Don't be misled by the rather uninteresting appearance and name of this
beef dish. It is wonderfully flavoured and generally so popular that
it's worth making a large amount. Cook as directed below, then if you
have leftovers after a meal, deep fry the beef until very crisp. Drain
thoroughly and store in an airtight container. This crisp beef is excellent
as a finger food with cocktails, and also makes a tasty accompaniment
to rice-based meals. ###
1
kg (2 lb) beef topside, cut in
4 steaks 250 g (8 oz) each
8 cloves garlic, peeled
2 teaspoons coriander seeds, crushed
1 tablespoon chopped palm sugar
2 large red chillies, seeded
2 tablespoons laos, peeled and sliced
2 teaspoons dried shrimp paste
2 cloves, ground
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon black, peppercorns, coarsely ground
2 tablespoons oil
2 teaspoons freshly squeezed lime juice
Bring 5
litres (20 cups) of lightly salted water to the boil in stockpot. Add
beef and boil for approximately I hour, until very tender. Remove from
stock. Meat must be so tender that its fibres separate very eas- ily.
Keep stock. Pound meat until flat and shred by hand into fine fibres.
Place garlic, coriander, palm sugar, red chillies, laos, dried
shrimp paste, cloves, salt and pepper in a food processor and puree
coarsely, or grind in a stone mortar. Heat oil in heavy saucepan and
saute the marinade for 2 minutes over medium heat. Add shredded beef,
mix well and saute until dry. Season with lime juice. Remove from heat
and allow to cool. Serve at room temperature with steamed rice.
Helpful
hint : Do not be tempted to use a food processor to shred the
meat; you will obtain the correct texture only by shredding the meat
with your fingers or a fork.
