Everyday Epicurean

Sunday’s are Kara’s cooking nights, but since she’s only 11 and I’m not that confident in her producing a meal unassisted yet, I tend to help out. The original plan for tonight’s dinner was to be Mexican lasagna which then changed to Beef Stoganoff, but as I realised I had fresh basil and coriander in the fridge I changed the plan to a tasty Thai style stir fry.

h1. Basil and Coriander Beef Stir Fry

!/recipes/images/Basil_and_Coriander_StirFry.jpg (Basil and Coriander Beef Stir Fry)!

h2. Ingredients.

* 600g of rump steak
* juice of 1 lime
* juice of 1 lemon
* zest of 1/4 lemon (chopped very fine, or grated)
* 2 carrots
* 2 stalks of celery
* 1 dessert spoon of tamarind paste
* 1 onion
* half a bunch of basil
* 1 bunch of coriander
* some tempari to taste (a brewed wheat-free soy sauce)
* salt and cracked pepper to taste
* half a teaspoon of dried hot chilli flakes (or two fresh red chilies)
* a little peanut oil

h2. Method.

Wash and pluck the leaves from the coriander and basil, place in a bowl for later.
Peel the carrots. Cut into thirds, and then cut into sticks.
Slice the celery at an angle thinly (not too thin).
Cut the onion in half (top to bottom), then slice thinly (also top to bottom, so you get strips rather than half rings).
Slice the beef very thinly, across the grain and on an angle such that you get wide, thin sheets of beef.

In a wok over medium flame, place the oil, carrots, tamarind paste and celery. Stir fry until the carrot is slightly tender.
Add the onions, and beef and increase the heat to full flame. Stir frequently. Once the beef has browned, add the juices, salt, pepper, chilli and tamari. Reduce the sauce by half, taste. If too tart, splash a little more tamari in.
Throw in the basil and coriander and lemon zest. Stir fry until the leaves are wilted. Remove from the heat and serve on coconut rice.

h1. Coconut Rice

h2. Ingredients.

* 1.5 cups of rice (jasmine preferred, but long grain will do)
* 2.5 cups of water
* 1 teaspoon of salt
* 0.25 cup of shredded coconut

h2. Method.

Put all the ingredients in a large microwave save casserole dish.
Stir, and microwave on high for 14 minutes.

Alternatively, prepare in a rice cooker as you usually would.
If you’re a purest, or lacking a microwave or rice cooker, you can prepare it on the stove like so:

Bring the water and salt to the boil.
Add the rice and coconut and reduce heat to a simmer. Cover and cook until all the water is absorbed (about 20 minutes).

Regardless of how you prepare it, fluff the rice with a fork before serving.

h2. Notes

We found that a Glaetzner “Bush Vine” Semillon Ratafia (1997 vintage), chilled, went very well with this meal. Since many of you will not be able to source this wine (from the Barossa Valley in South Australia) any other sweet dessert wine, Late Harvest Riesling or Frontagnac would do. The sweetness of the wine counterpoints the tart spiciness of the stir fry.

We followed up with Tarte Tatin made from the recipe in “The Silver Spoon” on page 1066 of the English edition. I misread the recipe and cut the apple too thin, but it was still very very tasty.

!/recipes/images/Tarte_Tatin.jpg (Tarte Tatin)!