麻豆约拍

The idea for this dish came quite easily. I decided to do a braised beef using the best cut for that: cheeks. But beef braised in red wine, as is classic in French cuisine, was too rich & potentially boring for Brisbanites who were used to exciting Asian food influences. So I decided to use the classic French technique but change the ingredients. <?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" />

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Serves 6

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Prep time 20 mins

Cooking time 3录 hrs

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Ingredients

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4 tbsp olive oil

2kg beef cheeks, trimmed

300g carrots, sliced

200g celery, sliced

2 onions, diced

5 garlic cloves, crushed

5cm piece of fresh root ginger, sliced

1 star anise

1 lemongrass stalk, crushed

3 tbsp pomegranate molasses

9 tbsp sweet Indonesian soy sauce (Kecap manis)

2 tbsp sweet chilli sauce

3 Kaffir lime leaves, bruised

500ml veal or beef stock

3 green cardamom pods, crushed

grated zest of 1 orange, plus 1 long piece of peel

3 tbsp lime juice

Toasted sesame seeds, to garnish

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Salad

1 mango, peeled & sliced

12 spring onions, finely sliced

陆 cucumber, finely sliced

3 tbsp roughly chopped mint

3 tbsp roughly chopped coriander

4 tbsp roughly chopped basil

Wedge of lime, to serve

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Dressing

4 tbsp sesame oil

1 tbsp sweet chilli sauce

1 garlic clove

1 tsp chopped fresh root ginger

1 Kaffir lime leaf, very finely chopped

50ml olive oil

3 tbsp lime juice

1 tsp palm sugar

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Method

Preheat the oven to 220掳C/fan 200掳C/Gas 7.

Heat the oil in a frying pan & colour the beef on all sides, then remove with tongs or a slotted spoon & set aside.

In the same pan, place the carrots, celery & onions & fry gently over a medium heat until golden brown.

Place the beef in a casserole or heavy ovenproof dish, add the vegetables & all the remaining ingredients.

Add enough water to cover the cheeks with 3cm of liquid above the meat. Place a circle of greaseproof paper on top, then an old plate, which will keep the beef submerged.

Cover the dish with the lid, or if you don鈥檛 have a lid use a double layer of foil. Place in the oven for 3 hrs.

Check whether the beef is ready by squeezing a piece of meat between two fingers. It should feel like your fingers would go through it & break it if you pushed hard. Leave the meat to rest in the sauce for at least 30 minutes or it will dry out.

Using a slotted spoon, remove the meat from the sauce, place in a dish & cover with cling film to prevent it from drying out.

Pass the sauce through a fine sieve over a clean pan, then bring to the boil & skim the surface.