Korean Stir-Fried Beef with Cucumber

Korean Stir-Fried Beef with Cucumber

Recipe only

Korean cuisine is all about balance with the thought always in the mind about creating harmony, just like 'yin and yang'. The dishes are all about sweet, salty, spicy, mild, hot, and cold. It is an unique cuisine that stands out from its neighbors of Japan and China. Korea food is derived from a land rich in micro-climates and surrounded on three sides by an ocean full of seafood. Korean food grew from its climate, environment, geography and culture to stand out as one of the great cuisines of Asia.

INGREDIENTS

250 g beef sirloin steak, thinly sliced

3/4 teaspoon salt

1 medium cucumber, seeded and sliced, not to thick

1 long fresh red chili, seeded, and thinly sliced

1 teaspoon light soy sauce

1 teaspoon dark soy sauce

1/2 teaspoon sesame oil

1 teaspoon brown sugar

2 garlic cloves, minced

2 cm piece fresh peeled ginger, minced

Ground black pepper

1 green chili, seeded and sliced for garnish

2 1/2 teaspoons, roasted white sesame seeds for garnish

METHOD 

1. Carefully roast the sesame seeds under the gill. Keep watching as the burn quickly. Set aside.

2. Cut the sirloin steak into stir-fry strips across the grain. Discard any fat on the meat.

3. In a bowl, place the stir-fry beef strips and add the soy sauces, sesame oil, minced garlic and ginger, sugar, and ground black pepper, mix well to combine. Set aside for 10 minutes.

4. In a separate bowl, add the sliced cucumber and add the salt, mix well and let stand for 5 minutes or so. Line a flat work surface with kitchen paper and place the cucumber in a single layer on top. This will absorb the liquid. Repeat this 2 times. You want to draw as much moisture out of the cucumber as you can without destroying it. Finally put the cucumber in your hands and carefully squeeze any liquid remaining out. Set aside.

5. Heat the oil in a wok or large frying pan over high heat. Add the cucumber and stir-fry for 1 minute. Remove and set aside.

6. In the same pan, add the beef with the chili and stir-fry until the beef is just starting to brown. Return the cucumber to the pan and stir well to combine for 1 more minute. Spoon into serving bowls and garnish with the roasted sesame seeds and chili.