The Gourmand

What’s beef?

Beef is when you need two gats to go to sleep

Beef is when your moms ain’t safe up in the streets

Beef is when I see you

Guaranteed to be an ICU (I see you) one more time

What’s beef?

THAT’S the American rap legend B.I.G for you there!

Listening to music while cooking always makes the culinary arts more enjoyable.

From the slow-paced to the high-tempo genres, it’s all suitable for the kitchen.

That’s how to a certain extent I got hooked to hip-hop: jamming hit after hit while busy chopping celery and onion and preparing marinades, you name it.

The song What’s Beef? by the late Biggie Smalls inspired me to present this week something on arguably the most popular meat in our country and elsewhere around the world: beef!

Of course, in hip-hop or street lingo, when rappers aren’t good enough lyricists to have fans or just want some publicity, they will copy Tupac and Biggie and set up a “beef” with another rapper.

Grudge or fight, if you like!

But in our kitchens we don’t “beef” with anyone.

Our business is to make you, our families and friends happy.

Beef is the culinary name for meat from bovines, especially domestic cattle – be they cows, bulls, heifers or steers.

Most cuisines around the globe include beef as the main meat.

Beef meat can be cut into steak, roasts or short ribs, while some cuts are processed to make corned beef and wors.

Other cow parts that we enjoy include the oxtail, tongue, tripe, intestines, heart, brain, liver and kidneys.

There are thousands of beef recipes from every corner of the world.

Among my favourites, of course, is the beef pot roast dish.

I will be enjoying that this week and you too can!

Pot roast is a braised beef dish.

Braised?

Oh, braising simply means to cook by browning in fat and then simmering in a small quantity of liquid in a covered container.

It is a form of moist-heat cooking in which the item to be cooked is partially covered with liquid and then simmered slowly at a low temperature.

Braising relies on heat, time and moisture to break down the tough connective tissue collagen in meat, making it an ideal way to cook tougher cuts.

The best equipment to use for braising would be a crock pot or a pressure cooker.

Tougher cuts such as chuck roast, top blade roast, seven bone roast, ribs, short ribs, brisket and shanks are popular cuts for this cooking technique.

When braising, the slow cooking tenderises while the liquid exchanges its flavour with that of the beef, resulting in tender, succulent meat.

Yummy!

It will take you 20 minutes to prepare and 10 hours to cook the following beef pot roast dish:

INGREDIENTS:

• 1kg boneless chuck roast
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 ½ canola oil
• 1 ½ cups beef broth
• ½ cup dry red wine
• ¼ cup all-purpose flour
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
• 4-5 medium potatoes
• 3 large carrots
• 2 celery ribs
• 1 medium sweet onion
• 2 cloves garlic
• 6 sprigs fresh thyme
• 1 bay leaf
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leaves

METHOD:

• Season beef with salt and black pepper.
• Heat canola oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add beef and cook until evenly browned, about 3-4 minutes per side.
• In a medium bowl, whisk together beef broth, wine, flour, tomato paste and Worcestershire; set aside.
• Place potatoes, carrots, celery, onion, garlic, thyme and bay leaf into a slow cooker. Stir in beef broth mixture; season with salt and pepper, to taste. Top with beef.
• Cover and cook on low heat for 7-8 hours, or until meat is fork-tender.
• Remove beef, potatoes, carrots, celery and onion from the slow cooker; shred beef, using two forks. Cover with aluminum foil.
• Strain cooking juices through a fine-mesh sieve into a small saucepan over medium heat; discard solids. Skim any remaining fat from surface and discard. Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer, whisking constantly, until desired thickness, about 5-10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.
• Serve beef, potatoes, carrots, celery and onion with juices immediately, garnished with parsley, if desired.

THIS week we travel all the way to Japan for one of the world’s favourite oriental dishes.

We know sushi quickly springs to mind whenever we think of Japanese delicacies.

But so much more originates from the Land of the Rising Sun.

You will agree, we believe, after trying out teriyaki chicken.

Teriyaki is basically a cooking technique used in Japanese cuisine in which foods are broiled or grilled in a sweet soy sauce marinade.

The word teriyaki comes from the noun “teri” which refers to a shine or lustre given by the sugar content in the sweet soy sauce marinade, while “yaki” refers to the cooking method of grilling or broiling.

The meat is dipped in or brushed with sauce several times before and during cooking.

The marinade is traditionally made by mixing and heating soy sauce, sake or mirin and sugar or honey.

The sauce is boiled and reduced to the desired thickness, then used to marinate meat which is then grilled or broiled.

Sometimes ginger is added, and the final dish may be garnished with green onions.

With us here or in any other non-Japanese cultures, any dish made with a teriyaki-like sauce, or with added ingredients such as sesame or garlic, is described as teriyaki.

Uncanned pineapple juice is sometimes used as it not only provides sweetness but also bromelain enzymes that help tenderise the meat.

Grilling the meat first and pouring the sauce on afterward is another non-traditional method of cooking teriyaki.

You will realise mirin – the Japanese sweet rice wine used in teriyaki sauce – is essential in Japanese cuisine.

But do not worry if you can’t find it in our local shops.

When a recipe requires mirin and you can’t get it, you can substitute it with a combination of acidic and sweet flavours.

Simply add between one and two tablespoons of sugar to half-a-cup of white wine or dry sherry to replace half-a-cup of mirin.

But we can always enjoy other simpler teriyaki recipes by substituting most of the traditional Japanese ingredients.

Now, let’s get into our real business of the day: we have Brian Turner’s teriyaki chicken recipe from www.bbc.co.uk to try out:

Ingredients

• 2 tsp Tabasco sauce
• 4 tbsp clear honey
• 4 tbsp sesame oil
• 4 tbsp soy sauce
• 4 chicken thighs, bone removed, sliced
• 1 tbsp vegetable oil
• knob of butter

Method

• Place the Tabasco sauce, honey, sesame oil and soy sauce into a bowl and mix well. Place the chicken slices into the bowl, stir well to coat and leave to marinate for five minutes.
• Heat the vegetable oil in a frying pan. Remove the chicken slices from the marinade, reserving the marinade, and fry for three to four minutes on each side, or until completely cooked through. Remove the chicken from the pan and set aside to keep warm.
• Pour the marinade into the pan and boil rapidly for a few minutes until slightly reduced. Add the butter and whisk until the sauce becomes glossy.
• To serve, place the chicken slices onto a plate and pour over the sauce from the pan. Serve with rice.