Beef In Oyster Sauce

There's a school of thought that at its peak Chinese cookery is the best cuisine on the planet. There's also a theory that the best Chinese chefs work out of Hong Kong. In the book Chinese Cookery Masterclass, Willy Mark got the greatest masters for each region of Chinese cooking to part with their secrets and some of their best recipes.

This recipe for Beef with Oyster Sauce, hails from the Southern school (Cantonese) of Chinese cooking. As Beef in Oyster Sauce is my wifes favorite Chinese meal, and this is arguably the best recipe for it in the world, it's guaranteed to get a result with her.

Ingredients

11 oz Beef Steak (300g)
1 oz (25g) Root Ginger
3 oz (75g) white part of spring onion
450 ml (16 floz / 2 cups) peanut oil for frying the beef
1 tbsp chopped garlic
2 tsp Rice Wine

Marinade
1 1/2 tsp ginger juice (the first time I prepared this dish I squeezed the juice from a piece of ginger by hand. A process taking considerable time and effort. An easier alternative is to peel and dice some ginger, then press the result using a garlic press.)
1 1/2 tsp Rice Wine
2 tsp soy sauce
1/2 tsp sugar
1 egg white
1/2 tsp meat tenderizer (optional)
1 tbsp peanut (groundnut) oil
1 tbsp cornflour

Sauce
1 1/2 tbsp good quality oyster sauce
1 tsp soy sauce
3 tbsp stock or water
1 tsp cornflour

Preparation
Cut the beef into thin slices across the grain. Peel and slice the ginger and cut the white of the spring onions into 2 inch (4-5 cm) pieces. Mix the marinade ingredients, add the beef, cover and marinate for 1 hour in the fridge.

Heat a wok over a high heat and add the oil. Reduce to a low heat when the oil is hot. Cook the beef in the oil for 30 seconds before removing with a perforated spoon and alowing it to drain. This technique is called running through the oil (or velveting) and seals the meat trapping any flavors inside. It also imparts it with a velvety texture.

Remove the oil then heat the pan a second time over a high heat adding 2 tbsp oil. Fry the garlic, ginger and spring onion for 15 seconds then add the beef and add the rice wine, splashing it round the outside till the sizzling stops.

Mix the sauce ingredients and add to the pan stif frying over a high heat for about 30 seconds.

Serve hot and fresh from the pan.

I just cooked this recipe using some Puddledub Aberdeen Angus fillet steak and it was totally awesome. It definitely makes my top ten dishes of all time.

Roasting Meat

Last Sunday we had an awesome shoulder joint of Puddledub's Organic Pork (probably the finest pork in the world) and I need to yet again delve into my dog eared copy of Delia's "How To Cook Book Two" for the timings. To save time in the future and give me access to them on the road I've decided to blog them.

Beef

Pre-heat the oven to 230 C (gas mark 8, 450F)

Season beef, preferably sirloin or Wing Rib with salt and pepper with a dusting of flour and dry mustard

Roast for 20 minutes then drop the temperature to 190C (gas mark 5, 375F)

Continue to Roast at this temperature for 15 minutes a pound (450g) for rare, add 15 minutes for medium and another 30 for well done. Baste at least 3 times during this period.

Rest 20-30 minutes before carving (the meat not you, you should already have been sitting back with a glass of wine in your hand during the cooking time).

Pork (with crackling)

Pre-heat the oven to 230 C (gas mark 8, 450F)

Making sure the surface skin is dry rub with sea salt (preferably Maldon) and Roast for 25 minutes then drop the temperature to 190C (gas mark 5, 375F)

Roast at the lower temperature allowing 35 minutes a pound (450g). Don't baste or you won't have crisp crackling.

Rest 20-30 minutes before carving.

Lamb

Pre-heat the oven to 190C (gas mark 5, 375F)

After seasoning the meat with salt and pepper sit in a roasting dish on a bed of sliced onion and roast for 30 minutes a pound (450g) basting about 3 times during cooking.

Rest for at least 30 minutes.

Shrewsbury Sauce to accompany the lamb

2 tbsp plain flour
1 heaped tsp mustard powder
1 pint (570 ml) Beaujolais or other light wine
5 rounded tbsp quality redcurrant jelly
3tbsp Worcester Sauce
Juice of a lemon
Salt and freshly milled black pepper

Take 2 tbsp of the fat from your cooked joint and heat in a pan on low stirring in the flour and mustard powder.

Gradually add the wine to the resulting paste, a splosh at a time, stirring initially with a wooden spoon then switching top a whisk half way through.

Add the redcurrant jelly, lemon juice and seasoning whisking again until the Jelly has been dissolved. With the heat as low as it will go, and preferably with a heat diffuser sitting under the pan, let the sauce reduce for about 15 minutes. Your sauce can then be poured over your cooked lamb. Yum.

See also the post on Roast Chicken.