May 2021
Mongolian Beef in Bourbon Sesame Glaze
Mongolian beef was introduced to the USA by Chinese American cooks and is a dish which is actually rooted in Taiwan and not Mongolia. In fact, you can never find this dish in the latter. However, there is that charm for exotic sounding dishes which eventually got stuck with the mainstream market, much like what happened with French fries.
Most food historians believe that the Mongolian Beef as we know it is actually 100% made in the USA; considering the one coming from Taiwan of the same name is prepared differently. This is because Amer-asian chefs have tweaked the original recipe a lot to suit the western palate. Think crab Rangoon, almond chicken, and fortune cookies -- just a few of the Chinese foods only found in America.
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Hence, I am ditching the standard Shaoxing for bourbon, as a tribute to this dish's American culinary evolution.
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Ingredients
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1& 1/2 Tbsp. Corn Starch
1& 1/2 Shot Bourbon (I used Benchmark)
2 Tbsp. Sesame Oil
4 Tbsp. Soy Sauce
2 Tbsp. Dark Brown Sugar
6 cloves Garlic -- Finely Minced
1 Tbsp. Ginger -- Finely Minced
1 lb. Beef Sirloin Tip (cut in strips against the grain)
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Garnish: Spring Onions, Toasted Sesame Seeds
To Taste: White Pepper, Soy Sauce
As Needed: Vegetable or Peanut Oil
Instructions
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1. Mix the first 7 ingredients in a bowl, make sure the corn starch is dissolved completely. If the mixture is too thick, thin with water. Stir & set this aside for about 15 minutes for the flavors marry.
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2. Add the beef in the mixture to marinate, making sure all the surface of the beef is coated. Cover and place in the refrigerator for 30 min. to an hour.
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3. In a pan, heat up the cooking oil on high and fry the strips, making sure they are spaced away so as not to stick with each other. The frying process shouldn't be long, but just enough to cook the coating -- leaving the beef underneath medium rare and juicy.
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4. Skim the cooked beef from the pan and finish with a dash of soy sauce and white pepper to taste. Drizzle thinly with dark sesame oil and sprinkle with spring onions & toasted sesame seeds. Best served as toppings for white steamed rice or stand alone as an appetizer.
Aperitif:
Henry McKenna 10 Yr. Single Barrel
50 ABV
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Working an appetite for a rice & beef toppings calls for something with a punch of intense flavors and a good shot or two of this is just perfect to do that job. The fine balance of its brown sugar notes with the rye spice provides a continuous palate trip to sweet and saltiness flavors of this dish.
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