Prep time 15 mins
Cook time 1 hour
Serves 6

This recipe is from Japan – my sister-in law Chie’s family recipe. Chie cooked it for me once in Osaka and it was fantastic; hearty Japanese comfort food. It’s best eaten the following day, served warm or cold to allow the potatoes to absorb the soup. I like to use a cheaper cut of beef and cook until it is tender. The soy adds real depth of flavour and the peas a little pop of sweetness.

Ingredients
     1 tbsp oil
     2 large onions, diced
     1kg stewing steak or lamb, cut into 3cm dice
     4 large potatoes, thickly diced
     3 carrots, thickly diced
     6 tbsp sake
     3 tbsp mirin (sweet sake)
     6 cups water
     5 tbsp sugar (or to taste)
     130ml soy sauce
     2 cups peas

Method
 
Heat a large saucepan on a medium-high heat and add the oil. When hot add the onions and cook until they are just beginning to colour. Add the meat in batches and brown. When browned, add the potatoes and carrots and combine.

Now add both sakes and the water. Bring to the boil then reduce the heat and simmer until the liquid has reduced by half. Remove any scum that comes to the surface.
Add the sugar and soy sauce, cover and reduce the liquid by two-thirds. Add the peas and turn off the heat, cover and stand for at least 3 minutes.

Top tip: For a vegetarian option, replace the beef with whatever vegetables you fancy and use kelp stock. 
 

Prep time: 20 mins
Cook time: 3 hours
Serves: 4

This is an easy and economical Guinness and beef stew – we love it. The dumplings are optional, but highly recommended.

Ingredients
       3 fresh or dried bay leaves
       500g diced stewing beef
       500ml Guinness
       2 sticks of celery
       2 medium onions
       2 carrots
       Olive oil
       1 heaped tbsp plain flour
       1 x 400g tin of chopped tomatoes
       Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
       250g self-raising flour
       125g really cold butter
       sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 180ºC.
2. Trim the ends off your celery and roughly chop the sticks. Peel and roughly chop the onions. Peel the carrots, slice length ways and roughly chop. Put a casserole pan on a medium heat. Put all the vegetables and the bay leaves into the pan with two lugs of olive oil and fry for 10 minutes.
3. Add your meat and flour. Pour in the booze and tinned tomatoes. Give it a good stir, then season with a teaspoon of sea salt (less if using table salt) and a few grinds of pepper.
4. Bring to the boil, put the lid on and either simmer slowly on your hob or cook in an oven for 3 hours. Remove the lid for the final half hour of simmering or cooking. When done, your meat should be tender and delicious.
5. Remember to remove the bay leaves before serving, and taste it to see if it needs a bit more salt and pepper. You can eat you stew as it is, or you can add some lovely dumplings (below) to it.
6. For your dumplings
7. Preheat your oven to 190°C. Put your flour into a mixing bowl. Using a coarse grater, grate your cold butter into the flour. Add a pinch of salt and pepper.
8. Using your fingers, gently rub the butter into the flour until it begins to resemble breadcrumbs. Add a splash of cold water to help bind it into a dough.
9. Divide the dough into 12 pieces and gently roll each into a round dumpling. Place the dumplings on top of your fully cooked stew and press down lightly so that they're half submerged. Cook in the oven or on the hob over a medium heat with the lid on for 30 minutes.

Prep time: 15 min + marinating
Cook time: 10 min
Serves: 4
 
I love the name of this dish, it conjures up many different thoughts, but rest assured no tigers wept while this dish was being cooked . . . unless they could smell but not taste its deliciousness.

Ingredients

       For the beef
       4 tbsp fish sauce
       2 tbsp oyster sauce
       2 tbsp soy sauce
       4 cloves garlic, chopped
       2 tbsp vegetable oil
       2 tsp sugar
       2 tbsp whisky
       4 sirloin steaks
 
       For the dipping sauce
       1 red chilli, finely sliced
       1 shallot, finely chopped
       2 good handfuls of fresh coriander,chopped
       2 tbsp fish sauce
       6 tbsp lime juice
 
       To serve
       1 spring onion, sliced
       2 cups rice, cooked as directed
       2 limes, sliced
       ½ cucumber, sliced
 
Instructions

1. Place the fish, oyster and soy sauces, garlic, oil, sugar and whisky in a bowl and combine. Add the steaks and massage the marinade into the beef. Cover and set aside at room temperature for 1 hour or overnight in the fridge if you have time.
2. Meanwhile, in a small bowl combine the chilli, shallot, a quarter of the chopped coriander, fish sauce and lime juice. Add a teaspoon of sugar if you like it a little sweeter.
3. Heat your barbecue to high and when sizzling hot, grill the beef for about 3 minutes on each side, or to your liking. Remove to rest for 2 minutes.
4. When ready, slice the beef thinly, place a handful of chopped coriander and sliced spring onions on top and drizzle with the sauce. Serve with hot steamed rice, sliced lime and cucumber on the side.

This beef beauty is a real crowd pleaser, with melt in your mouth beef and amazing flavours whats not to love!

Prep time: 15 mins
Cook time: 2 hours 30 mins
Serves: 4

Ingredients
       3 tbs Olivado macadamia oil
       750g Quality Mark beef sirloin (or chuck steak), diced
       400ml Trident coconut cream, plus a can full of water
       4 lemongrass stalks, crushed
       6 kaffir lime leaves
       1 cinnamon stick
       2 star anise
       3 cloves
       1 tbs tamarind pulp, mixed with ¼ cup water
       1 tsp salt
       1 tbs palm sugar
       For the paste
       2-4 dried chilies
       2 tbs coriander seeds, toasted
       1 tsp turmeric
       1 tsp cumin seeds, toasted
       5 shallots
       6 cloves of garlic
      10 macadamia nuts
       4cm knob of galangal, (or 6cm knob of ginger)
       4 fresh red chillies (or 1 red capsicum or both)
       For the salad
       ½ cucumber, julienned
       2 stalks celery
       75g fresh grated coconut
       1 chilli, finely diced
       For the salad dressing
       ½ clove garlic, mashed
       1 tsp Asian Home Gourmet fish sauce
       1 tbs lime juice
       1 tbs palm sugar

Instructions

1. To make the paste, blend all the paste ingredients together to form a smooth paste.
2. Heat the oil in a heavy based medium sized saucepan. Add the meat when hot but do not brown. Just get a little colour on it.
3. Add the spice paste, coconut cream and water, lemongrass, kaffir lime, cinnamon, star anise and cloves. Combine, season with 1 tsp of salt and bring to the boil.
4. Reduce heat to a gentle simmer and add the tamarind. Simmer uncovered for at least 2 ½ hours stirring occasionally until the beef is very tender and the sauce is thick and delicious.
5. Before serving season with a little more salt if needed and the sugar.
6. To make the salad, throw the salad dressing ingredients into a jar and shake to combine. Pour over salad ingredients.