Beef Archives • Mushroompride

Beef Pho – Delishar | Singapore Cooking, Recipe, and Lifestyle Blog

I don’t think Beef Pho needs much introduction. Pho is still one of the husband’s favourite meal. It has a richly flavoured broth that satiates but doesn’t leave feeling like you just consumed a heavy meal. Plus it’s really pretty simple to make. Every time I make Pho, the husband will be grinning from ear to ear. The kids will always ask for 2nd servings of soup, and slurp every last drop ever so loudly. 🙂

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Roasting the ginger and onion gives the broth depth. Cooking it with the skin/paper still on, ensures that it releases maximum flavour. All the herbs and spices used gives the broth a warm, yet refreshing note. To me, the key to a bowl of good Pho lies in the broth, and of course the fresh herbs that accompanies. If you are not a beef eater, check out my Chicken Pho (Pho Ga) recipe that I shared on my cooking blog a while ago.

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Beef Pho

Delishar

300-350 g thinly sliced beef I used shabu shabu beef
1 unpeeled yellow onion quartered
2 inch unpeeled old ginger
1 tbsp coriander seeds
1/2 cinnamon stick
1 star anise
2 cloves
2 cardamom
1 bay leave
2 tsp sugar adjust to taste
2 tbsp fish sauce or to taste
1.5 L beef stock preferably low-sodium
4 servings of rice noodle / stick
1 cup bean sprouts to serve
Lime wedges to serve
Thai Basil leaves to serve (I didn’t have any so used sweet basil from garden)
Mint leaves to serve
Fried shallot to garnish
Scallion to garnish

In a lightly greased pan, toast onion and ginger until charred on both sides.
Ginger should be softened.
Meanwhile place all the spices into a herb baggie or tie it up in a cheese cloth.
Slice the ginger into thin pieces and place it in a pot together with the spices and charred onion.
Add beef stock and bring to boil.
Season with fish sauce and sugar to taste.
Then lower heat to a simmer.
Cover and cook for 15-20 mins.
Meanwhile, you can prepare your rice sticks as per package instructions.
Place the prepared rice stick in serving bowl, and add beef on top.
Pour boiling hot beef broth over the sliced beef to cook it.
Garnish and serve.
Serve with the fresh herbs, bean sprouts, and a side of lime wedge.

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Thai Beef Salad Wraps – Delishar

This is inspired by the traditional Thai beef salad, but made slightly easier as I omitted the roasted rice powder. But what lacks in the crunch from the roasted rice, was substituted by the crunch from the cucumber ribbons. The only reason I omitted the roasted rice was because I do not have a mortar and pestle, and using my food processor to process that little bit of roasted rice is not going to be efficient/effective.

I do like the extra freshness this version of Thai beef salad gives though. Crisp romaine lettuce, juicy tomatoes, freshness of the mint leaves, plus a bit of bite from the red onions goes so well together. Wrapping everything up makes it easier to eat as well. The dressing has a good balance of sweet, sour, savoury, and spiciness. I used flank steak because I prefer leaner cut of meat. But feel free to substitute to a cut of your preference.

Thai Beef Salad Wraps

Delishar

Serves 4 as a starter

Seared beef

1/4 cup pineapple juice
salt and pepper to taste
1 tbsp oil

Dressing

1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
1 clove garlic pressed
1 tbsp chopped coriander leaves cilantro
1 tbsp sugar
2 tbsp fish sauce
juice of 1 lime

Toppings

8 pieces romaine lettuces
1/2 to mato thinly sliced
1/2 cucumber ribboned using a vegetable peeler
Handful of mint leaves
1/4 red onion thinly sliced

Marinate flank steak in pineapple juice for at least 30 minutes.
Pat dry beef, then season with salt and pepper.
Heat pan on medium high heat, then add oil.
Sear flank steak 3-5 minutes on both sides depending on your preferred done-ness.
Allow to rest for 5-10 minutes before slicing beef into thin strips.
Assemble wraps with romaine lettuces, cucumber, tomato, beef, onions, and mint leaves.
Then spoon some of the dressing over beef.

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Cantonese Braised Beef Brisket – Delishar

There are times when I really miss heritage food like this. I’m still pretty much a true blue Cantonese girl at heart, and I like the good old taste of home. Brings me back to when I was younger and living with my grandparents. My grandparents are great cooks, and I’m always looking forward to what dinner brings. My grandfather makes the best Steamed pork with salted fish, and my grandmother makes the best Sweet and sour whole fried fish.

Brisket is the cut of beef that I like best, it is also a cut that needs long hours of braising to get it tender. Although I do not particularly enjoy the fats and tendon around the brisket, it does impart a lot of flavours and adds depth to the braise. Braising also requires little active time during the cooking process. We basically let the broth, spices, and heat work it’s magic on the stove top or oven. In the meantime, work up an appetite for a very flavourful and rich meal.

I got a lot of people asking me what is Chu Hou Sauce / paste. It is made from fermented soybeans, garlic, ginger, and sesame seeds. It has a sweet and savoury profile, usually used for stewing & braising, but it can also be used for marinating or stir-fries. If you can’t find it at supermarkets, you can also use hoisin or oyster sauce.

One of the best pot to use is a heavy bottom pot with a tight fitting lid. I’m using my very versatile Le Creuset 26cm French Oven for this dish. This pot is build for making casseroles, stews, pot roasting and perfect for preparing soups and rice dishes, even for baking. The sauce was incredibly delicious with beef brisket that falls apart and melts in your mouth. My girls loved the radish, they call it the melty cubes. The radish soaks up all the goodness during the long cooking process. It was utterly tender and totally delicious. Writing this post is not doing my growling tummy any favour. So I’ll leave you with the recipe while I go cook up a storm in my kitchen. 🙂

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Cantonese Braised Beef Brisket

Delishar

1 kg beef brisket cut into 1×2 inch pieces
600 g daikon radish cut into 1 inch rounds the half it
1 large carrot cut into 1 inch rounds
5-6 slices old ginger
3 cloves garlic peeled
2 tbsp chu hou sauce
1 tbsp oyster sauce
1 tbsp hoisin sauce
1 tbsp rock sugar or brown sugar
2 tbsp cooking wine
1 tbsp light soy sauce or to taste
1 tbsp dark soy sauce
2 star anise
1-2 dried orange peels
1 bay leaf
1/2 cinnamon stick
Salt and white pepper to taste
1 tbsp cooking oil
1 tsp sesame oil
Spring onions to garnish
Cilantro to garnish
Corn starch slurry optional

Place beef in a large mixing bowl, and blanch with hot boiling water.
Drain and set aside.
Heat up your French oven or pot, then add cooking and sesame oil.
Saute ginger and garlic until fragrant.
Add chu hou, oyster, and hoisin sauce in pot and stir fry on low for a minute.
Then add beef, carrot, radish, bay leaf, orange peel, star anise, cinnamon, and cooking wine.
Brown beef for about 3 minutes under medium heat.
Then add light, dark soy sauce, and sugar. Toss to coat.
Add 2 cups of water, and bring to boil.
Give it a stir, and lower heat to low and simmer with lid on for 2.5 hours or until beef is tender.
Stir every 30 minutes or so.
Season with salt and white pepper to taste.
Stir in corn starch slurry to thicken sauce (optional).
Remove from heat, and garnish with spring onions and cilantro.

Adapted from Yi Reservation

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Dry Beef Hor Fun (干炒牛河) – Delishar

I’m so excited to be sharing with you this recipe!! This dish is also widely known as Beef Chow Fun. At first, I wanted to make my usual Hor Fun with Gravy, but then I decided to change my mind and made this dry version of hor fun instead! The husband who said he wasn’t hungry took a bite, and could not stop eating after his first mouthful. In no time at all, his plate was wiped out clean! LOL!

My helper who has very limited cooking experience was able to pull this off by following the recipe. I have to say that I am really impressed! I cannot stress enough on the importance of getting all the ingredients ready and within reach before you start cooking. Especially for this dish. When the ingredients hits the hot hot wok, you have to move along pretty quickly. So there’s no time for you to prep other ingredients while you let the ones in the wok sit in the smoking heat.

Many readers have asked how to get the wok hei, the only way to get it is to have extremely high heat or a screaming hot wok. My wok was starting to smoke, and a drop of water will dance and glide on the surface of the wok instead of evaporating immediately. That’s when the work is screaming hot, and that’s when I added oil to coat. However, it’s impossible to get the deep wok hei we all love when you order from hawker stalls. Because our home burner has a lower output as compared to the commercial/professional high output burners.

Do remember to turn on your cooking hood to the highest and open some windows, because it’s going to get smoky in the kitchen. It was really tough for me to take pictures because of the smoke, I had to blow and snap. Haha! The smoke travelled all the way out to my dining area! Oh, one important thing, when stir-frying on high heat, always use a wok not a non-stick cookware. A carbon steel, cast iron, or stainless steel wok. Do not use one that has a non-stick Teflon surface as high heat can damage that non-stick surface, and release unhealthy, potentially toxic vapours. Now, let’s get cooking!!

Update: Do not skip the step of marinating the beef if you want to get tender, velvety beef. Also a quick stir-fry is enough to cook the meat. Remember that you will return it to the wok later to heat it up. Over cooking will lead to tough pieces of meat.

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Dry Beef Hor Fun

Delishar

300 g flat rice noodles hor fun / kway teow
250 g Flank steak thinly sliced against the grain
2 handful of bean sprouts
5-6 slices of ginger
3 cloves garlic minced
1/2 yellow onion thinly sliced
2 stalks spring onion cut into 2 inch pieces
Cooking oil

Marinade for beef

1 tsp corn starch
splash of water
1/2 tsp sugar
1 tsp sesame oil
1 tbsp light soy sauce
1 tsp dark soy sauce
1 tbsp shaoxing wine
Dash of white pepper

Seasoning for noodles

2 tbsp light soy sauce
2 tbsp dark soy sauce
2 tbsp oyster sauce
1 tsp sugar
1 tbsp shaoxing wine
splash of water
White pepper to taste

In a bowl mix marinade for beef together, then marinate beef for at least 20-30 minutes.
In a small bowl, add all the ingredients listed for seasoning for noodles, stir to combine.
Using your fingers, toss loosen/separate hor fun/kway teow making sure the rice noodles are not sticking together.
Heat wok on high heat until smoking point.
Add 2 tbsp of cooking oil, and swirl to coat.
Then add beef to sear, toss to sear the other side. About a minute or so, do not over-cook.
Remove beef slices and set aside.
Add another 2 tbsp oil, toss in onion, garlic, and ginger.
Stir-fry for 20 seconds, and add bean sprouts to stir-fry for another 30 seconds.
Then add rice noodles, give it a quick toss.
Pour in noodle seasoning, and toss to coat.
Add beef, and spring onions, give it a quick toss, and remove from heat.
Serve immediately.

*Please get all your ingredients ready and within reach before you start.
Do not rinse the rice noodles or attempt to soak it in water to remove the coating of grease. It is there to keep the noodles separated.
While stir-frying, do it in quick consistent movements. Letting the noodles or ingredients sit in the pan might result in clumpy and burnt noodles.

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Beef Brisket Curry (咖哩牛腩) – Delishar

I’m sorry that I have been neglecting my blog a little bit. Truth be told, I have been up to my neck with work and a secret project that I have been working on! I can’t wait to share it with you, but I have to keep it on the hush hush for now.

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When I mentioned work, it is on top of recipe development for clients. I was also given some opportunities to do some food styling and food photography, which is really cool! A large portion of my time also goes into developing a new venture with my partners at COOKIT SG (show some love and like the page!). In short, it is a homecooking solution whereby you can order your ready to cook kits from COOKIT SG.

We will provide you with a recipe card developed for ease of cooking. Source and pre-portion the ingredients for you, so it eliminates the need for measuring. And deliver it right to your door step! All you need to do is to prep as per recipe card, and cook. A brand new Christmas Cookit menu complete with dessert is set to launch very soon. So do look out for it.

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Let’s get back to this dish. Not sure why I took so long to get down to making this ultra yummy Cantonese dish! Something that you’ll find at Hong Kong cafes or restaurant. I made this to serve 4, but I could have sworn that the husband had 3 servings that night. He liked it so much that he wanted me to make it again the following week, which I gleefully obliged. Mainly because I get to enjoy it too! LOL!

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Curry Beef Brisket

Delishar

500 g beef brisket cut into 1 inch chunks
3 cloves garlic
1 large carrot cut into one inch pieces
1 yellow onion sliced into wedges
1-2 red chilli seeded and sliced into chunks
2 russet potatoes cut into 1-1/2 inch cubes
1 tbsp Chu Hou sauce
3 tbsp yellow curry paste
1 Knorr beef cube
1 tsp sugar
2 dried bay leaves
200 ml coconut milk
Enough water to cover beef
Salt to taste
Cornstarch slurry 2 tbsp corn flour + 2 tbsp water
2 stalks spring onions
4 slices ginger
2 tbsp cooking oil

Bring a large pot of water to boil, add in spring onions and ginger.
Then at beef and blanch for 5-7 minutes to remove scum.
Drain beef and set aside.
In a pot, add 2 tbsp cooking oil over medium high heat.
Then add onion, garlic, and chilli. Cook until onion starts to soften.
Add beef, bay leaves, Chu Hou paste, and curry paste.
Stir-fry until combined and fragrant.
Add enough water to cover beef, add beef cube, sugar, and bring it up to a boil.
Lower heat to a simmer, cover with a tight fitting lid, and simmer for 90 minutes.
Check every now and then to make sure water has not evaporated too much. Add more water if needed.
Add carrot, and potatoes to the pot.
Season with salt to taste. Cover to cook for 10 minutes.
Then pour in coconut milk, and enough cornstarch slurry to thicken sauce to desired consistency.
Stir and allow to cook for another 10 minutes.
Remove from heat and serve garnished with chopped coriander leaves.

You can use more curry paste or add curry powder if you want the spices to be heavier. Different brand of curry paste will have different level of spiciness. I used yellow curry paste that I bought from Thailand. You can fine Dancing Chef in SG, or use Madras Curry paste that can be found at ntuc finest or cold storage.
Chu hou paste can be found at major supermarkets in SG. It is usually placed together with hoisin sauce.

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Carob Beef Stew – Delishar

A couple of weeks ago, I shared with you an amazing product known as Carob. I was introduced to this delicious health food by Forever Young. Since then, it has became a staple at my home. I used the Carob syrup in place of maple syrup, honey, or a liquid sweetener in my cooking. My girls loves drowning their wholewheat waffles and pancake with it as well. I also used it as a drizzle for my avocado smoothie, which taste amazing!

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As for the Carob powder, I add it to my pancake mix, smoothies, and use it for cooking. I like the earthy taste of carob, and I’ve been using it as a substitute for cocoa powder in my baking as well. Knowing that Carob is caffeine-free, helps lower cholesterol, and the abundance of health benefits it brings to the table, makes me feel good about using it for the people I love.

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I like the subtle sweetness of the Carob powder, and using it for the beef stew adds another dimension of flavour to it, and help balance out the savoriness in the dish. I can only describe this dish as, hearty, earthy, comforting, and non-pretentious. The beef stew will go great with some toasted french bread or steamed white rice. I guarantee you that it is going to warm you from the inside out.

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Carob has been used as a natural remedy for human health issues. It is known as a high protein source that contains many essential vitamins such as B, B2, A, D2, E, potassium, and magnesium. The Carob Kibbles are a great healthy alternative to snack on or to use as a garnish for added texture. Carob has anti-allergic, antiseptic, and anti-bacterial benefits. Rich in insoluble fibre, full of antioxidants and phytonutrients, and they are 100% natural with no chemicals or preservatives. This product is also gulten-free!

Here is a quick look on the health benefits of carob as collated by Organic Facts.

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The good folks at Forever Young Enterprise has kindly sponsored 2 giveaway hampers for 2 lucky winners to try their hands on making this hearty carob beef stew! Everything you need to make this recipe will be included in the hamper. Comes in so handy for some early Christmas feasting! To take part, simply complete the rafflecopter widget below.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

This giveaway ends on Monday, Dec 12, 2016 at 11:59 p.m. Singapore time (GMT+8). There will be 2 winners selected by random.org and will contacted by email. Each winner will receive 1 set only. The winner will need to respond within 48 hours. If there is no response from the winner after 48 hours, another winner will be selected. The winner will be directed to Forever Young Enterprise for collection/delivery; therefore, it is open to Singapore entrants only. This giveaway is sponsored by Forever Young Enterprise Pte Ltd.

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Carob Beef Stew

Delishar

500 g beef chuck cut into 1 inch cubes
140 g yellow onion diced
3 cloves garlic peeled & whole
2 ribs celery sliced into 1½ pieces
300 g potatoes 1½ inch cubed
140 g white button mushrooms quatered
140 g baby carrot
2 tbsp tomato paste
3 tbsp roasted Carob powder
2 tbsp plain flour
120 ml red wine
600 ml low sodium chicken stock
1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1/2 tsp brown sugar
2 dried Bay leaves
2 sprigs Thyme
Cooking oil as needed
55 g frozen peas
Salt and pepper to taste

Season beef generously with salt and black pepper.
Heat pot on medium high with 2-3 tbsp of oil.
Working in batches, sear the beef chuck on all sides.
Remove and set aside. Leave about 2 tbsp of oil in the pot.
Add in the mushrooms, celery, potatoes, and carrot.
Saute until mushroom is brown and soft. Remove and set aside.
With 1 tbsp of oil in the pot, saute onion and garlic until onion is soften.
Stir in flour and cook for 1 minute.
Then de-glaze pot with red wine.
Add in carob powder, Worcestershire sauce, tomato paste, bay leaves, and thyme.
Then allow to cook until wine reduced by half.
Pour in chicken stock and and sugar, then bring it up to a boil.
Add in beef, the stock should just cover the beef. Add more stock if needed
Allow to come up to a boil, cover, lower heat to a slow & low simmer, and simmer for 90 minutes. Stirring every now and then and make sure liquid has not evaporated too much.
Add carrot, potatoes, celery, and mushrooms into the pot. Stir to combine, cover, and allow to simmer for another 30 minutes until vegetables are tender.
Then remove cover and reduce gravy to desired consistency if needed.
Season to taste.
Lastly, stir in peas.
Remove from heat and serve immediately.

Serve it with toasted French bread or steamed white rice.

If you want the same goodness but want to make it within 40 minutes, you can now have the pre-portioned ingredients and modified recipe delivered to your home. Yes, a quick Carob beef stew! Head to Cookit SG to purchase your Cook Kits.

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Slow Cooker Beef Stew (Whole 30, Paleo) – Delishar

Day 22! One more weekend, before the end of our Whole 30 journey! We can officially start counting down. Then I can start to plan on reintroduction. I have a feeling that it’s going to be rice for me, and sugar for the husband. Here is my week 2 meal plan. Sometimes plans got diverted due to unavailable ingredients, or change in family schedule. So it’s always good to have plan B, something that can be pulled off quite easily and quickly.

The husband shared with me that his friends commented that he lost weight. He told me that he feels more mellow, less anxious, and less on edge after being on this program. Possibly due to the lack of sugar that sends his nervous system into overdrive. He still complain of being tired and lacks energy. My energy level, has picked up a little. I have a little more energy to work later into the night and not doze off at my computer. Still don’t feel like tiger blood in running through our system though. Where art thou tiger?!

I’m not going to lie, this Whole30 diet has not been a breeze. It’s quite a challenge because there’s a lot of planning involved. Compliant food isn’t readily available in Singapore. I have to travel to a few places to get my produce, and not having a car doesn’t make things easy. It also makes us a little anti-social because of the food restrictions, it makes gathering with friends and family a challenge. Fortunately for us, we have very supportive friends who understand and respects that we are on this program, and doesn’t give us a hard time or tease us about it.

It makes date nights impossible, and shortens family outings because we have to go home early for me to fix compliant dinner. Because the girls are only eating 50% of what we are eating, there are days where I’ll be making 5-6 different meals a day. In between all that, I have run kids to classes, run errands, clean the house, do the dishes, care for the dog, do meal planning, grocery shop, etc… with absolutely no help. It pushes me to the edge at times. But at the end of the day I feel pretty proud of myself that I pulled through all that and still manage to keep to the program.

Recipes like this one is a life-saver on busy days, or days where I need to plan ahead, such as a family outing day. I can make breakfast, then prep and pack lunch to bring out with us. Dump everything into the slow cooker and let it work its magic. Add the finishing touches when we get home, while the kids and husband clean up and get ready for dinner. After a day out, it is really comforting to be able to come back to an umami loaded stew with vegetables that disintegrates in the mouth, and beef so tender that you hardly need to chew.

The girls had theirs with bread while the husband and I had ours straight up as it is. It is so good that you’ll hardly miss the bread or rice. Here’s how I made my Whole 30 compliant Beef Stew in a slow cooker.

Slow Cooker Beef Stew

Delishar

3 cups 720ml chicken stock (I used Imagine no-chicken stock)
4 tbsp tomato paste
1 tbsp fish sauce
1 tbsp coconut aminos
1 tbsp carob powder optional
700 g beef chuck cut into chunks
Salt and black pepper to taste
2 medium carrots cut into bite-size pieces
1 large yellow onion diced
3 ribs celery cut into 2 inch pieces
3 cloves garlic peeled
2 tbsp arrowroot flour
2 bay leaves
4 sprigs thyme
3-4 yukon gold potatoes wash and cubed

Add all the ingredients into slow cooker.
Cover and cook on low heat for 7-8 hours or high heat for 3-4 hours.
In a small bowl, whisk together arrowroot flour and 2 tbsp water. Stir in flour mixture into the slow cooker. Cover and cook on high heat for an additional 10-15 minutes, or until thickened.

(Optional) For a more flavourful stew, you can saute the onion, and garlic before adding it into the crock pot. Additionally, you can brown the beef on all sides before stewing. Browning the aromatics and beef gives more depth to the dish.

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Corned Beef Hash II – Delishar

I have a soft spot for corned beef hash. It’s a recipe that makes me smile and lets me know that the day is going to be a great one. I’ve shared a corned beef hash recipe eons ago. That has a crispier and dense texture while this is a little more separated. I wanna say fluffy, but I don’t think that’s the right word to describe it. Haha! If you are a corned beef lover, you are going to love this recipe.

The brand of corned beef you use makes a big difference. Libby’s corned beef appears more broken or minced. Which is better for a flatter crispy edge dish. For hash like this, I’d prefer using Palm corned beef as you can see, the meat remains chunky, unlike Libby’s. If you have any other brands to recommend, please let me know!

Check out my other recipes for Keto lovers and Whole30 lovers. Follow me on my Instagram for as I share cooking highlights.