Thai-Inspired Beef Salad Recipe

Inspired by the Thai Beef Salad we had last weekend at the Bowling Village, which tasted fairly authentic, hubby requested that we prepare this light salad for dinner.

We bought 100g of thinly sliced beef from the supermarket which we marinated in soy sauce, garlic and pepper for a couple of hours to absorb the flavor then pan-fried them.


Thai-inspired Beef Salad

To create the Thai dressing for the beef salad, I used the recipe from Yummy Magazine, which was quite simple to make. I wish to have added more chopped red chili though to attain the hot kick on the dressing. I’ll definitely do that next time.

This recipe is worth a try. Aside from being healthy and easy to prepare, this beef salad is a wonderful fresh salad with a fusion of sweet, sour and hot flavors.

Here is our Thai-inspired Beef Salad Recipe.

Ingredients:
100g thinly sliced tender beef
Romaine lettuce or variety of greens, cut into 1-1/2 inch strips
2 cucumber, quartered, seeded and diced ½ inch
1 large tomato, seeded and sliced lengthwise
5 scallions, thinly sliced
2 coriander or cilantro stems with leaves, roughly chop

For the dressing:
1 lemon or lime juice
2 tablespoons patis or fish sauce
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1 red chili, seeded and chopped finely (add more if you desire)

Method:
1) Heat a little amount of oil in a shallow pan over high heat.
2) Fry the marinated beef slices for 3 minutes on each side or until cooked to your liking. Remove from heat and let it rest for 5 minutes before slicing thinly.
3) Combine romaine lettuce, cucumber, tomatoes, onion and coriander in a large bowl.
4) Add the thinly sliced beef to the salad.
5) Drizzle with the dressing and gently toss using your hands (like Jamie Oliver does!).
6) Divide salad among plates and serve immediately.

Beef Mechado Recipe

Beef Mechado is one of my favorite beef dishes.

When I was still working in Manila (in the previous job I held before I left for the UAE more than a year ago), I used to rent a small room in a three-storey apartment in Quezon City near SM North Edsa where I stayed for more than 4 years. My landlady in that house, who I fondly call Nanay, makes the best beef mechado. I once asked her what's the secret and she gladly shared that she is using fresh tomatoes instead of canned or processed tomatoes for the sauce.

Fresh Tomatoes
Remembering the cooking tip from Nanay, I daringly prepared beef mechado skipping the traditional tomato paste or tomato sauce.

Here’s the recipe for beef mechado.

Ingredients:
1 kilo beef cut into chunks
2 medium sized carrots, sliced in 1/2" sections
3 medium potatoes, quartered (optional: fried)
8-10 pieces large tomatoes, sliced or chopped (or 2 cups tomato sauce or 1/2 cup tomato paste)
4 onions, peeled and quartered
1 large bell pepper, sliced
2 cups beef stock or 2 bouillon cubes dissolved in water
3 bay leaves (laurel leaves)
1/4 -cup vinegar
1 cup soy sauce
salt & pepper to taste

Beef Chunks
Cooking Instructions:
1. Combine the beef, tomatoes, soy sauce, bay leaves and beef stock in a casserole. Bring to a boil and simmer until the beef is almost tender.
2. Add the vinegar and let boil for two minutes.
3. Add the potatoes, carrots, onions and bell pepper. Add in salt (if needed) and pepper to taste.
4. Let simmer until all vegetables are cooked. Stir occasionally to thicken the sauce.

Cooking Tips:
1. Choose beef cuts intended for stewing or containing various amount of fat layers.
2. Consider pressure cooking the beef with the beef stock for faster cooking time.
3. Fry the potatoes before adding to the casserole. Aside from giving it a nice taste, it will also reduce cooking time for the potatoes.
4. Stir in 2 to 3 tablespoons of olive oil when the mechado dish is almost done for added flavor.

Beef Mechado
Preparation and cooking time: 1 to 1.5 hours (estimated)
Serving Size: 4-5 persons

Bon Appetit!

Chunkee Corned Beef Guisado with Green Beans

When you are really hungry and yet you still want to have a decent meal, you can always depend on foodstuff disguising as tin cans. These dependable foodstuffs are famously known among pinoys as “de lata.” :)

Aside from sardines, I always like mixing canned corned beef with vegetables for added nutrient. So even when I was already having hunger pangs I did take the time to do a quick sautéing. Boq and I both like the chunkee variety of Purefoods corned beef because you can really see the beef fiber.

Often, in pinoy cooking, corned beef will be mixed with cube-sliced potatoes. Since I’m not a fan of potatoes, I used green beans instead for this recipe. It was a better choice because green beans required less time to cook than potatoes, meaning I didn’t have to prolong the agony of starving myself and Boq.

Here’s the recipe.

Ingredients:
1 small can purefoods chunkee corned beef
100 grams green beans, sliced diagonally to half-inch size
1 small onion, sliced
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 tsp. Fish sauce
Ground black pepper (optional)
Vegetable oil

Cooking Instructions:
Heat oil in a pan. Saute garlic until light brown. Add onion, cook until translucent. Add fish sauce. Give a quick stirring. Add green beans and cook for 3 minutes or until the beans is bright green. Add chunkee corned beef, stir and cook for another 3 minutes.

Preparation and cooking time: 15 minutes
Serving size: 2-3

Beef Ampalaya in Oyster Sauce

This recipe is a surprise treat for beef fanatics. The bitter taste of ampalaya or bitter gourd and the sweetness of oyster sauce make this dish exciting. Boq and I are ampalaya lovers, whatever way it is cooked (e.g., just boiled whole) we would finish it off.

Ingredients:

300g beef strips, fresh and clean

½ kilo ampalaya or bitter gourd that’s about 2 to 3 pieces

medium-size, cored and sliced to about half an inch

1 medium-sized onion, sliced

3 cloves garlic, crushed

6-8 tbsp. oyster sauce (adjust according to your taste)

dash of salt

vegetable oil

Cooking Instruction:
Heat oil in a wok or pot. Sauté garlic until light brown. Follow with onion and cooked until translucent. Stir fry beef strips together with garlic and onion. Add in oyster sauce, stir then cover for 5 minutes. Add ampalaya slices. Stir occassionaly until cooked.

You may want to add a dash of salt depending on your taste.
This dish makes 4-5 servings and is a great pair for steamed rice.

Preparation and cooking time: 30 minutes

Useful Info:
1) Do not overcook the beef to achieve its tender state.
2) To reduce the bitterness of ampalaya or bitter gourd, shake it with salt then wash with running water.

Did you know? Ampalaya has medicinal properties. Aside from its ability to lower blood glucose level, reports show that it can lower fat in our blood and makes us resistant to both viral and bacterial infections. Not only that, amplaya can help us protect from developing cancer as it enhances our immune system. Wow, that’s a lot of medicinal benefits from this modest vegetable.