Free Chinese Recipes

Ingredients

• 10 ml (2 teaspoons) salted black beans
• 550 g (1 1/4 lb) fillet of beef or rump steak
• 10 ml (2 teaspoons) salt
• 1 egg
• 22 ml (1 1/2 tablespoons) corn flour
• 5 ml (1 teaspoon) peppercorns
• 4 stalks young leeks
• 3 slices root ginger
• 4 stalks asparagus tips
• 3 cloves garlic
• 2 dried chili peppers
• 22 ml (1 1/2 tablespoons) lard (use oil if not available)
• 125 ml (1/2 pint) stock
• 22 ml (1 1/2 tablespoons) soy sauce
• 30 ml (2 tablespoons) dry sherry
• 30 ml (2 tablespoons) sesame oil

Serve 6

** Free Chinese Recipes **

Method:

1. Soak the black beans for 30 minutes and then drain them. Cut the beef into very thin medium-sized slices. Rub these with the salt, and coat them with batter made from the beaten egg and corn flour.

2. Lightly crush the peppercorns. Cut the leeks slantwise into 2.5 cm (1 in) sections. Shred the ginger. Cut each asparagus tip into halves. Crush the garlic, and shred the chili pepper (discarding the pips).

3. Heat the lard in a large frying pan over a high heat. Add the black beans, peppercorns and ginger and stir in the ‘lard for 30 seconds. Add the stock, asparagus, soy sauce, sherry and leeks. Bring the contents to a vigorous boil for 1 1/2 minutes. Push the solid contents to the sides of the pan.

4. Spread the slices of beef in batter in the centre of the pan. Stir these with the boiling stock for Ii minutes, when they should be cooked. Remove the beef with a perforated spoon and place it in the centre of a deep-sided serving dish.

5. Return the leeks and asparagus to the centre of the pan. Continue to stir over a high heat until the liquid in the pan has been reduced to less than half. Ladle out the leeks and asparagus, arrange them around the beef in the serving dish, and pour the gravy in the pan over them.

6. Place the heated sesame oil in a small frying pan and add the shredded dried chili pepper. Stir in the hot oil over a medium beat for 1 minute. Add the garlic and stir again for 30 seconds. Pour the mixture over the beef, and serve.