I Fall in Love too Easily

Just recently I had 'Sesame Prawn skewers' at Tampopo in the Trafford Centre Manchester. There was this flavour that I could not recognize. Tangy, zingy, citrus, sour....it was exciting! Mixed with it was some ginger and toasted sesame seeds. I fell in love instantly!

A few weeks after, I decided to raid Chinatown in Manchester. It was high time. I wanted authenticity in my kitchen.

I started off with Ken Hom's recipes. I have about 5 of his most famous books. My first experiment was with beef. For a hardcore Pakistani like myself, stir-fried beef is tricky business. We despise the rubbery consistency of partially-cooked beef. For us it is undercooked and inedible. I had to think about adding a Pakistani twist to Ken Hom's creation so I got me thinking cap on!

FRAGRANT STIR-FRIED BEEF WITH PEPPERS

INGREDIENTS

• Beef steak (pasande)- 500 gm


• Fresh lemon grass- 2 stalks (cut into 2 inch pieces and crush)


• Red and green capsicum/ Bell pepper- 1/2 each


• Peanut/groundnut oli- 3 tbsp


• Finely chopped ginger- 1 tbsp


• Thinly sliced shallots- 100gm


• Thinly sliced garlic cloves- 3


• Light soy sauce- 1 tbsp


• Salt- to taste


• Freshly ground black pepper- 1/2 tsp


• Sugar- 1 tsp


• Sesame oil- 2 tsp

MARINADE

• Light soy sauce- 2tbsp


• Sesame oil- 2tsp


• Cornstarch/cornflour- 2 tsp


• Meat tenderizer- 1 tbsp

Cut the beef into thin strips about 2 inches long. Marinate in the above for 1 hour. Adding the tenderizer is the Pakistani twist to this recipe. It works!

Now heat the wok and add peanut oil. When smoking hot, add the beef without the marinade. Fry on high heat until it browns. I add an extra step at this stage. I turn down the flame and simmer the beef on

low heat for 15 minutes. This is how it gets really juicy and tender. Take the beef out.

Make sure to thinly slice the garlic, shallots and ginger. Lemon grass should be crushed to release the flavour.

Add the lemon grass, garlic, ginger and shallots to the wok. Stir-fry for a few seconds before adding the bell peppers.

Time to add some colour to the dish now. Add the peppers, soy sauce, salt, black pepper and sugar and continue to stir-fry.

Add the beef now, give it a quick mix and spoon in the sesame oil. Toss to coat evenly and then dish out. I served it with sticky rice. And then I tasted it and that tangy flavour was right there! Aah lemon grass! How did, how could I not know?!

Ignorance is no bliss.