Beef Ragu

Ingredients

3 medium sized carrots, chop finely

3 stalks of celery, chop finely

1 large onion, chop finely

4 cloves garlic, chop finely

100g streaky bacon 

1.5kg of beef shin, dice it

1 cup of red wine

1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme

1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary

1 tablespoon tomato paste

1 tin chopped tomato

Beef stock or water to cover the ingredients

Method

1. Heat the oil in a stockpot with the strongest heat and add bacon first until the bacon oil starts to run. Then add carrots, garlic, celery, onion and tomato paste. Cook until all the vegetables start to caramelise. Stir occasionally.

2. Add beef and keep cook until beef is cooked on the outside. Add wine, stock, tinned tomato, rosemary and thyme and bring it to boil. Once the ingredients have started to boil, turn down the heat and simmer for at least 2 hours. Stir occasionally while simmering and after 2 hours it’s ready.

3. Enjoy! 

Beef Burgers

Ingredients

1kg lean ground beef

2 large eggs, beaten

1/2 cup finely chopped onion

1 clove garlic, finely chopped

1/2 cup fine dry breadcrumb

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp black pepper

1/2 tsp mixed dried herbs

4 Tbsp hickory barbecue sauce

1 Tbsp worchester sauce

6 Tbsp olive oil (for frying)

Method

1) Mix together ground round, beaten eggs, onions, soda crackers, garlic, salt, pepper and barbecue sauce. Mix until well incorporated. Leave in the fridge for about half an hour.

2) Remove from fridge and divide into 8 equal sized patties.

3) In a frying pan over medium-high heat, heat olive oil. Cook untill desired doness.

4) Enjoy!

Vietnamese Pho (Beef Ball Noodle Soup)

Ingredients

The Broth

2 onions, halved

4" nub of ginger, halved lengthwise

5-6 lbs of good beef bones, preferably leg and knuckle

6 quarts of water

1 package of Pho Spices [1 cinnamon stick, 1 tbl coriander seeds, 1 tbl fennel seeds, 5 whole star anise, 1 cardamom pod, 6 whole cloves - in mesh bag]

1 1/2 tablespoons kosher salt (halve if using regular table salt)

1/4 cup fish sauce

1 inch chunk of yellow rock sugar (about 1 oz) - or 1oz of regular sugar

 

The Noodles

2 lbs rice noodles (dried or fresh)

1 packet cooked beef balls

big handful of each: mint, cilantro, basil

2 limes, cut into wedges

2-3 chili peppers, sliced

2 big handfuls of bean sprouts

Hoisin sauce

Sriracha hot sauce

Method

Char: Turn your broiler on high and move rack to the highest spot. Place ginger and onions on baking sheet. Brush just a bit of cooking oil on the cut side of each. Broil on high until ginger and onions begin to char. Turn over and continue to char. This should take a total of 10-15 minutes.

Parboil the bones: Fill large pot (12-qt capacity) with cool water. Boil water, and then add the bones, keeping the heat on high. Boil vigorously for 10 minutes. Drain, rinse the bones and rinse out the pot. Refill pot with bones and 6 qts of cool water. Bring to boil over high heat and lower to simmer. Using a ladle or a fine mesh strainer, remove any scum that rises to the top.

Boil broth: Add ginger, onion, spice packet, sugar, fish sauce, salt and simmer uncovered for 1 1/2 hours. Continue simmering for another 1 1/2 hours. Strain broth and return the broth to the pot. Taste broth and adjust seasoning - this is a crucial step. If the broth's flavor doesn't quite shine yet, add 2 teaspoons more of fish sauce, large pinch of salt and a small nugget of rock sugar (or 1 teaspoon of regular sugar). Keep doing this until the broth tastes perfect.

Prepare noodles: Slice your flank/london broil/sirloin as thin as possible - try freezing for 15 minutes prior to slicing to make it easier. Arrange all other ingredients on a platter for the table. Your guests will "assemble" their own bowls. Follow the directions on your package of noodles - there are many different sizes and widths of rice noodles, so make sure you read the directions. For some fresh rice noodles, just a quick 5 second blanch in hot water is all that's needed.

Ladling: Bring your broth back to a boil. Line up your soup bowls next to the stove. Fill each bowl with rice noodles and beef balls. As soon as the broth comes back to a boil, ladle into each bowl. Serve immediately. Guests can garnish their own bowls as they wish. 

*Recipe adapted from http://steamykitchen.com/271-vietnamese-beef-noodle-soup-pho.html* 

超省时生活- Baked Beef Burger Patties

Ingredients

100g minced beef

1/4 big onion (minced)

1/2 packet of a 60g prawn cracker (I used Oishi Prawn Cracker)

2 Tbsp mayonnaise

Method

1) Pre-heat the oven at 180°C.

2) Put the prawn cracker in a plastic bag and crushed it.

3) Add the minced beef, onion and mayonnaise into the plastic bag.

4) Mix well and mould them into patties

5) Place each patty on a piece of aluminium foil.

6) Bake at 180°C for 15 minutes.

7) Enjoy! 

Beef and Guinness Stew

Ingredients

1kg Beef Chuck Tender, cut into 2.5cm (1in) chunks

1 onion, peeled and roughly chopped

2 carrots, peeled and roughly chopped

2 celery stalks, trimmed and roughly chopped

2 garlic cloves, peeled and finely sliced

150ml Beef stock

500ml Guinness

2 bay leaf

1 Tbsp Tomato paste 

Sea salt and ground black pepper

Oil 

Method

1. Heat oil and brown the meat in two batches, being careful not to overcrowd the pan, set aside on a plate.

2. Fry the onion, carrots and celery until the onion is soft. Return the meat for the pot, together with the garlic. 

3. Pour stock and Guinness, add the bay leaf, tomato paste. 

4. Simmer gently for about 2 hours till the liquid has lowered as well as the meat is tender

5. Season with salt and pepper to taste

6. Enjoy! 

Simple Beef Stew

Ingredients

1kg Stewing Beef Cubes

3 tablespoons of olive oil

3 onions, chopped

3 carrots, sliced

3 stalks of celery

1 head of garlic, peeled

3 cups red wine

1/4 cup of tomato paste

400ml beef stock

3 bay leaves

3 sprigs of fresh thyme

Salt and pepper 

Method

1. Heat oil in a large pot, season beef with salt and pepper and brown evenly and thoroughly. 

2. Remove and reserve on a plate, and then add onions, carrot and celery to the pot. Sauté, making sure to scrape up any brown bits on the bottom of the pan until the vegetables are caramelized.

3. Add garlic, wine, thyme, bay leaves and tomato paste and stir well. 

4. Add beef stock and beef and bring to a simmer, covered, for 2-3 hours, until meat is very tender.

5. Enjoy! 

Stir Fry Beef with Basil

Ingredients

400g beef strips, or steak cut into thin strips

2 tbsp oyster sauce

1 Tsp Corn starch

Pinch of Salt and Pepper

handful Basil leaves

2 tbsp vegetable oil

Method

1. Marinade the beef with cornstarch, salt and pepper

2. Heat a wok or large frying pan until smoking hot. Pour in the oil and swirl around the pan, then add the beef strips. 

3. Cook, stirring all the time, until the meat is lightly browned, about 3 mins, then add the oyster sauce. 
4. Cook until heated through and the sauce coats the meat. Stir in the basil leaves and serve immediately

5. Enjoy! 

Beef Stew with Daikon and Carrots

Ingredients

500g Stewing Beef, Cut into cubes
1 Large Daikon
2 Medium Carrot
4 Shallots, roughly chopped
4 cloves Garlic, sliced
3 slices Ginger
2 Bay leaves
2 Tbsp Sherry (or you can use any cooking wine)

1 1/2 Tbsp Oyster sauce

1 Tbsp Light soy sauce
3/4 Tbsp Sugar
2 Cups Beef broth

Method:
1. Heat a wok with some oil to saute the ginger, shallot and garlic. 

2. Sear the beef on all sides.
3. Deglaze the beef with sherry.

4. Add bay leaves, carrot, daikon, oyster sauce, light soy and beef broth.

5. Simmer, uncovered for 3 hours, till beef turns nice and tender.

6. Enjoy! 

Stir Fry Beef and Baby Bok Choy

Ingredients

 
200g beef, thinly sliced
1 pkt of baby bok choy (Shanghai Green), chopped

2 cloves Garlic, minced
soy sauce to taste
1/4 cup oyster sauce
pepper to taste
2 Tbsp cooking oil
1 Tsp. sesame oil

Method 

1. Heat oil in a wok, stir fry the sliced beef until tender about 1-2 minutes

2. Add garlic, stir for a minute.
3. Add soy sauce, cook for 2 minutes.
4. Add in the baby bok choy, oyster sauce and pepper. Stir Fry till bok choy cooked through.
5. Turn off the heat, add sesame oil, mix well. Serve immediately.

6. Enjoy!

Roast Beef (Chuck Tender Cut) Dinner

I love Roast Beef, especially the bloody ones. But i just can't seem to find a recipe that is easy to follow and roast. I have tried recipes from Jamie Oliver and Gordon Ramsay but they were either too tedious or too extravagant. So after few experiments, i finally found a good match to my requirements. and best thing is, its very easy to make!

Ingredients: (This is good enough for 2 if you are meat lover, or 3 if normal)

500g beef chuck tender (This is selected due to cost and texture)

2 yellow onion thinly sliced

8 to 10 cloves of garlic sliced

3 Tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1 teaspoon Rosemary (Dried), more if you like.

1 teaspoon black pepper

2 teaspoons sea salt

1. Pour olive oil into skillet under medium to high heat.

2. Add cut up onion and chopped garlic slices. Slightly brown onions and garlic. 3. Salt and pepper both sides of roast.

4. Push onions to sides of pan and then brown all sides of roast. (You just want to get a nice brown coating on your meat for flavor.)

5. With a pointy-knife, poke about one dozen holes into top and bottom of the roast. This will allow juices to drain into roasting pan during oven cooking

6. Place some of the grilled onions and garlic into the bottom of the small roasting pan.

7. Place roast into baked pan. Now add Rosemary, salt and pepper to top of roast.

8. Place roast into preheated oven to 180 degrees. 500g roast takes about 25 minutes to cook. Use a thermometer to determine if roast is done. I like my roast done between medium and medium rare.

9. Play with the timing and temp to achieve your desire done-ness.

Serve with the caramalised onions or roast some carrots and potatoes to go with it. If you have left-overs, keep it for next day and make steak sandwich.

*I do not make any gravy due to its unhealthy. Its good enough by itself.