to wrap the Wonton. I hope you will have fun making them. Do watch out for the deep-fried version’s post here within the next couple of days.
Ingredients
1 Packet Wonton Wrapper (40 pcs)
8 Cups Chicken Stock
2 tsp Sesame Oil
1 Tbsp Soy Sauce
1 Bunch Choy Sum or Bok Choy, trimmed
2 Stalks Scallions, finely chopped
Sea Salt to taste
Freshly Ground White Pepper
Filling
200 g Ground Pork
150 g Peeled Shrimps, finely chopped or minced
2 Stalk Scallions, finely chopped
1 tsp Minced Fresh Ginger
1 Tbsp Corn Flour
1/4 tsp White Pepper
¾ tsp Sea Salt
1 tsp Sesame Oil
1 Tbsp Soy Sauce
Method
Combine the wonton filling ingredients and mix well.
Place about 1 to 1 ½ tsp of filling in the center of the wrapper. Seal the edges of the wrapper with water and wrap the wonton.
Blanch the vegetables in a saucepan with boiling water and ½ tsp of salt. Cook for about a minute, drain and set aside.
Bring a saucepan of water to a boil with a few drizzle of cooking oil. Cook the wontons for about 4 minutes. Remove the wontons with a slotted spoon and divide the portions into each bowls.
Bring the chicken stock to a boil. Add the sesame oil, soy sauce and sea salt to taste.
Ladle the chicken stock into the bowls of wontons. Top with vegetables, chopped scallions and some freshly ground white pepper. Serve immediately.
Here is a simple guide on how to wrap the wonton.
Place 1 portion of the filling in the center of the wonton wrapper.
Seal all the edges with a little water and fold in half.
Fold the top corner backward.
Fold the two corners together and press firmly.
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