The mighty Tomahawk steak! This is THE steak to bring out when you want to impress. But you can’t cook it like regular steak – it’s too big! The best way to cook a tomahawk steak is using the reverse-sear method. Safe, simple and highly effective that yields juicier meat and a better crust, it’s a total game changer!

The mighty tomahawk steak!

With its massive bone and impressive size, the mighty Tomahawk Steak demands attention! The reality is, it’s just a rib-eye (scotch fillet) with an extra-long bone – some say you’re paying for weight you can’t eat.

But no one can deny the wow factor! People ooh and aah while it cooks (unlike chicken breast 😅), then swoon at first bite. Tomahawk isn’t all show! Rib-eye is steak royalty – juicy, with just the right about of fat marbling, packed with beefy flavour.

It’s a premium cut so you pay serious $ for it at steakhouses – think, $200+. So get one yourself and cook it at home instead!

JB and I researched and tried numerous methods, and the best was an easy standout: the reverse sear method starting in the oven and finished on the BBQ, a technique made famous by J. Kenji Lopez-Alt when he first wrote about it in 2007 for Cook’s Illustrated. See the FAQ at the bottom of the post for more chatter and background on testing.

Now – let’s get cooking!

Ingredients

Here’s an up-close-and-personal of the tomahawk steak fresh from the butcher. The one pictured is 1.3kg / 2.6 lb and the thickest part of the meat is 5 cm / 2″ thick. All you need to cook it is oil, salt and pepper.

Tomahawk steaks are one of the few meats that look as impressive raw as they do cooked! I’ve got a lot to say about them – what they are, why they’re so special, where to get them and what size they are. So I’ve popped this information in the expandable section below, else you’ll still be scrolling tomorrow! 😅

The better way to cook tomahawk steaks

As mentioned above, we’re using the reverse sear method, going from oven to the BBQ. No BBQ? No problems! Use the oven grill / broiler – directions in recipe card.

Please use a meat thermometer to nail the doneness – this is not the time to guess.

Preparation

1. De-chill – If time permits, take the steak out of the fridge 1 hour prior to cooking. It’s not the end of the world if you skip this step because we’re slow roasting which spreads the heat more evenly through the meat than using a high temperature.

   Remove the tomahawk from any packaging and pat the surface dry.

   ⚠️ Don’t be tempted to salt ahead. It will draw moisture to the surface and make it wet so you won’t get as good a crust when you sear.

2. Season – Just before cooking, sprinkle the steak meat with salt and pepper, then use your hands to rub it in so it sticks better. Use most on the meat surface, some of the sides, none on the bone if it’s cleaned, or just a bit if you’ve got some meat on it (see FAQ in the Ingredients section about cleaning the bone or not).

SLOW-ROAST

In this step, we are semi-slow roasting in the oven to cook the meat evenly inside. If the oven is too hot, you end up with a thick overcooked outer band.

3. Slow(ish) roast – Put the steak on a rack and set it on a baking tray, then roast for 40 to 45 minutes at a low-ish 140°C/285°F (120°C fan-forced), or until the internal temperature is 50°C/122°F. This is for medium rare which is the default optimum doneness for steaks. See box below for other doneness.

   💡Why a rack? It prevents the underside of the steak from getting sweaty which will make it harder to get a great crust when we sear it.

4. Rest 10 minutes – Take the tray out of the oven and leave the steak on the counter for 10 minutes. The internal temperature should rise by 3 degrees to 53°C/127°F. The steak at this stage will not have great colour on it. We deal with that next!

   ⚠️ Never skip resting! It is key for juicy steak as this is when the juices are re-absorbed into the meat fibres so they end up in your mouth rather than leaking out onto the plate when you cut into the steak.

Finish on BBQ

Now it’s time to finish it on the BBQ for the all essential steak crust and charred smoky flavour. We can’t use the stove because it won’t fit in a pan!

No BBQ? See below for how to cook a tomahawk using the oven grill / broiler.

5. BBQ sear sides – Lightly oil both sides of the steak. Preheat the BBQ until it’s screaming hot. If using the grill side, then turn it down to low (if your BBQ is very strong) or medium low (if your BBQ is weaker) – this is to manage flare ups from the tomahawk fat. If using the flat plate side, reduce to medium.

   Then start by searing the edges of the steak and the meat on the bone (skip this if your bone is naked). Use tongs to stand it upright and rotate.

6. Sear 6 to 8 minutes – Sear the steak for 3 to 4 minutes per side until it becomes a deep dark brown, or until the internal temperature reaches 55°C/131°F. Adjust the heat as needed – if your tomahawk has been resting out for a while and cooled, it may take longer to reach temperature.

   ⚠️ Flare-ups – If searing over open grates, don’t walk away – flare-ups are inevitable. Shift the steak around or off the heat to avoid scorching. We’re after a good char, not a burnt crust! If flare-ups are too hard to control, switch to the flat plate side.

REST & SERVE

7. Rest the steak on a rack for 3 minutes – I just use the same rack it was roasted on. The internal temperature will rise to 57°C/135°F which is perfect medium rare.

   🎉 Do not fret if you’re slightly higher. Tomahawks are an exceptionally juicy cut and even at 60°C which is medium, it still eats like medium rare.

8. Serve – Cut into 1 cm / 0.4″ thick slices. Serve with steak sauce of choice! (Pictured throughout: Cowboy Butter, and more sauces listed below).

Different doneness for Tomahawk Steak

Medium rare is the recommended level of doneness for steak for the most juicy results, and the default doneness for restaurants and chefs. Target an internal temperature of 53°C / 127.4°F when taking it out of the oven which will rise to 56-58°C / 133-136.4°F after resting for perfect medium rare.

However, you should cook your beef to the doneness you like! Use the table below.

The Target Temp is the final internal temperature for each level of doneness. The Pull Temp is the temperature at which the beef should be pulled out of the oven, then off the BBQ. It will rise to the Target Temp after resting for 10 minutes.

No BBQ – all oven method

As mentioned above, I wanted to see how well a tomahawk could be cooked without a BBQ to do the searing step, using the oven grill / broiler instead. Because not everybody has a BBQ, and not everybody who has a BBQ wants to cook outside when it’s pouring or snowing!

It took a couple of goes – but wowser! It worked so well, look at it – nice colour on the surface, and perfectly cooked meat (photo below):

How to finish tomahawks under the broiler / oven grill:

The recipe follows the same steps, with two small-but-important changes:

1. Pull out of the oven at a lower temperature – 45C/113F (about 30 to 35 minutes), because the meat cooks more under the broiler/grill than it does on the BBQ during the searing phase;

2. Scrunched foil for levelling – Use scrunched foil under the meat part of the tomahawk to elevate and level it, for even browning under the broiler / oven grill. This is key, else what you’ll find is that the fatty part on the handle will burn before you get colour on the face of the steak.

How to serve Tomahawk Steaks

Serve with your favourite steak sides and sauces! Think: fries, potato gratin, creamy mash, cauliflower cheese, wilted spinach, garlicky green beans, or even a leafy salad with a French dressing.

As for sauces? I just dropped my latest obsession – Cowboy Butter, pictured throughout this post, get the recipe here. It’s essentially garlic butter dressed up with extra flavours – smoky paprika, mustard, and a solid kick of chilli flakes. Texan vibes, very Tomahawk worthy, extremely quick and easy.

More steak sauce options

Else, try one of these steak sauces:

• Béarnaise – steakhouse favourites, elegant

• Café de Paris – French classic

• Creamy mushroom sauce

• Argentinian Chimichurri sauce

• Blue Cheese Sauce (page 330 of Dinner)

• Red wine sauce (page 327 of of Dinner, requires homemade beef stock)

• A good Dijon or seeded mustard

• If you’re feeling really rebellious – a squirt of ketchup. (I won’t judge, I promise)

Enjoy! – Nagi x

Tomahawk FAQ

How did you and JB work together on this recipe?

What were the main development points for this recipe?

How many tomahawk steaks did you cook?

Why don’t you dry brine overnight?

How to make lots of tomahawks for a party!

How to cook tomahawk steaks just in the oven – no BBQ!

Watch how to make it

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Tomahawk Steak

Recipe video above. Don’t cook a tomahawk steak entirely on the BBQ – you’ll end up with a thick, overcooked band! The best way is to use the reverse-sear method: oven first, then BBQ. It's stress free and you'll have blushing pink meat from edge to edge with a killer crust – steak perfection! All credit to J Kenji Lopez-Alt for popularising this now world renowned method which can be used for all thick cut steaks.

No BBQ? See note 5 for the oven-only method.

PS Please a meat thermometer to nail the doneness – this is not the time to guess.

PPS Even if you overshoot to 60°C/140°F, it still eats like medium-rare. Also – see FAQ above for making stacks for a tomahawk party!

Course BBQ, Grilling, Mains

Cuisine Western

Keyword how to cook tomahawk steak, tomahawk steak, tomahawk steak recipe

Prep Time 5 minutes minutes

Cook Time 1 hour hour

De-chilling and resting 15 minutes minutes

Total Time 1 hour hour 20 minutes minutes

Servings 2 – 3 people

Author Nagi

Ingredients

Tomahawk Steak

• 1 tomahawk steak (1.2 – 1.5kg / 2.4 – 3lb) (Note 1)
• 2 tsp cooking salt/kosher salt
• 3/4 tsp black pepper
• 1 tbsp olive oil

Steak sauce options

• Cowboy butter (pictured in post – Tomahawk worthy!)
• Bearnaise sauce
• Cafe de Paris
• Creamy mushroom sauce
• Chimichurri sauce
• Blue cheese sauce (page 330 of Dinner)
• Red wine sauce (page 327 of Dinner, requires homemade beef stock)
• Dijon or seeded mustard

Instructions

ABBREVIATED:

• Season, slow-roast on rack at 140°C/285°F (120°C fan) for 40-45 minutes to 50°C/122°F. Rest 10 minutes. Preheat BBQ until screaming hot, drizzle steak with oil, lower BBQ to low/med low and sear on hot BBQ 3 – 4 minutes on each side (temp 55°C (128°F)). Rest 3 minutes (temp rises to 57°C/135°F = perfect medium rare 🙌🏻). Slice, serve with Cowboy Butter!

FULL RECIPE:

Oven slow-roast:

• De-chill – Take the steak out of the fridge 1 hour prior to cooking. Remove from packaging and pat the surface dry. (Do not salt).
• Preheat the oven to 140°C/285°F (120°C fan-forced).
• Season – Sprinkle the steak meat with salt and pepper, then use your hands to rub it in.
• Slow(ish) roast – Put the steak on a rack and set it on a baking tray. (Note 2) Bake for 40 to 45 minutes, or until the internal temperature is 50°C/122°F (for medium rare, see Note 3 for other doneness).
• Rest – Take the tray out of the oven and leave the steak on the counter for 10 minutes. (Internal temperature should rise by 3 degrees).

Sear:

• Preheat the BBQ on high until it's screaming hot. Use the flat plate side if you're not a confident BBQ'er, or the grill side if you're a BBQ master. (Note 4)
• Oil – Drizzle the oil on the steak and lightly pat to spread (don't rub off the salt), using most of the surface area of the meaty part.
• Turn BBQ DOWN – If using the grill side, reduce to low (if yours is strong, mine is) or medium low (for weaker ones). If using the flat plate side, lower to medium. Do this just before putting the tomahawk on.
• Edges first – Using tongs, hold the steak upright and sear the edges and bone first (only if you've got meat on it), rotating and moving every minute or so to achieve this all the way around.

  ⚠️Flare-ups – If searing on the grill side, don’t walk away – flare-ups are inevitable. See Note 4 for managing.
• Steak crust – Then place the steak down on the grill and cook for 3 to 4 minutes on each side, or until the internal temperature is 55°C / 131°F. For classic X grill lines, rotate once 45° partway through.
• Rest the steak on a rack for 3 minutes – the internal temperature will rise to 57°C/135°F which is perfect medium rare.
• Serve – Cut into 1 cm / 0.4" thick slices. Serve with steak sauce of choice! (Pictured: Cowboy Butter, highly recommend!).

Notes

1. Tomahawk steak – Comes in various sizes depending on thickness of cut (usually 5 cm / 2″ thick). A 1 kg/2 lb tomahawk will generously feed 2 people (the bone weighs 200g/7 oz).

2. Rack – Elevating the steak off the base of the tray keeps the underside from getting wet and steamy so you get a nicer crust when you sear it. Not the end of the world if you don’t do it.

3. Other doneness: Here are the target temperatures for different levels of doneness. Medium rare is optimum juiciness and the default used by restaurants and chefs – recommended!

4. BBQ – The grill side gives better smoky flavour and char, but I recommend using the flat iron side if you’re not an experienced BBQ’er. Open grills cause flare ups that need to be managed (because tomahawks are fatty – that’s why they’re so good!). Shift the steak around or move off the heat as needed to avoid scorching. We’re after a good char, not a burnt crust! If flare-ups are too hard to control, switch to the flat plate side.

5. Broiler / oven grill method (no BBQ) – Works incredibly well!! Take the tomahawk out of the oven at 45C/113F (30 to 35 minutes). While it’s resting, crank up the oven grill/broiler to 250C/480F with the shelf set so the surface of the steak will be 5 cm / 2″ from the heat source.

Oil steak per recipe. Leave the steak on the rack on the tray. Use scrunched up foil so the surface of the meat is as level as possible (KEY TIP). Broil 3 to 4 minutes, flip and repeat with the other side to get good browning on the steak – the internal temperature should be 52C/125F at this stage. Rest on rack 5 minutes (temperature will rise to 57C/135F = medium rare 🎉). Slice and serve!

Leftovers will keep for 3 days but it seems a shame not to eat steak this good freshly cooked!

Life of Dozer

When the King of Steaks met the King of Steak Eaters.

The post Tomahawk Steak appeared first on RecipeTin Eats.

Inspired by the gigantic beef sausage rolls at B85 Artisan Bakery in Camden, Sydney, these are meaty and juicy and cheesy. Everything you dream a mighty sausage roll to be! RTM‘s Chef Stephen put it best: I’m gonna maul these. 😂

Finally, epic beef sausage rolls – in Camden of all places!

I’ve always liked the idea of beef sausage rolls, but the reality never quite lived up to it. They’d just taste like meatloaf in puff pastry or were disappointingly dry – probably why classic sausage rolls are made with pork which is naturally softer and juicier than beef.

But that all changed the day I spotted the beef sausage rolls at B85 Artisan Bakery, a charming little artisan bakery tucked away in Camden, a semi-rural suburb on the outskirts of Sydney. A hidden gem loved by locals, they offer baked goods that rival trendy bakeries popping up all over inner Sydney – from sourdough to focaccia, pastries to croissants.

But those beef sausage rolls. Oh my. First – they’re BIG. Generous amount of filling with layers upon layers of puff pastry. And then there’s the flavour: cheese and jalapeño. Genius. The cheesy hit makes the filling outrageously moreish, while the little bits of jalapeño add a wee bit of barely-there-spiciness that cuts right through the richness and adds enough interest so you know you are not eating meatloaf.

But my favourite part? The cheesy, crusted ends where the beefy filling oozes out. I want to bite the ends off all of them!

And, well, you know where this conversation is headed. Yup, you guessed it – I went home and recreated my own version. 🙂

And this is RTM‘s Chef Stephen mauling one (I know, he’s got a way with words, don’t he? 😂).

Ingredients

Here’s what you need to make these statement jumbo sausage rolls. A beef stock cube (better than salt!), parmesan, cheese and juicy box-grater shredded onion are my flavour secret weapons here that pushes the savouriness of the filling into OMG territory!

Cheese jalapeño beef filling

Filling

• Onion – A whole peeled brown onion, grated to keep the pieces fine enough to cook through without sautéing separately. Plus, the onion juices add extra flavour and make the filling extra juicy. Tried and loved technique I regularly use for family favourites like meatloaf and Italian meatballs!

• Panko breadcrumbs – larger crumbs than regular breadcrumbs = softer filling. 🙂 Find them at regular grocery stores these days (Asian section) though they’re cheaper in Asian stores!

• Beef mince (ground beef) – the fattier the better! Juicier and better beef flavour – because fat is where all the flavour is.

• Beef stock cube – Better flavour than salt! This is one of the flavour secrets here. I like OXO brand because it crumbles effortlessly into powder. You could also use 1 teaspoon of powder (the jar type).

• Cheddar cheese – Like the B85 OG, I use cheddar cheese though honestly, any shreddable cheese that melts will be great here, except I don’t recommend mozzarella (not enough flavour or salt) or parmesan/pecorino and similar (next ingredient). PS Pre shredded cheese is ok here! 🙌🏻

• Parmesan cheese – I sneak in a bit for a flavour boost which does make it a little OTT on the savouriness scale!! So, you will totally survive without it, I promise. 🙂

• Pickled jalapeno – See rave above for this is so good! Find it in the pickle aisle ($3/500g). Note though, I am not sure B85 uses pickled jalapeño, it could be fresh. I like using pickled for convenience, because it’s softer (so melds better), milder and also for the tang which is welcome in this otherwise rather rich filling.

• Salt and pepper – We need a little extra salt on top of the stock cube.

• Egg – For binding the mixture. Without, it will crumble apart.

• Garlic – Because I couldn’t stop adding flavour.

For the puff PASTRY

• Frozen puff pastry – butter is better! It tastes better (butter!) and puffs better and flakes better. The packet will say “BUTTER Puff Pastry”. If it’s silent, it means it is made with oil which doesn’t have as much flavour. (Or, check ingredients).

  You will need 2 sheets. The standard Australian size is 24cm squares (9.5″). Use it semi-frozen still when it’s just pliable enough to wrap around the filling, it is much easier to handle and also easier to cut in half.

  Note: The puff pastry in the photo above and video is not butter puff pastry which is more yellowy. I accidentally bought a stack of non-butter puff pastry and I have to use it up.

• Egg, separated – We use the white part for sealing the pastry and the yolk for brushing to make it bake a beautiful deep golden brown, and also to make the sesame seeds stick.

• Sesame seeds – Like B85, I like to use white and black sesame seeds. But you won’t be arrested if you just use one or the other, or go naked! (ie no sesame seeds).

How to make B85 Beef Sausage Rolls

This base recipe makes 4 jumbo sausage rolls like the ones sold at B85. Or, you can make 8 regular size ones or 16 party sausage rolls.

1. Onion juice soaked panko – Grate onion into a bowl using a box grater. Keep all the juices – it’s the best bit! Makes the filling extra juicy and tasty. Then mix in panko so it soaks up the juices (softens, puffs when cooked = softer filling).

2. Everything but cheese – Then add all the other filling ingredients except the shredded cheese and mix it well with your hands. Get right in there and squeeze/squish until it’s combined well.

3. Crumble in cheese – Add the cheese then use your fingers to kind of “crumble” it through the mixture before mixing firmly with hands. Reason: If you don’t disperse first, then the shredded cheese gets squeezed into wads rather than mixed evenly throughout.

4. Logs – Take the 2 puff pastry sheets out of the freezer. Then divide the filling into two equal portions and shape into a log on the pastry.

   Party sausage rolls – make 4 equal logs by cutting each sheet in half, then cut each log into 4 to make 16 pieces in total.

5. Roll to enclose the pastry with the filling, finishing with a double layer on the base sealed with egg white. Trim off the excess – about 2cm / 0.8″.

   Tip: paint off cuts with egg white, sprinkle with salt and lots of parmesan, bake 20 minutes = parmesan sticks!

6. Finish – Cut each log in half to make 4 big sausage rolls in total. Paint with egg yolk, sprinkle with the sesame seeds.

7. Bake part 1 – Bake for 35 minutes in a hot 200°C/425°F (180C fan-forced). This slightly higher oven temperature makes the puff pastry golden and crispy, while the inside cooks through without drying out.

8. Elevate on rack – Then, working quickly, transfer the sausage rolls to a rack and bake for a further 15 minutes until they are very golden.

   The rack transference step is to elevate the base out of the juices that comes out of the beef so it can become crispy. It will never be ultra crispy because the filling is ultra juicy, but it’s not floppy, soggy and undercooked like too many sausage rolls are.

   Party sausage rolls – Bake 30 minutes on the tray, then 10 minutes on a rack at the same temperature.

Give them 5 minutes to cool a bit so you don’t give yourself 3rd degree burns. Then it’s game on – grab the biggest one for yourself!

The above are B85 jumbo size (makes 4). Here are party sausage roll size (makes 16), directions are in the recipe cards for these (slightly shorter bake time).

And proof of juicy insides:

Sausage roll etiquette 101

If you ever bring a knife and fork near my sausage rolls, they’ll be confiscated! These Aussie legends must be eaten with hands, with Aussie tomato sauce (ketchup also acceptable).

And if you’ve got golden flaky pastry shards all down your top, in your lap, in your hair and a ring of them surrounding your chair, that’s how you know you’ve eaten it right.

I hope you get a chance to try these! While perhaps not an exact replica of the B85 Jalapeño Cheese Beef Sausage Rolls (their flaky pastry alone is far superior to store bought), I think it captures the moreishness that makes them so unique and so memorable.

And it’s just downright tasty. So, so good! – Nagi x

Watch how to make it

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B85 Beef Sausage Rolls – with jalapeño and cheese

Recipe video above. Copycat of the legendary beef sausage rolls at B85 Artisan Bakery in the quaint Sydney suburb of Camden, these are next-level good! These are big, bold, juicy, cheesy, and loaded flavour, and I especially love how the tangy pickled jalapeño cut through the richness.

These are JUMBO, like the B85 ones. See Note 6 for party sausage rolls.

Course Snack

Cuisine Australian

Keyword beef sausage rolls, sausage rolls

Prep Time 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time 50 minutes minutes

Servings 4 jumbo sausage rolls or 16 party size (Note 6)

Calories 942cal

Author Nagi

Ingredients

• 1 small onion , peeled, whole
• 1/2 cup panko breadcrumbs (Note 1)
• 500g/1 lb beef mince (ground beef), fattier the better
• 1 egg
• 2 garlic cloves , minced with garlic press or finely grated
• 1 beef stock cube , crumbled (OXO is my favourite) or 1/2 tsp cooking salt / kosher salt
• 1/2 tsp cooking salt / kosher salt (halve for table salt, +25% for flakes)
• 1/4 tsp black pepper
• 1/3 cup pickled jalapeno , roughly chopped (~3mm) (Note 2)
• 1 1/2 cups (150g) cheddar , shredded, or other cheese of choice (Note 3), pre-shredded ok
• 1/2 cup (50g) parmesan , shredded using box grater (pre-shredded ok)
• 2 sheets frozen puff pastry , butter is better (24cm / 9.5" squares) (Note 4)
• 1 egg , separated

Sprinkling:

• 1 tsp white sesame seeds
• 1/2 tsp black sesame seeds (or more white)

Serving:

• Aussie tomato sauce or ketchup

Cups – Metric

Instructions

Abbreviated recipe:

• Toss grated onion and panko, then mix everything else except cheeses. Then mix in cheese. Divide in 2, wrap in pastry, seal with egg white. 3 slits, brush with yolk, sprinkle with sesame. 35 minutes at 200°C/425°F (180C fan) then 15 minutes on a rack.

Full recipe:

• Preheat oven 200°C/425°F (180C fan-forced).
• Onion soak – Grate the onion in a bowl using a box grater, reserving all the onion juices. Add panko breadcrumbs and toss to wet.
• Everything else but cheese – Then add beef, egg, garlic, stock cube, salt, pepper and jalapeño. Mix well with hands to combine.
• "Crumble" in cheese – Add cheeses, then use fingers to firstly “crumble” the cheese through the beef before mixing well with hands (this method prevents cheese from clumping together).
• Roll – Barely thaw puff pastry (stiffer = easier to handle). Divide meat into 2 equal logs. Roll up in the puff pastry, then overlap the base with double layer, sealing with egg white. Finish with the seam side down and trim off surplus puff pastry (about 2 cm/0.8").
• Finish sausage rolls – Cut each log in half. Cut 3 diagonal slashes on the top of each sausage roll. Brush with egg yolk, sprinkle with sesame seeds.
• Bake – Place the sausage rolls on a paper lined tray. Bake for 35 minutes, then transfer onto rack (to elevate out of fat, Note 5). Bake a further 15 minutes until pastry is deep golden and underside is crispy.
• Cool on rack 5 minutes before attacking! Serve with Aussie tomato sauce or ketchup.

Notes

1. Panko breadcrumbs – Japanese breadcrumb makes the filling softer because the crumbs are larger. Staple at supermarkets in Australia these days, usually the Asian section (cheaper at Asian stores). Regular breadcrumbs work too but the filling will not be as soft.

2. Pickled jalapeno – Find them in the pickle section, they are relatively good value ($3 for a decent size jar). Use leftovers to make your tacos more interesting, use in sandwiches!

3. Cheese options – Anything shreddable that melts will be great here, except mozzarella (too mild, not salty enough) or hard cheeses like parmesan/pecorino (too salty). Cheddar is used at the bakery.

4. Puff pastry – Butter puff pastry is better (tastier, puffs better) than non-butter puff (ie puff made from oil)

5. Rack elevating – The juicy filling releases a lot of liquid, making the base soggy. The best fix I found is to elevate the rolls on a rack towards the end of baking. Note: The base will never be shatteringly crispy because the filling is so juicy, but it won’t be soggy.

6. Regular and party size sausage rolls – Make 4 logs by cutting 2 sheets of puff pastry in half. Cut each into 4 (party sausage rolls) or 2 (regular size), place on 2 trays. Bake 30 minutes on the tray then 10 minutes on a rack (same oven temp).

Leftovers will keep in the fridge for up to 4 days though the pastry will lose crispiness. Best way to reheat is in the oven at 180C/350F (160C fan) for around 12 – 15 minutes.

Freezing – Once wrapped in pastry they can be frozen. Thaw then bake per recipe. Best not to brush with yolk until just before cooking (it gets sweaty when it thaws).

Nutrition – I never said these sausage rolls are diet food! But the calories shown below are higher than reality because it doesn’t factor the meat fat and juices that comes out while baking.

Nutrition

Calories: 942cal | Carbohydrates: 53g | Protein: 50g | Fat: 68g | Saturated Fat: 25g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 6g | Monounsaturated Fat: 30g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 216mg | Sodium: 1610mg | Potassium: 634mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 847IU | Vitamin C: 4mg | Calcium: 480mg | Iron: 6mg

Life of Dozer

The Australian Book Industry Awards took place the night before last. Because it was in Melbourne, Dozer wasn’t able to attend so he sent me to accept the award on his behalf. Cookbook of the year!

Of course I wanted to show you a sweet photo of me showing the trophy to Mr D. But truthfully, all he cared about was the cabanossi hiding in my hand. 😂

The post B85 Beef Sausage Rolls appeared first on RecipeTin Eats.

This incredible Beef in Black Bean Sauce recipe is from Hannah, a chef at RecipeTin Meals, and it’s the best I’ve ever had! Born and raised in China, Hannah comes from a multigenerational family of chefs. So unsurprisingly, she has extremely high standards when it comes to Chinese food!!

Beef in black bean sauce is finally here!

Beef in black bean sauce has been one of the most requested reader recipes for years, but I haven’t been brave enough to share it because I never felt my sauce was quite right. This is a beloved Chinese restaurant classic that needs to be done properly!

As it turns out though, we have a brilliant Chinese chef at our food bank – Chef Hannah – and we’ve been using her Beef in black bean sauce recipe at RecipeTin Meals for almost a year, making meals for the vulnerable. Her recipe is a dead ringer for gold standard Chinese restaurants – but better, because you can taste the ingredients more.

This is Chef Hannah, making the Beef in Black Bean at RTM. Just 600 servings!

70% cheaper – and counting

The other big thing this homemade version has going for it is that you’ll also save a bomb – almost 70% of the cost. Higher end Chinese restaurants charge over $30 for a serving about one-third of the size of what this recipe makes. The ingredients to make this at home will cost you less than $25. Closer to $15 if you use the economical beef option which, hand on heart, is 95% as good. I was blown away by how good it was! More on this in the ingredients section below.

Ingredients in beef in black bean sauce

We are making the black bean sauce from scratch today because it tastes way better than the jarred stuff which, to be honest, barely resembles the real deal. So the key ingredient in today’s recipe is the black beans, and yes you will need to go to an Asian store. But they’re cheap ($2.50 for small packs), common and will last *forever* (though I’ll wager you use them all up making this recipe over and over – try it with chicken next!).

Once you get the black beans though, you’ll be happy to know that all the other ingredients are basic Asian sauce essentials. 🙂

1. PRESERVED black beans for Chinese black beans sauce

This is what preserved black beans looks like – shrivelled up raisins:

What Chinese salted black beans are – black soy beans that have been fermented in salt which add savouriness and salt into the dish. They are a little squishy – like extra firm raisins.

Other names – Preserved black beans are also called:

• Salted or fermented black beans

• Any combination of the above: eg salted preserved black beans

• Black beans (in an Asian grocer, not a Western grocer – see note above!)

• Douchi (dòu chǐ in Mandarin or dau6si6 in Cantonese, 豆豉 – thank you for the language lesson Woks of Life!)

Find them at Asian grocery stores alongside pickled and vac packed vegetables. They cost around $2.70 for the smallest packs.

No suitable substitute that I can think of.

Not to be confused with Western dried black beans which are rock hard. Canned black beans (ie regular Western ones) cannot be used, they are not the same thing (see above – salted black beans are actually soy beans!).

2. BEEF AND MARINADE

Here’s what you need for the beef and marinade.

• Beef (rump steak) – The base recipe calls for rump steak (US: top sirloin) – for flavour, value and texture. Scotch/rib eye and porterhouse/sirloin (strip) are also great but more expensive.

  Economical cuts (65% cheaper) – blade roast (brilliant!) and chuck work extremely well, however, the recipe needs to be alternated for a longer marinade time (24 hours instead of 1 hour). See expandable accordion below for more information.

Marinade

• Baking soda (bicarbonate) – A small amount (just 1/4 teaspoons) mixed into the marinade tenderises the beef beautifully so it stays soft. Without, the beef will overcook and become tough. I tried and proven tenderising method used liberally in my Asian recipes!

• Light soy sauce – You can substitute with an all purpose soy sauce. But not dark soy sauce – flavour is too strong and the colour is too intense! More on which soy sauce to use when here.

• Dark soy sauce – Stains the beef and adds more intense soy flavour than light soy. You can substitute with more light soy sauce but the beef colour will not be the same and the flavour will be a little lighter.

• Oyster sauce – A staple Asian sauce that adds complexity, flavour and umami all at once. Made from oyster extract that is sweet, salty, thick and pungent, but doesn’t taste oyster-y or fishy at all once cooked. Can be substituted with shellfish free alternative – vegetarian “oyster” sauce, even found at regular grocery stores these days.

• Cornflour / cornstarch – This makes the beef cook so it has a thin film-like coating on it which makes it sort of slippery, just like you get at Chinese restaurants.

3. THE STIR FRY AND SAUCE

Here’s what you need for the sauce and the vegetables in the stir fry. The sauce is very simple and only uses 1 tablespoon of soy sauce because this dish gets most of its flavour from the black beans.

• Chinese cooking wine (“Shaoxing wine”)- essential ingredient for making truly “restaurant standard” Chinese dishes. Substitute with cooking sake or dry sherry. Non alcoholic substitute – substitute half the water with low sodium chicken stock/broth.

• Light soy – see notes in the above section. Don’t use dark soy sauce, it’s too intense!

• Cornflour / cornstarch – thickens the sauce and makes it shiny.

• Sugar – to get the right sweetness in the sauce

• Water – quite a lot, a whole cup! There’s a lot of stir fry. We need plenty of sauce!

• Green capsicum / bell pepper – the traditional colour for beef in black bean here in Australia. Feel free to go wild and use red or yellow if you want. 😳 (I’m not rebellious enough).

• Onion and garlic – Try to find a stir fry recipe on my website that doesn’t have these. (You won’t!). The onion is cut into squares which is the traditional shape used for this dish in Chinese restaurants.

• Oil – for cooking. Peanut oil, canola, vegetable oil – anything with a neutral flavour.

How to make Beef in black bean sauce

The beef needs 1 hour to marinade to infuse with flavour and tenderise. Use this time to soak the black beans and prepare the other ingredients. The cooking part itself takes barely 10 minutes!

1. Marinade

1. Slice – Finely slice the beef into 3mm / 0.1″ thick pieces.

   Pro tip (optional): If you just slice steak, the beef pieces are quite skinny. For nice large pieces aka restaurant style, cut 2.5 x 4cm pieces (1 x 1.5″) pieces out of the steak, stand on its side then slice finely so you get larger 2.5 x 4cm pieces (1 x 1.5″) slices.

2. Marinade – Mix all the marinade ingredients except the sesame oil. Then toss to coat the beef, then add the sesame oil and toss. Adding the sesame oil later helps to “seal” the marinade ingredients into the beef.

   Marinade for 1 hour in the fridge. (Remember: if using economical beef, marinade 24 hours).

2. SOAKING the preserved black BEANS

1. Soak black beans in water for 30 minutes to 1 hour. They will plump up and soften so they’re pleasant to bite into and release more flavour into the sauce.

2. Drain – Then drain in a colander and just put it aside until ready to cook.

3. HOW TO COOK BEEF IN BLACK BEAN SAUCE

For real restaurant style, the beef needs to be shallow fried which makes the surface of the beef slippery and softer than sautéing. However, I promise you are still going to love this if you opt to just sauté in a little oil instead!

1. Shallow fry beef – Heat the oil over high heat in a wok then cook the beef for 1 minute until it changes from red to brown. If opting for the less oil option, just heat 2 tablespoons of oil then stir the beef for 45 seconds like you’re making a regular beef stir fry, until the surface of all the beef is cooked.

   Cooking vessel – Wok works best because you get more oil depth though it works well in a pan too. Use a large deep one as this recipe makes a fairly generous amount!

2. Remove the beef using a slotted spoon onto a plate.

3. Discard most of the oil but keep 3 tablespoons for cooking.

4. Aromatics first – Cook the black beans first for 20 seconds, then add the garlic and stir for 10 seconds. Add the onions and capsicum first and stir for 1 minute until the edges of the onion starts to soften.

5. Beef and Chinese cooking wine – Add the beef and toss for 30 seconds. Then pour the Chinese cooking wine around the rim of the wok so it runs down the side into the beef. This is a classic Chinese cooking technique that “cooks” the wine before mixing with everything else. (It’s not a big deal if you miss though and the wine goes straight into the beef!).

6. Add the sauce and cook for another minute or until the sauce thickens, becomes shiny and thick enough to coat the beef.

   Pour it all into a serving bowl and serve with rice!

Look at this saucy perfection with those little pops of black beans and that beef, that unbelievably tender beef!!

And a nice close up rice soakage shot for you:

Wow. Just wow.

Thank you Chef Hannah, for this incredible recipe. While we’ve been using this at RTM for a while, the recipe is slightly different because we cook at scale there (600x), we use commercial equipment and the food is designed to be reheated.

So Hannah altered the recipe to make it suitable for home kitchens, and tweaked it to aim for gold-standard Chinese restaurant quality.

She absolutely nailed it. I really hope you give this a go! Hand on heart, I’ve never had better. – Nagi x

Watch how to make it

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Beef in black bean sauce

Recipe video above. This incredible Beef in Black Bean Sauce recipe is from Hannah, a chef at our food bank RecipeTin Meals who was born and raised in China, and comes from a long line of chefs. I'll wager this recipe beats any Chinese restaurant you’ve tried – even “fancy” city ones – and it is far, far cheaper. Made from scratch, it leaves jarred sauces in the dust. Shockingly easy!

Course Mains

Cuisine Chinese

Keyword beef in black bean sauce

Prep Time 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time 10 minutes minutes

Marinating 1 hour hour

Total Time 1 hour hour 30 minutes minutes

Servings 4 – 5 people

Calories 421cal

Author Nagi

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup (75g) preserved black beans (salted black beans, fermented black beans, Note 1)
• 400g/14 oz beef rump steak (US: top sirloin) , thinly sliced 3mm / 0.1" (Note 2)
• 1 brown onion , medium size, cut into 2.5cm/1" squares
• 1 green capsicum (bell pepper), medium size, cut into 2.5cm/1" squares
• 1 tbsp garlic , finely minced with a knife ~ 4 cloves (Note 3)
• 1/2 cup peanut oil (or vegetable, canola) (Note 4)
• 1 tbsp Chinese cooking wine (shaoxing wine) (Note 5)

Tenderising beef marinade:

• 1 tbsp light soy sauce (Note 6)
• 1 tsp dark soy sauce (Note 6)
• 1 tbsp oyster sauce
• 2 tsp cornflour / cornstarch
• 1/4 tsp baking soda (bi-carbonate) (Note 7)
• 1 tbsp sesame oil (toasted ie brown, not untoasted which is yellow)

Sauce:

• 1 tbsp light soy sauce (Note 6)
• 2 tsp white sugar
• 2 tbsp cornflour/cornstarch (20g)
• 1 cup water

Serving:

• White rice

Cups – Metric

Instructions

Abbreviated recipe:

• Marinade beef 1 hour, soak beans, mix sauce. Shallow fry beef 30 seconds, remove. Discard all but 3 tbsp oil. Add and cook in this order: black beans 20 seconds, garlic 10 seconds, onion + capsicum 1 minute, beef 1 minute, cooking wine 30 seconds, sauce 1 minute or until thickened. Serve!

Marinade beef:

• Mix the marinade ingredients EXCEPT sesame oil in a bowl. Add beef, mix to coat. Add sesame oil, mix again.
• Marinade – Refrigerate to marinade for 1 hour.

Preparation:

• Soak beans – Put the salted black beans in a medium bowl and cover with water. Set aside for 30 minutes to 1 hour to soak, then drain.
• Mix sauce – Put the cornflour, soy sauce and sugar in a jug or small bowl. Mix until lump free then mix in the water. Set aside.

Cooking:

• Cook beef – Heat the oil in a wok (or non stick pan) over high heat. Add the beef and cook, tossing, for 30 seconds until it changes from red to brown. Remove with a slotted spoon onto a plate.
• Discard most of the oil in the wok, keep just 3 tablespoons.
• Aromatics – Return the wok to high heat. Add the black beans and stir for 20 seconds, then add the garlic and stir for 10 seconds. Add the capsicum and onion, cook for 1 minute.
• Beef – Add beef and any juices pooled on the plate, toss for 1 minute. Pour the Chinese cooking wine around the sides of the wok so it runs down into the beef then toss for 30 seconds (Note 8)
• Sauce – Pour the sauce in, then stir and let it bubble for 1 minute or until the sauce thickens, is shiny and coats the beef beautifully.
• Serve – Pour into a serving bowl and serve with rice!

Notes

1. Preserved black beans – Also called salted or fermented black beans, find it in Asian stores in the pickled/vac packed vegetable aisle, $2.70 a pack (long shelf life, or freeze). Wrinkled and a little squishy, not rock hard. Adds savouriness and salt, the key flavour in this dish. No substitute, sorry! 

Note: don’t confuse with regular Western dried back beans which are rock hard. Regular canned black beans cannot be used either.

2. Beef – Scotch fillet (boneless rib eye) or porterhouse/sirloin (US: New York strip) can also be used.

Best budget option: Blade roast (bolar or chuck blade) – ~65% cheaper, great results! Tenderise using one of these methods:

a) Marinate 24 hrs (instead of 1 hr), or
b) Toss beef with 1¼ tsp baking soda, refrigerate 40 min, rinse well. Then marinate 30 min (without baking soda) and proceed with recipe.

Chuck also works, but blade is easier to slice. Other options: brisket, gravy beef, topside/round. Use either a) or b) tenderising methods for these too. More info in Ingredients section.

3. Garlic – Knife best. If using a garlic crusher, add the garlic towards end of onion cooking time (else it will burn).

4. Oil quantity – To truly replicate restaurant silky soft beef, it needs to be shallow fried rather than sautéed. To reduce, use 3 tbsp and sauté the beef instead.

5. Chinese cooking wine (“Shaoxing wine”)– essential ingredient for making truly “restaurant standard” Chinese dishes. Substitute with cooking sake or dry sherry. Non alcoholic sub – substitute half the water with low sodium chicken stock/broth.

6. Soy sauces – Light soy sauce: you can use any all purpose soy sauce but do not use dark soy or sweet soy. Dark soy: can substitute with light or all purpose soy but will lose colour and a bit of soy flavour. More information on soy sauces here.

7. Baking soda is a magic meat tenderiser! More in post or here.

8. Pouring Shaoxing wine around the side of the wok – traditional Chinese cooking technique so it “cooks” the wine before it reaches the ingredients.

Leftovers will keep for 3 days in the fridge, keeps very well. Not suitable for freezing (sauce thins).

Nutrition per serving, assuming 5 servings, excluding rice. I feel like the sodium is higher than it actually is because salt gets extracted during the soaking step.

Nutrition

Calories: 421cal | Carbohydrates: 16g | Protein: 24g | Fat: 22g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 6g | Monounsaturated Fat: 10g | Cholesterol: 61mg | Sodium: 1740mg | Potassium: 476mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 111IU | Vitamin C: 27mg | Calcium: 47mg | Iron: 2mg

Life of Dozer

He genuinely thinks that’s his food bowl:

The post Beef in black bean sauce appeared first on RecipeTin Eats.

This quick dinner using beef mince channels Thai chilli basil stir fry vibes (except, no basil!) with poke bowl versatility (except, no pricey raw fish!). The sweet chilli drizzle sauce ties it all together, and gives you the flex to use any raw or cooked veg side. Jumble it all up and dig in!

About these Thai Sweet Chilli Beef Bowls

I wish I could tell you today’s recipe is an authentic Thai homecooked meal, lovingly prepared every day by thousands of families across Thailand…..

But it’s not (at least, not to my knowledge). It’s just something I made up, quick to make, versatile and a great all-rounder that will please picky young eaters as well as those who consider themselves connoisseurs of South East Asian food. Because although it is not authentic, it’s made with staple Thai stir fry ingredients (oyster sauce, fish sauce, garlic, sugar) so the flavour is pretty* legit.

It’s really tasty. I hope you love it!

* I say “pretty” legit because I’ve dialled up the speed factor by using sweet chilli sauce instead of fresh chilli + garlic + sugar + thickener. It totally works!

Ingredients

Here’s what you need to make this. NOTE: There’s a fair few repeat ingredients!

The sauces

We’re making two sauces today – one for cooking and one for drizzling. Common ingredients, but they taste different because cooking the sauce changes the flavour – it intensifies and caramelises. On the other hand, the drizzle sauce is fresher.

• Sweet chilli sauce – Just your regular everyday sweet chilli sauce from regular grocery stores. I use Trident which is a common brand here in Australia. There is no need to hunt down a legit Asian brand (unless you want to!). Despite the word “chilli” in the name, it’s not spicy, it’s just sweet, though there is subtle chilli flavour in it.

• Fish sauce – Stinky in the bottle but wonderful when cooked, can’t taste fishiness at all! You just end up with tasty savoury saltiness – more interesting than salt, soy etc. We also use it in the drizzle sauce but not very much. If raw fish sauce scares you, a) I assume you don’t like Vietnamese food (because it’s abundantly used in raw form in Vietnamese sauces!) b) just use soy instead.

• Dark soy sauce – This stains the beef a lovely rich colour and adds tasty soy flavour in a way you don’t get with regular or light soy sauce. But, if you don’t have dark soy sauce, you can use either of these (though the beef won’t be as dark). There will be a touch less flavour too but don’t be concerned, the drizzle sauce will make up for it.

• Rice vinegar – To balance out the sweet and savoury in the stir fry sauce. Substitute with cider vinegar.

• Lime juice – I chose to use this for the drizzle sauce rather than vinegar because it’s fresher. But if you don’t have lime or it’s extortionate (which it can be at times here in Australia) and you want to save it for your G&T (I get it), substitute with rice vinegar. It’s not a big deal, I promise. 🙂

• Garlic – For the drizzle sauce. (We sauté garlic for the beef).

PS With a fair few common ingredients, I thought I could make one double-duty sauce. I did try, and it was ok, but it was better making two separate ones with different ratios of each ingredient. So sorry, you need two separate bowls!

For the beef stir fry

All you need for the stir fry part is beef, garlic and onion. The cashews and coriander/cilantro are for sprinkling – and there’s plenty of alternatives.

• Beef mince – Use any fat % you want. The fattier it is, the stronger the beef flavour and the juicier the stir fry.

  Other proteins – I haven’t tried but I’m confident this would be very tasty with chicken, turkey and pork. Not convinced lamb works – but I could easily be swayed.

• Garlic and onion – I challenge you to find a stir fry on my website that doesn’t include these!

• Cashews – A good sprinkle of chopped toasted cashews is such a tasty finishing touch! Elevates this from “yum” to “I need seconds!”. Peanuts would work as well, or almonds. For a no nut option, I’d probably opt for crispy fried shallots (buy them).

• Coriander/cilantro – Lovely fresh touch. I use a fair amount because I love the flavour of coriander, it is a Thai food essential! Substitute with green onion.

Rice and vegetable/salad sides

There’s no raw fish in sight, but aside from this it’s a similar concept to a poke bowl. It’s served over rice, it’s got a sauce, and it works with raw or cooked vegetables. The sweet chilli drizzle sauce essentially acts as a salad dressing which means you can literally use any vegetable you want.

It’s pictured throughout this post with cucumbers and red onion tossed with coriander (keeping with the Thai vibes!), but think – blanched broccoli florets, shredded carrot or cabbage, sliced radish, blanched asparagus, finely sliced kale, cherry tomatoes, edamame or peas.

As for the rice – I’ve used jasmine (on-theme for the Thai flavours) though any plain rice or noodles will work. Faux rice, likecauliflower rice, quinoa (cook directions here) or those new fangled low-cal-faux rice options sold at grocery stores these days, can also be used.

How to make it

Don’t skip toasting the cashews. It really goes a long way to enhance the nut flavour!

1. Drizzle sauce – Mix the ingredients in a small bowl.

2. Stir fry sauce – And mix these ingredients in a separate bowl.

3. Toast cashews – Toss the cashews in a dry pan for a few minutes until you can smell them and there’s little golden spots on the cashews.

4. Chop – Let them cool then roughly chop them so you have some larger pieces and some “dust”.

5. Sauté the onion and garlic for a minute until the onion is almost translucent. (We’re on high heat now, speed is our friend). The onion will cook through more with the beef.

6. Beef – Add the beef and cook it, breaking it up as you go, until you can no longer see red. Then add the sauce and keep cooking until the sauce mostly reduces, the beef is sizzling and it gets nice colour on it. Don’t skimp on this step as the caramelisation of the sauce on the beef is where the flavour is! It will take about 2 – 3 minutes on a strong stove, or 3 – 4 minutes on a weaker stove.

7. Juicy and tasty! Here’s what it looks like. The beef is a lovely rich brown colour but it’s still “juicy” thanks to the sweet chilli sauce.

8. Assemble bowls – Spoon the beef over steaming rice. Pile vegetables of choice on the side (raw or cooked, more on this above), douse with the Drizzle sauce, sprinkle with coriander and cashews. Then it’s dinner time!

Eating etiquette

And finally, a very important matter – the eating etiquette. When it’s first placed in front of you, take a moment to admire it. So pretty and colourful!

Then dive in and mix it all up. Mix with vigour! If you are not flicking cashew bits and rice on the table, are you really living? Embrace the chaos, because the better it’s jumbled, the more enjoyable every single bite will be.

Bring on the delicious mess!! – Nagi x

Watch how to make it

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Thai Sweet Chilli Beef Bowls

Recipe video above. This quick dinner using beef mince channels Thai Chilli Basil stir fry vibes (but, no basil and not spicy) with poke bowl versatility (but, no pricey raw fish!).

I use bottled sweet chilli sauce for simplicity instead of fresh chilli, garlic, sugar and thickener, and it works a treat. Plus, it's more kid friendly because you can barely taste the spice.

The key is the Sweet Chilli Drizzle Sauce! It adds flavor to the beef, rice, and veggies (raw or cooked). Jumble it all up and dig in!

Course Main

Cuisine Western

Keyword beef bowl, beef mince recipe, Ground beef recipe, quick stir fry, thai beef recipe

Prep Time 13 minutes minutes

Cook Time 7 minutes minutes

Total Time 20 minutes minutes

Servings 4

Calories 585cal

Author Nagi

Ingredients

• 1/3 cup roasted cashews , unsalted (or peanuts, Note 1)
• 1 tbsp canola oil , or other plain cooking oil
• 500 g / 1 lb beef mince (ground beef)
• 1 small onion , finely chopped
• 2 garlic cloves , finely minced
• 3 tbsp roughly chopped coriander/cilantro leaves (sub green onion)

Sweet chilli stir fry sauce:

• 2 tbsp sweet chilli sauce (I use Trident)
• 2 tbsp fish sauce (Note 2)
• 2 tbsp rice vinegar (sub cider vinegar)
• 1 tbsp oyster sauce (Note 3)
• 1 tbsp dark soy sauce (Note 3)

Sweet chilli drizzle sauce:

• 1 garlic clove , minced using garlic crusher
• 3 tbsp sweet chilli sauce
• 2 tbsp lime juice (sub rice vinegar when limes are crazy expensive)
• 2 tsp fish sauce (Note 2)

Serving:

• 2 batches jasmine rice or other plain rice of choice
• Steamed or fresh veg (Note 5) (pictured: chopped cucumber, coriander/cilantro, red onion finely sliced)

Instructions

Abbreviated recipe

• Mix each sauce. Toast cashews, sauté onion + garlic 1 min, then cook beef. Add sauce, cook until reduced/caramelised, serve over rice with veg on side. Spoon over drizzle sauce, top with cashews and coriander.

Full recipe:

• Drizzle sauce – Mix the ingredients in a bowl, set aside.
• Stir fry sauce – Mix the ingredients in a separate bowl, set aside.
• Toast cashews – Heat a large non-stick pan over medium high heat. Add the cashews and toast for 2 minutes. Transfer to a cutting board then roughly chop once cool.
• Cook beef – Heat the oil in the same pan over high heat. Add the garlic and onion, cook for 1 minute. Add the beef and cook, breaking it up as you go, until you no longer see raw meat.
• Sauce it! Add the cooking sauce and cook well, stirring, until it mostly reduces down so the sauce caramelises on the beef, about 3 – 4 minutes. (Don't shortcut this step, it's where the flavour is!)
• Serve the beef over rice with a side of veg. Douse everything with the sauce, top with cashews and coriander (fresh chilli wouldn't go astray either). To eat, jumble everything up then dig in!

Notes

1. Cashews – Toasting brings out the flavour, promise it’s worth it. Raw nuts – just toast for a little longer so they are cooked through. Peanuts and almonds would also be tasty, else a generous pinch of sesame seeds. Salted nuts – that’s fine, but maybe cut down the fish sauce (in stir fry sauce) by about 1/2 tbsp.

2. Fish sauce – It’s stinky in the bottle, but it cooks out so don’t be scared! It’s the secret ingredient that adds more flavour than other salty things like salt, soy etc. If you really have to sub, use all-purpose soy or light soy (NOT dark soy, too intense).

3. Oyster sauce – Similarly stinky (but also sweet), but is a flavour shortcut. Don’t skip it. Sub vegetarian oyster sauce (yes, such a thing exists!).

4. Dark soy sauce gives the beef an enticing deep brown colour as well as adding tasty soy flavour. Substitute with all purpose or light soy sauce, though the beef won’t be as dark. While the flavour will also be a little less, it’s ok here because the drizzle sauce will save it!

5. Veg – The drizzle sauce will make any veg tasty, whether raw (like cucumber pictured, shredded cabbage, carrot, leafy greens, radish) or cooked (just plain steamed or blanched, like broccoli, cauliflower, asparagus, peas). Think: poke bowl situation!

6. Leftover beef will keep for 3 to 4 days in the fridge, 3 months in the freezer. Great meal prep if you use steamed veg because everything in the can be reheated (though I wouldn’t keep cooked rice longer than 3 days in fridge). Best to keep the drizzle sauce separate, if you can.

Nutrition per serving, assuming lean beef is used, 1 cup cooked rice, all the drizzle sauce and pictured cucumber side. 206 calories is from the rice, so switch it out with lower cal / lower carb alternatives if you want to reduce the calories (eg cauliflower rice).

Nutrition

Calories: 585cal | Carbohydrates: 62g | Protein: 33g | Fat: 22g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 11g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 81mg | Sodium: 1617mg | Potassium: 657mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 13g | Vitamin A: 24IU | Vitamin C: 6mg | Calcium: 58mg | Iron: 4mg

More Asian food made using beef mince

It doesn’t have to be Spag Bol every single night!

Asian Beef Bowls (Super Quick!)

Quick Asian Caramelised Beef Ramen Noodles

Beef fried rice

Spicy Firecracker Beef

Qeema – Easy Indian Curried Beef Mince

Beef chow mein – great mince/ground beef recipe!

Beef mince recipes - ground beef

Life of Dozer

I should retitle this section “greed of Dozer” because I had to take him into the emergency vet hospital last night after I caught him chowing down fertiliser (which can be toxic to dogs). 🙄 Thankfully, it wasn’t chemical fertiliser (which can be really toxic), “just” chicken poop.

As punishment for his greed, he is reverting to a bland boiled-veg-chicken diet for the next little while, as a precaution. And I’ve publicly shamed him in this home video:

And further shaming in the family WhatsApp thread:

Will report back in a few days but no alarming signs at this stage. Thank you again SASH (Dr Erin!), for treating him!

The post Thai Sweet Chilli Beef Bowls appeared first on RecipeTin Eats.