Lemongrass Skewered Salmon With Beef Tenderloin Duet

Oh the beef rendang. Bring it on. A dish so redolent in spices, the fragrance alone could almost kill you.  Made it last week at a friends place and thought I'd give it another shot to perfect it (plus neighbour kept asking me to make it for him). So acting on my intentions, I went out this morning and bought some chuck beef (feel free to use any type of beef cut conducive for stewing) and procured some fresh lemongrass and kaffir lime leaves to get it going.

First, let us clarify the origins of this dish. There has been ongoing dispute between Malaysia and Indonesia as to the provenance of this dish. Sources has it that this dish actually belonged to the Minangkabau people, also known as "Minang" from the Minangkabau region in West Sumatra, Indonesia. As their culture is of "merantau" (traveling or wandering), a large proportion of the ethnic Minang community have settled overseas, forming the majority of the population in Negeri Sembilan, Malaysia.

In the past, Minangkabau people preparedrendang in such a way that it has long shelf life and could be stored during long journeys. This could perhaps be attributable to the spices used during the slow cooking process.Rendang is commonly made with beef (especially tenderloin) with a special sauce (n.b. each family is different) containing a high amount of coconut milk.

Interestingly enough, given my lack of patience and inability to meditate, I believe this is the perfect dish for me to make (and those with a restless mind). Why? Well, the Minangkabau people associated rendang with patience, wisdom and persistence, as all three are required to cook this hearty dish – from the selection of ingredients, control of the cooking temperature and constant stirring. ⁣

⁣Indeed I have spent a long time pounding the spice paste together in a mortar and pestle (n.b. i did not cheat with the food processor). I also personally like to add some tamarind into my paste but each to their own. Rendang can be made and kept overnight (or for months in the freezer). In fact, it tastes a lot better the next day or two when the flavours mature and deepen further. ⁣

⁣

Ingredients

• 1.5 pounds of stewing beef, cut into cubes (chuck, short rib or brisket)
• 5 tablespoons coconut oil
• 1 stick cinnamon, about 2-inch length
• 4 cloves
• 4 star anise
• 4 cardamom pods
• 1 lemongrass, cut into 4-inch length and pounded
• 1 cup thick coconut milk, coconut cream
• 2 teaspoons tamarind pulp, soaked in some warm water for the juice and discard the seeds
• 6 kaffir lime leaves, very finely sliced
• 6 tablespoons kerisik, toasted coconut
• 1 tablespoon sugar or palm/coconut sugar to taste
• Salt to taste
• SPICE PASTE:
• 5 shallots
• 1 inch galangal, grated
• 3 lemongrass (white part only)
• 5 cloves garlic
• 1 inch ginger, grated
• 10-12 dried chilies, soaked in warm water and seeded

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 150C.
2. Chop the spice paste ingredients and then bash it up in a mortar and pestle until a smooth paste is formed. Note that you can also opt for the food processor (thought former method is better).
3. Heat the oil in a heavy stew pot or dutch oven on high and brown the beef. Transfer the browned beef to a plate.
4. In the same pot, add the dried spices (cloves, cinnamon, star anise, cardamon) and follow shortly with the spice paste. Stir-fry until aromatic. Add the beef and the pounded lemongrass and stir for 1 minute. Add the coconut milk, tamarind juice, and simmer on medium heat, stirring frequently until the meat is almost cooked. Add the kaffir lime leaves, kerisik (toasted coconut), sugar or palm sugar, stirring to blend well with the meat.
5. Lower the heat to low, cover the lid, and transfer the dutch oven to the oven and leave it for 1-1.5 hours. Alternatively you can simmer for a similar length of time until the meat is really tender and the gravy has dried up. Add more salt and sugar to taste. Serve immediately with steamed rice and save some for overnight (the flavours will mature!).

Notes

To toast the dessicated coconut, heat a saute pan on low-medium heat and gently heat up the coconut till it turns golden brown. Keep shaking it as it toasts. This may take a few minutes.

For those craving some South East Asian flavours, I have this simple littleneck clam dish for you to whet your appetite. What is required is fresh lemongrass and thai basil (and of course, the clams).

Lemongrass is a tall tropical grass typically featured in Vietnamese and thai cuisine and can be found in Asian grocers. When using fresh lemongrass, you would only want the lower bulbous part of the stem which can be pounded or sliced to release the flavours.

As for health benefits, lemongrass is considered a diuretic, tonic and stimulant. It is said to promote good digestion, and for those looking to relieve menstrual symptoms and nausea, one can simply prepare lemongrass with pepper. It is also known to repel insects and can be used as an essential oil in perfumery.

Now onto the Thai basil. Think of the Thai basil as a variant to the sweet Italian basil used widely in American and European cooking. Thai basil imparts a slightly savoury, spicy- anise-like note which feature heavily in many Southeast Asian and Chinese dishes. Its leaves are sturdier and can withhold heat better than its Italian counterpart. As such, it can be added during cooking vs as a finishing touch. Basil is known for its anti-inflammatory properties and like lemongrass, is good for digestion.

Regarding which type of clams to use, since I'm in Hong Kong, we have the Manila clams available fresh at the local wet market. Feel free, however, to use littleneck clams. For those curious about the different types of clams, read this. If fresh isn't a choice, feel free to use frozen.

Clams with Lemongrass and Thai Basil

PREP TIME: 10 min | COOK TIME: 10 min | TOTAL TIME: 20 min | YIELDS: 2 servings

INGREDIENTS:

• 20 fresh clams (I like to get mine live from the wet market)
• 2 stalks of lemongrass
• 6-8 slices of fresh ginger
• Juice of one freshly squeezed lime
• 2-3 red thai chillis (depending on your spice tolerance)
• 1 bunch of fresh thai basil
• 1 tablespoon of fish sauce
• 1 tablespoon of rock sugar

METHOD:

1. Cut off the top of the lemongrass stalks and keep the bottom (most of the flavours are concentrated here). Lightly bash the lemongrass stalk with a pestle or back of knife to release the flavours.
2. Heat a heavy pot on medium high heat and gently fry the ginger slices for a few minutes to release the flavours. Throw in the lemongrass stalks and chopped thai chilli and add two cups of water. Add in the rock sugar, lime juice and fish sauce. Boil on medium heat for 15 minutes with the cover on to let the flavours permeate through the liquid.
3. Add the clams to the liquid and close the lid for 5 minutes.
4. Remove lid and add 2/3rds of the thai basil (keeping the remainder for garnishing purposes). Close the lid for another 3-4 minutes. The clams should pop open when cooked.
5. When the clams start to open, remove from the heat and serve in a bowl along with the thai basil (and wedge of lime if desired) as garnish.

Hello all! I'm finally back from my long trip in USA and Tokyo. Been away for more than 6 weeks with a few weeks in San Francisco, one week in New York and 10 days in Tokyo. Managed to pull of a few successful pop-up dinners in San Francisco and New York, meeting an amazing bunch of wonderful people who have shared with me new insights and given me more ideas for my blog and supper club.

Now that I'm back in Hong Kong from Tokyo (yes, I had a lot of amazing food), I am super excited to start getting to 'work' in my kitchen again. First thing I made today are air-fried lemongrass chicken wings which only take 15 minutes in the air-fryer. This is truly a delicious dish you can dish up in a whim.

The salt was something I purchased the end of last year in Phu Quoc, Vietnam (birthday trip with my girl friend) but you can simply recreate this with a blend of lemongrass, salt and chilli flakes (simply mash in a mortar and pestle with a dash of canola oil).

As a 'bonus', I was also excited to test out my knew Japanese paring knife I purchased in Kappabashi street (a street lined with endless cookware and knife shops – yes, it was a dream!).

After 15 minutes in my Phillips air-fryer, the end result are lemongrass flavoured chicken wings, crisp to perfection without any oily residue. Simply marvellous.

Lemongrass Air-fried Chicken Wings

PREP TIME: 10 min | ACTIVE TIME: 15 min | TOTAL TIME: 25 min | YIELDS: 1-2 servings (if a main/side)

INGREDIENTS:

• 8 chicken wings
• lemongrass salt (or make own marinade)
• coriander and/or lime (for garnish)
• black pepper, to taste

METHOD:

1. Marinade chicken wings with lemongrass salt in a bowl. Let it sit for 10 mins if short on time (ideally you want it to marinade for a few hours).
2. Set air-fryer at 180C and timer to 15 minutes. Pop the chicken wings into the basket and start the air-fryer.
3. Once done, remove basket and plate the chicken wings. Garnish with chopped coriander and/or lime.

For a quick and healthy no-brainer meal simply combine lemongrass, garlic, fish sauce and a dash of lime to make a Southeast Asian-inspired marinade for salmon fillet. I assure you, even the most amateur of cooks can't possibly go wrong with this.

INGREDIENTS (serves one):

• 1 salmon fillet (6 ounces)
• 1 teaspoon olive oil
• 1 teaspoon fish sauce
• 1 clove garlic, finely chopped
• 1 lemongrass stalk, finely chopped
• Juice of half a lime

METHOD:

1) Combine oil, fish sauce, garlic, chopped lemongrass and lime in mortar and pestle and pound until mixture resembles a paste. 2) Marinade salmon fillet in the mixture at room temperate for 15 minutes. 3) Preheat a heavy skillet (I personally like using a well-seasoned cast iron pan) over medium-high heat. Film the bottom with a small amount of oil and add the salmon, skin side down. Cook without moving until the skin is nicely seared, roughly 3 minutes. Flip the fillet with tongs and cook for an additional 2-4 minutes, depending on how you like it. 4) Serve immediately with some sides and a lime wedge. Here, I grilled some zucchini coins to complement the dish.

After my trip to Hanoi and Halong Bay in early February, I can't deny that I wasn't inspired by the rich nuance of flavours and fragrance that Vietnamese food has to offer.

Vietnamese cuisine has taken several influences from surrounding countries, but one of the most important aspects is that the vast majority of dishes are only lightly cooked, with the emphasis placed on fresh and tasty ingredients. One philosophy that is seen in the variety of spices used is that most meals will try and balance the sour, bitter, sweet, spicy and salty flavors. This idea of including five aspects to the meal also spreads to other aspects of the dishes, with top chefs looking to create meals with five colors and all five types of nutrients included in the meal.

In particular, fish sauce plays an important role in almost every Vietnamese meal, which is used for dipping, and is sometimes supplemented with chilli, ginger and lime juice. Here I have supplemented my nuoc nam (fish sauce) with crushed garlic, sugar, chilli flakes and freshly squeezed lime juice to give it the extra 'twang'.

Today I have attempted to make lemongrass pork skewers using finely sliced pork tenderloin. Best to marinade overnight if you want maximum intensity of flavours, but I only managed for an hour or so and the results were still fool-proof.

INGREDIENTS: (makes ~15 skewers, serves 3-4)

For the meat and marinade:

• 1/2 pound pork tenderloin
• 1 lemongrass stalk, outer leaves and tops removed, root ends trimmed
• 1/2 tablespoon soy sauce
• 1/8 cup fish sauce
• 1 1/2 tablespoons sugar
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 1 large garlic clove, finely chopped
• 15 bamboo skewers (I used 6-inch ones here), soaked
• 1/4 cup chopped unsalted roasted peanuts

For the nuoc cham (fish dipping sauce):

• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1 1/2 tablespoons water
• 1/4 cup freshly squeezed lime guice
• 1 large garlic clove, minced
• 1 or more bird's eye or Thai chillies, seeded and minced (or substitute with dried chilli flakes)
• 1 shallot, peeled, thinly sliced, and rinsed (optional)

METHOD: 1) Remove outer leaves of lemongrass stalk and dice finely crosswise. Place in mortar and pestle and pound repeatedly.

2) Wash the pork tenderloin and pat dry with paper towel. Slice into long thin strips, ~5mm in thickness.

3) Stir together the fish sauce, soy sauce, sugar, and oil util the sugar is completely dissolved. Add the pounded lemongrass, shallot, garlic and pork slices and mix to coat the meat evenly. Allow to marinade at room temperature for 20 minutes or refrigerate for at least 1 hour or overnight if desired. 4) Depending on how long your slices and bamboo skewers are, slide a 1-4 slices of pork onto each skewer so the meat is flat with the skewer going through the slices several times. Grill over a grill pan over high heat and cook the skewers until the edges crisp, about 1-2 minutes each side. 5) Make the nuoc cham for the rice vermicelli. Whisk together the sugar, water, fish sauce, and lime juice in a bowl until the sugar is completely dissolved. Add the garlic, chilli, and shallot, and let stand for 30 minutes before serving. 6) Make the rice vermicelli by following package instructions. Here I placed the noodles in a pot of boiling water on medium heat for 3 minutes then drained it in a colander with running cold water. 7) Divide the grilled pork skewers among the bowls of rice vermicelli. Sprinkle the crushed peanuts and drizzle nuoc cham over each serving.

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Source: https://www.kitchenmess.com/tag/lemongrass/

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