Thai Peppered Beef
I know I should probably be posting Christmas and holiday recipes right now, but I am not. Instead, I am posting about beef, and Thai beef to be more clear. I have no idea why I came up with this recipe, but I am pretty certain that I wanted something a bit salty, and something with a bit of heat, plus I have been exploring with making just the right sauce using cornstarch as a basic thickener.
When I began thinking about this recipe, I was looking at a beef tenderloin that I thought I would break down and stuff with duxelle, but something threw me a curveball that day and I was left wondering what I was going to do with it, and hence my further curiosity to make this Thai peppered beef.
Let’s get started.
Ingredients:
- 3 tbsp fish sauce
- 3 tbsp cornstarch
- 1 tbsp cracked black pepper
- 1 1/2 lbs beef tenderloin, cut across the grain, thinly sliced
- 4 cloves of garlic, minced
- 3 large shallots, thinly sliced
- 3 tbsp sugar
- 1 tbsp sesame oil
- 2 tbsp fish sauce
- 1/4 cup of sweet soy sauce
- 1 tbsp dark soy sauce
- 1/4 cup of water
- 3 Thai chile peppers, thinly sliced
- 2 tbsp canola oil
- Cooked Jasmine rice
- Fried Egg, optional
Begin my marinating your beef in the cornstarch, 3 tablespoons of fish sauce, and cracked black pepper. Marinade for at least two hours, but no more than four.
When you are ready to cook, and this one goes fast, heat a large wok with some oil. Let it come to temperature, then add the beef. Cook for a minute or two, then toss in the garlic and shallots. Give it a good toss, cooking another minute or so before tossing in the soy sauces, sesame oil, and additional fish sauce.  Sprinkle with sugar, and add in the water. Reduce the heat to a medium, low, and give a good stir. You should see the sauce beginning to form from the cornstarch.
Add in the sliced Thai chile peppers. If you want to keep these out due to your weakness to spicy food, feel free, but trust me, the chilie peppers do give a really great balance and spice.
Cook for a couple more minutes, then serve in a bowl of cooked jasmine rice, and top with a fried egg. Trust me, this one is great. A bit of sweet, salty, and spice and when you cut into the perfectly cooked egg, it adds this creaminess that just balances everything. It is a perfect palette rocker.  I hope you enjoy.
One Comment
Eleni
Dear Dax,
THANK YOU for posting a delicious recipe that is NOT “Christmas-y”. If I see another cookie recipe I shall scream.
Christmas is not about cookies for heaven’s sake!
Eleni in Athens