Tag Archives: Beef

Bulgogi

December 5, 2016 7:31 am , Leave a Comment ,
Bulgogi

I don’t claim this to be an authentic Bulgogi recipe because I’m not Korean (although Koreans have mistaken me for one 🙂 ). I don’t quite remember how this Memorable Dish became a staple in our Chinese/Macedonian household. Maybe it’s because my mom had this Korean food craze where we had Korean meals for Sunday dinners. (She took some Korean cooking lessons at our local Korean grocery store. They were taught in Cantonese to lure Chinese home cooks into experimenting with cooking Korean foods.) Or maybe all the kids love this dish and we just kept on making it because it’s so easy. Either way, the whole family adores this Memorable Dish.

You can buy frozen thinly sliced ribeye beef at your local Chinese or Korean grocery store. People usually use this thinly sliced beef for hot pot. If not, you can buy a big piece of ribeye beef and thinly slice it yourself. The tip is to freeze the piece of beef in the freezer until it’s a bit hard and you can slice it easier with a sharp knife.

Try this easy bulgogi recipe and make this a Memorable Dish for your family 🙂 .Bulgogi

Bulgogi

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes

Total Time: 25 minutes

Ingredients

  • 1 pound Ribeye Beef, thinly sliced
  • Marinade:
  • 2 tbsp Green Onions, sliced
  • 3 tbsp reduced-sodium soy sauce
  • 1 tbsp Honey
  • 1 tbsp Sesame Oil
  • 2 tsp Garlic, minced
  • 2 tsp Ginger, minced
  • 1 tbsp Oil
  • 1 small Onion, sliced
  • 1 Spring Onion, sliced for garnish
  • Black and/or White Sesame Seeds, toasted

Preparation

  1. Marinate beef with all the marinating ingredients for at least 30 minutes.
  2. Heat oil in a wok or a large frying pan.
  3. Sauté the onions until they are translucent (about 5 minutes).
  4. Add beef to the wok and stir-fry until it’s cooked.
  5. Garnish with sliced green onions.
https://www.memorabledishes.com/bulgogi/

Posted in: Beef, Main Course , Tagged: , ,

Shepherd’s Pie

October 17, 2016 8:02 am , Leave a Comment ,
Shepherd's Pie

I don’t exactly remember the first time I had Shepherd’s Pie. Growing up in an Asian household, Shepherd’s Pie was definitely not a staple. But my adventurous food-loving mother made this Memorable Dish for us at home and we’ve been loving it ever since.

Shepherd’s pie is supposed to be made with ground lamb and cottage pie is supposed to be made with ground beef. But in North America, we use the term shepherd’s pie synonymously with cottage pie. This recipe isn’t my mom’s original recipe (she probably got hers from a friend or magazine). I remember one of my friends who was studying to be a chef was making shepherd’s pie while I was at his house. He used cumin and nutmeg and I really liked the taste.

This Memorable Dish is definitely an all-time favourite dish in our household. Everyone loves it. It can be a bit time-consuming to make. To break up the process a bit, I make the mashed potatoes a day before so I don’t spend all day making it 😉 .Shepherd's Pie

Shepherd’s Pie

Prep Time: 30 minutes

Cook Time: 1 hour

Total Time: 1 hour, 30 minutes

Serving Size: 6-8

Ingredients

  • For Potatoes:
  • 4 baking Potatoes (about 3 lbs), cut into 1-inch chunks
  • 2 cloves Garlic, peeled
  • 1 cup milk, warm
  • 1 tbsp butter
  • Salt for boiling potatoes
  • Salt & Pepper to taste
  • For Vegetables:
  • 1 cup Onion, diced (about 1 medium)
  • 4 cloves Garlic, minced
  • 3/4 cup Carrot, diced carrot
  • 2 stalks Celery, diced
  • 1/2 cup frozen Corn
  • 1/2 cup frozen Peas
  • 1 tbsp Extra-virgin Olive Oil
  • For Meat:
  • 2 1/2 lbs Ground Beef
  • 1/2 tsp Ground Cumin
  • 1/4 tsp Ground Nutmeg
  • 1 tsp Onion Powder
  • 1½ tsp Garlic Powder
  • 1 tsp Kosher salt
  • 2 cups of Beef Stock
  • 1 tbsp All-purpose Flour
  • 1 tbsp Extra-virgin Olive Oil

Preparation

  1. Place potatoes and whole garlic clove in a large pot of salted water. Bring to a boil and cook for about 15 minutes, or until tender. Drain, return to the pot and set aside.
  2. Brown ground beef in a large frying pan with 1 tbsp of olive oil.
  3. Once the meat is brown, scoop it onto a large plate lined with paper towels to drain excess fat.
  4. Heat 1 tbsp of olive oil in the frying pan over medium-high heat. Add the onion and sauté for 5 minutes or until transparent and soft. Scrape the bottom of the pan to remove the yummy bits. (If it’s too dry, you can add a bit of water to remove the bits.)
  5. Add the chopped garlic, carrot and celery. Reduce the heat to medium and sauté for 5 minutes.
  6. Return the cooked beef to the vegetable mixture, add the spices (cumin, nutmeg, onion and garlic powder) and 1 tsp of salt.
  7. Add the beef stock, mix and break down the meat with a wooden spoon as much as you can. Cook for approximately 10 minutes.
  8. Add 1 tbsp of flour and stir until thickened. Stir in the corn and peas and turn off heat.
  9. Preheat the oven to 400°F.
  10. Place the pot of drained potatoes over low heat. Add the warm milk and butter. Mash potatoes with a potato masher or hand-held mixer.
  11. Spoon the meat and vegetable mixture into a 13 x 9-inch large baking dish. Spread the potato mixture on top in an even layer.
  12. Bake for 20 minutes, or until the top is golden brown.

Notes

If the pie starts bubbling but the top hasn’t browned yet, you can put it under the broiler to be browned for a few minutes.

https://www.memorabledishes.com/shepherds-pie/

Posted in: Beef, Main Course , Tagged: , , ,

Korean BBQ Beef Ribs (Kalbi)

October 3, 2016 7:47 am , Leave a Comment ,
Korean BBQ Beef Ribs (Kalbi)

This is one of my favourite things to barbecue in the summer when I have friends over. Usually, I make this Memorable Dish several times each summer. Now that I have my third child, I think I’ve made it only once this summer. Yikes! Over the years I have perfected my recipe for kalbi. I adapted a recipe I found, modified it, and used it ever since. I assume it’s a pretty authentic recipe (if it isn’t please let me know 🙂 ) .

My husband and I have become a kalbi partner in crime cooking team. I do the marinade and he barbecues them. He’s been burning the kalbi less and less and making it just the way our family likes it. It’s hard to tell you exactly how long to barbecue the beef ribs for. It really depends on your grill, the thickness of the meat, and how cooked your family likes it.

As you can see, I am trying to hold on to the flavours of summer! But of course you could make this anytime of the year. Don’t despair if your kalbi doesn’t turn out the way you like. It has taken us lots of trial and error to perfect the recipe and cook them the way we like it. Even at times, we would burn or overcook them (usually it’s the first time each summer 😛 ) Make summer last all year long by making this Memorable Dish!
Korean BBQ Beef Ribs (Kalbi)

Korean BBQ Beef Ribs (Kalbi)

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes

Total Time: 30 minutes

Serving Size: 4-6

Ingredients

  • 4 pounds Beef Short Ribs, (ask the butcher to cut them just under 1/2 inch)
  • Marinade:
  • 1 cup Soy Sauce
  • 2 tbsp Sesame Oil
  • 1 tbsp Honey
  • 2 tbsp Brown Sugar
  • 1/4 tsp ground black pepper
  • 1 tbsp Korean Ground Red Pepper
  • 2 tbsp Sesame Seeds, toasted
  • 1 Asian Pear, grated
  • 1 small Onion, grated
  • 1 tbsp Ginger, grated
  • 2 tbsp Garlic, minced
  • 2 Green Onions, sliced
  • Add to meat 30 minutes before barbecuing:
  • 2 Kiwis, pureed

Preparation

  1. In a large bowl or baking dish, mix all the marinating ingredients together (except for the pureed kiwis).
  2. Marinate beef short ribs with all the marinating ingredients for at least 1 hour or preferably overnight.
  3. Take your ribs out 30 minutes before you’re ready to barbecue them. Add pureed kiwis to the marinade and meat and mix well. (Do not leave kiwi on the meat for longer or it’ll break down the meat too much.
  4. Heat your grill to high. Remove the meat from the marinade.
  5. Once your grill is heated, barbecue the ribs until tender, lightly charred and to the doneness that you desire.
  6. Serve with rice and kimchee.

Notes

Note #1: I don’t usually put ground red pepper in my recipe because I have young kids and don’t want it too spicy. Even without it, the kalbi is mighty tasty 🙂 .

Note #2: I use an extra large ziploc bag with a bowl underneath to marinade my ribs and rotate the meat around every few hours.

https://www.memorabledishes.com/korean-bbq-beef-ribs/

Posted in: Beef, Main Course , Tagged: , , ,

Tomato Beef Stir Fry with Egg
(番茄牛肉炒蛋)

August 31, 2015 7:31 am , 3 Comments ,
Tomato Beef Stir Fry with Egg

I fondly remember this dish as a child. My mom often cooked it for us because it’s easy to make and tasty to eat. The sweetness of the tomatoes, the tenderness of the beef, and the softness of the egg make this Memorable Dish a favourite of mine.

I started making this dish for my children and it has become one of their favourite dishes too. It is especially great for little ones because kids love the sweetness of the tomatoes and after all, who doesn’t love eggs? If you don’t want to use sliced beef you can use ground beef instead.

This is a homestyle dish that many Cantonese mothers cook for their families. My mother continues making this dish for us big kids and our little kids. I would say this is one of the many staples for our Sunday family dinners. No mother makes this dish the same. I hope you enjoy our family’s version of this Memorable Dish.Tomato Beef Stir Fry with Egg

Tomato Beef Stir Fry with Egg
(番茄牛肉炒蛋)

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes

Total Time: 30 minutes

Serving Size: 4-6

Ingredients

  • 1 pound of Beef, thinly sliced
  • 1 tbsp Soy Sauce
  • 1 tsp Sugar
  • 1 tsp Cornstarch
  • 1 tsp Vegetable oil
  • 2 tsp Water
  • 2 cloves Garlic, smashed
  • 1-2 slices of Ginger
  • 4 Tomatoes (approximately 4 cups, cut into 6-8 pieces)
  • 1/2 tsp Salt
  • 1 tsp Sugar
  • 3 Eggs, beaten
  • 3 tbsp Vegetable Oil (1 tbsp for eggs, 1 tbsp for tomatoes, 1 tbsp for beef)
  • 1 tsp Cornstarch
  • 1 tbsp Water
  • 1-2 tsp Soy Sauce
  • 1 stalk sliced Green Onions, for garnish

Preparation

  1. Marinate beef with soy sauce, sugar, cornstarch, vegetable oil and water for at least 30 minutes.
  2. Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a wok or a large frying pan. Scramble the eggs until they are 80% done. Set aside.
  3. Heat 1 tablespoon of oil. Place sliced ginger first and then cook tomatoes until softened (about 3 minutes). Put 1/2 teaspoon of salt and 1 teaspoon of sugar and mix. Set aside.
  4. Heat 1 tablespoon of oil. Place smashed garlic first and then add the beef. Stir fry the beef until 80% done.
  5. Add the cooked tomatoes and stir with the beef.
  6. Mix 1 teaspoon of cornstarch with 1 tablespoon of water into a small bowl.
  7. Pour cornstarch mixture into sauce until it thickens.
  8. Put 1 to 2 teaspoons of soy sauce in the tomato and beef mixture.
  9. Lastly put the egg in with the tomatoes and beef.
  10. Garnish with green onions and serve on top of steamed rice.

Notes

Note #1: Use flank steak or tender cuts of beef. You can also use ground beef as well.

Note #2: If you would like to remove the skin of the tomatoes, bring enough water to a boil to cover the tomatoes. Boil for 1-2 minutes until you see the skin loosen on the tomatoes. Drain and run them under cold water to cool. Once the tomatoes are cool you can peel the skin off.

Note #3: Take the ginger slices and garlic out of the dish before serving.

https://www.memorabledishes.com/tomato-beef-stir-fry-with-egg/

Posted in: Beef, Main Course, Vegetables , Tagged: , ,

Beef on a Kaiser

May 4, 2015 7:48 am , 8 Comments ,
Beef on a Kaiser

Guess where I had the most amazing beef on a kaiser? It was at a suburban mini mall in Scarborough called Agincourt Mall more than twenty years ago. Gosh, I am THAT old! At the time there were no places to eat except in this cafeteria-style restaurant. You know the ones where you pick up a tray, pick a salad from the cold food section, order your hot food from the person behind the counter and slide your tray at the end of the line to pay for your meal.

My mom would take my older brother and I to this mini mall to shop and eat. We went back frequently along with my younger brother even after we moved out of the neighbourhood just to eat their beef on a kaiser. Some time later they sold their business to another owner and converted the cafeteria-style restaurant into a full-fledged restaurant. Unfortunately, we tried ordering the beef on a kaiser and it wasn’t the same in either taste or experience.

Even though this joint is like a relic by today’s standards, I loved the whole experience of eating there. I especially enjoyed watching the man behind the counter assembling our sandwiches. Not only was he fast but there was a grace to it. I wish I could show you a video of him preparing the sandwich because my descriptions don’t do it justice. First, he cut the kaiser bun in half. Then he pierced the top half of the bun with his carving fork and dipped it quickly into the au jus without soaking up the bun. Then he cut thick pieces of beef on the what I believe was a prime rib roast on the bone and lay the meat on the bottom half of the kaiser. At last he took the top half of the bun and dipped it quickly into the au jus, put it on top of the beef and cut our sandwich in half. He made our sandwiches so perfectly and quickly that you’d think it was to be served at a fancy restaurant.

When this Memorable Dish was triggered my mind, I thought to myself, “How am I going to make this?!?!” I didn’t even know what cut of beef or spices the restaurant used! I tried recreating it based on recipes I found online. I think the restaurant used prime rib beef because they always gave my mom the rib bone with her sandwich. (They only gave the rib bone to their favourite customers, at least we liked to think so 😉

I’m satisfied with the results of this recreated sandwich. Both my mom and younger brother agree that it’s pretty close to what we had at the restaurant. I am so happy that we got to recollect this Memorable Dish together and can’t wait to make it next time for my older brother 🙂

Beef on a Kaiser

Beef on a Kaiser

Prep Time: 30 minutes

Cook Time: 1 hour

Total Time: 1 hour, 30 minutes

6 Sandwiches

Ingredients

  • 1 Prime Rib Roast (approximately 4 pounds)
  • 1 tbsp Olive Oil
  • 2 tsp Kosher Salt
  • 1/4 tsp Black Pepper
  • 1/4 tsp Garlic Powder
  • 6 Kaiser Rolls
  • For Au Jus
  • 1 small diced Onion
  • 2 minced Garlic
  • 2 tsp of Olive Oil
  • 3 cups of Beef Broth
  • 1/2 tsp Worcestershire sauce

Preparation

  1. Preheat oven to 425°F.
  2. Rub roast with olive oil, salt, pepper and garlic powder and place on rack in a shallow roasting pan.
  3. Bake uncovered for 45 minutes to 1 hour or until thermometer reads 130°F.
  4. Rest the roast for approximately 20-30 minutes by placing it in another dish and cover with foil while you make the au jus.
  5. Skim off excess fat from the roasting pan.
  6. Heat roasting pan with 1 cup of beef broth and scrape the bits from the bottom of the pan. Set aside.
  7. Heat small pot with olive oil.
  8. Sauté onions until softened, then add garlic.
  9. Add beef broth from the roasting pan and the remaining 2 cups of beef broth and Worcestershire sauce. Bring it to a boil and set aside.
  10. Carve beef.
  11. Cut the kaiser bun in half and lightly dip the inside of the top and bottom bun.
  12. Make a sandwich by placing the sliced beef in the bun.

Notes

Note #1: Make sure you take the roast out of the refrigerator and leave to sit at room temperature for 1 hour.

Note #2: You can have the au jus as a dipping sauce on the side if desired.

https://www.memorabledishes.com/beef-on-a-kaiser/

Posted in: Beef, Main Course , Tagged: , , ,

Minced Beef and Egg with Rice
(窩蛋免治牛肉飯)

March 9, 2015 8:11 am , Leave a Comment ,
Minced Beef and Egg with Rice

Eating this rice dish brought back memories of weekend lunches in Hong Kong when I was a kid. Almost every weekend, our family went out for dim sum. My father is an avid rice eater, which means he needs to eat rice at every meal or else all hell would break loose! If he absolutely cannot eat rice at a particular meal, noodles or pasta would suffice.

If you are familiar with dim sum, you know that it consists of small morsels of meat or dumplings. I think my father doesn’t feel truly full unless he has eaten rice. So our dim sum outings would always end up with him ordering a rice dish. In most cases, it would be Minced Beef and Egg with Rice.

This dish appears in most Chinese restaurants’ menu as “Raw Egg with Minced Beef Rice”. Yes, the egg is raw! The waiter brings the raw egg to the table and cracks it into the beef mixture right in front of you. You then mix the raw egg with the beef and rice. The hot temperature of the beef and rice cooks the egg a little but it remains mostly raw. The egg gives the dish a silky finish that I love.

Every time I eat this Memorable Dish, it reminds me of how obsessed my father is over eating rice. This restaurant-style dish is very easy to recreate at home. My whole family, including the kids, love it! I think this dish is becoming one of my kids’ most Memorable Dishes.

Minced Beef and Egg with Rice

Minced Beef and Egg with Rice
(窩蛋免治牛肉飯)

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes

Total Time: 25 minutes

Serving Size: 4-6

Ingredients

  • 2 pounds of Ground Beef
  • 2 tbsp of low sodium Soy Sauce
  • 1 tsp of Sugar
  • 1 tsp of Cornstarch
  • 1/8 tsp of White Pepper
  • 1 tsp of Sesame Oil
  • 2 tbsp of Water
  • 1 small diced Onion
  • 2 cloves of minced Garlic
  • 2 cups frozen Green Peas
  • 1 tbsp of Oil (neutral tasting oil such as Canola or Vegetable)
  • 2 tbsp of Oyster Sauce
  • 1 sliced Green Onion for garnish
  • 1 Egg
  • Steamed Rice

Preparation

  1. Marinate beef with soy sauce, sugar, cornstarch, white pepper, sesame oil and water for at least 30 minutes.
  2. If you marinate the beef in the fridge, make sure you bring it back to room temperature before cooking it.
  3. Heat oil in a wok or a large frying pan.
  4. Sauté the onions until they are translucent (about 5 minutes) and then add garlic in.
  5. Add beef to the onions and garlic and cook until it is done.
  6. Stir in oyster sauce.
  7. If sauce doesn’t thicken after adding the oyster sauce, thicken with cornstarch solution (mix 1 tsp. cornstarch and 1 tbsp. water in a bowl first then add it into the beef mixture).
  8. Lastly, add peas in the mixture and cook until peas are heated through.
  9. Put beef mixture on a bed of steamed rice.
  10. Crack and stir the raw egg into the rice dish.
  11. Garnish with sliced green onions.

Notes

Note #1: If the beef is too fatty, you might want to drain the fat after cooking before putting the mixture on the rice.

Note #2: If you are squeamish about using a raw egg, you can always cook it sunny side up or over easy. If you are using the raw egg, make sure you wash the shell thoroughly.

https://www.memorabledishes.com/minced-beef-and-egg-with-rice/

Posted in: Beef, Main Course, Rice , Tagged: , ,
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