The Broad Palate – April ’24

Slow cooked Chinese Beef with Ginger (serves 4)

As with many dishes, this is even better the next day, so make a day or two ahead if possible, and keep in the fridge. Delicious with jasmine rice and pak choi. You can also make this in a slow cooker.

2 onions, roughly chopped
50g ginger, peeled and chopped
4 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
1 tsp ground black pepper
1 small pack coriander, stalks and leaves separated
1250g thick slices stewing steak, cut into large cubes
Vegetable oil for frying
100g dark brown muscovado sugar
2 tsp Chinese five-spice
5 whole star anise
100ml dark soy sauce (or 50/50 dark and light)
2 tbsp tomato puree
500ml beef stock (from cubes)
1 tin water chestnuts, drained

Method:

Blitz onions, ginger, garlic and coriander stalks in a food processor to a paste.
Heat 2 tbsp oil in a large, ovenproof pan and brown meat in batches. Set aside.
Heat oven to 160C/140c fan/gas 3.
To the same pan, add the paste with a good splash of water and cook gently until soft. Keep adding splashes of water to stop it sticking.
Stir in five-spice, star anise and a scant teaspoon of ground black pepper. Cook for 1 minute.
Add the beef and any juices, plus sugar, soy sauce and tomato puree. Stir in enough stock to cover and bring to a simmer.
Add water chestnuts. Cover and cook in the oven for two and a half hours or until tender.
Remove beef and keep warm.
Boil the sauce to thicken (or slake 1-2 tbsp cornflour with water, stir in and cook for 2 mins) and reunite with the beef.
Sprinkle with coriander.

Saucy St. Clements Pudding

This is a good springtime dessert, fresh and zingy. Don’t worry if the mixture seems very liquid – that’s what gives you a light sponge on top and a delicious sauce underneath. If you prefer limes to oranges, use two limes instead of the orange and increase the sugar to 200g.

180g caster sugar
Zest and juice of 1 lemon and 1 orange
50g butter
Extra lemon juice to make the above up to 100ml
3 eggs, separated
50g sifted plain flour
250ml milk (preferably not skimmed)
1 tsp vanilla extract

Method:

Heat oven to 180C/fan 160C/gas 4.
Beat or blitz butter, sugar and zests until paler in colour.
Mix in citrus juice (100ml in total), yolks, flour, milk and vanilla until you have a thin, smooth batter.
Whisk egg whites until firm but not stiff, and fold into batter.
Pour into a 1.5L buttered ovenproof dish and place in a baking tray half filled with hot water.
Bake for 45-50 minutes until the top is lightly browned and just set.
Serve warm, with cream or ice cream.

Many thanks to Ann Shaw 🙂