Whenever Mr KHz decides to go for grocery shopping at Jaya Grocer in Jaya33, meat would definitely end up in our shopping trolley. This morning, he decided to purchase some beef steaks so I directly knew that I had to look for a recipe to cook the steaks to his liking. I’m used to cooking beef using traditional Malay cooking technique, which involves simmering the beef pieces in gravy over slow heat for a long time. I’m okay with cooking beef in soy sauce which basically means boiling the meat till tender and later submerge the pieces in soy gravy and cooked till the gravy thickens. This time, he wanted me to prepare his steaks medium rare. Yes, you might find Mr KHz’s meat obsession as silly but when it comes to meat, he is serious. Very, very serious. He claims that he can tolerate meat cooked medium well but he prefers it to be medium rare. meat cooked well done is never his forte. He stands firmly by Anthony Bourdain’s words which read, “Whoever asks steaks to be cooked well done from my restaurant, I would give them shoe leather. They’re practically similar.” Mr KHz quoted this from the chef’s book- Kitchen Confidential. If you were in my shoes, don’t you think that it is the time to panic because your other half’s food standard is based on Bourdain’s beliefs? Instantly I went looking for help from Mr Google.
Initially, based on the information gathered from watching countless cooking and food episodes on the Asian Food Channel, I wanted to use the ‘finger test’ to find out whether the steaks were cooked accordingly but Bourdain’s words reminded me to consult help from Mr Google instead. Besides, the two pieces of beef were very costly and of course, I did not want to ruin them. From my ‘googling’, this is what I found out. The guidelines are taken from http://www.timesonline.co.uk
Guide to Steak Cooking Times
The times given here are a guide only and refer to a steak that is approximately 2.5cm or 1″ thick. Thicker steaks may require a longer cooking time, and vice versa for thinner steaks.
Rare: 1-2 minutes per side – rest for 6-8 minutes
Medium rare: 2-2.5 minutes per side – rest for 5 minutes
Medium: 3 minutes per side – rest for 4 minutes
Well done: 4.5 minutes per side – rest for 1 minute
Using hanis@MyResipi.com’s recipe which I had amended to marinade the beef, I managed to prepare the steaks medium rare. I’ve included the photo for you to judge. Mr KHz completed his meal within 25 minutes and he reviewed the steaks as soft and juicy and melt in the mouth. Should I write a thank you letter to The Times? What do you think?
BLACK PEPPER STEAKS IN SWEET AND SOUR GRAVY
Ingredients :
- 2 pieces of beef steak (each weighing about 250g and 1 inch thick)
- 4 pips of garlic
- 1 teaspoonful of salt
- 1 tablespoonful of black peppercorns (freshly cracked)
Method :
- Pound the garlic and salt finely and mixed with freshly cracked black peppercorns. Coat your steaks evenly with this mixture and marinate for at least 30 minutes. I left mine for 2 hours in the fridge.
- To cook the steaks, I take them out 15 minutes prior to cooking. Then, take some cooking oil and rub it all over your steaks. This is to stop your pan from creating that unbearable smoke.
- Using a non-stick pan ( an iron gridle would be a better option), fry tour steak over medium heat. Since mine has to be medium rare, I fried each side for 2.5 minutes. To tell you the truth, I had used my kitchen timer.
- Once cooked, let your steaks rest for 5 minutes before serving. Pour the sauce over your steaks and serve with steamed vegetables of your choice. I used broccoli, sugar snaps and carrot.
For the sauce :
- 3 tablespoonfuls of chilli sauce
- 2 tablespoonfuls of tomato sauce
- 2 tablespoonfuls of sweet soy sauce
- 2 tablespoonfuls of water
Method :
- Using the same pan used for frying the steaks, wipe excess oil using a kitchen towel.
- Put in all the ingredients and simmer over medium fire till thick.
- Pour over your steaks.
