FLOWER POT KITCHEN: CRISPY SWEET CHILI BEEF

11 Mar 2014

CRISPY SWEET CHILI BEEF

This is so good make sure you make extra because once you have tasted the crispy sweet chili beef you won't want to stop, with my family serving this up was like feeding time at the zoo! I was surprised how simple and quick this was to make and loved that this meal created that wonderful sharing dinner time.

INGREDIENTS

(serves 4)

2x 8oz (227g) sirloin steak

6 tbsp cornflour

2 tbsp soy sauce

3 tbsp sweet chili sauce

1 tbsp marmalade (optional)

1 orange zest and juice

1 ltr groundnut oil

2 spring onions finely sliced

1 carrot julienne

1/2 courgette julienne

8 pancakes

First get your steamer up to a simmer ready to cook the pancakes when serving, next in a deep wok or pan gently start to bring the oil up to 180 degrees, meanwhile in a saucepan mix the soy, sweet chili, marmalade, orange zest and juice together, bring to a rapid simmer and reduce until thick and syrupy, leave in the pan to one side.

Next julienne slice the carrot, spring onion and courgette and place on a serving dish. Now thinly slice the sirloin and toss in the cornflour, place on a plate ready to fry.

This is fast so have every thing ready to serve, steam the pancakes while you are deep frying the beef in the hot oil for approx 3 minutes for medium cooked, drain on paper and toss into the sweet sticky orange sauce, serve with the pancakes and julienne vegetables.

No comments:

LIFE MY PASSION

Welcome to my daily life of cooking, one winters day many years ago my family and I were all inspired by a back to back rainy day of River Cottage this got us to stop talking about and start actually doing, suddenly three weeks later eight vegetable beds were dug, greenhouse erected and our first vegetables were propagating, this was the start to raising and growing our own food, our fabulous son Oscar changed our path in life which lead us to sell our small thriving restaurant of 10 yrs and to start our new life (Terrifying!) a life of the self sufficient in touch with nature and seasons, taking a step back and looking forward to a slower change of pace and making the most of every moment.

My passion for cooking was stronger than ever and having time at home with Oscar I found I had a new direction and I was no longer striving for perfection, I was suddenly very passionate for the enjoyment of the other side of food, something I had not realised, being the Chef/Cook and every other duty of your own small restaurant made me see that I never actually took time to cook what I wanted!

So there I was muddy boots and hands digging deep in more than one sense and I found myself transported back in time to where everyone grew some of their own food, it is a wonderful world with a real sense of achievement and loss, Slugs Snails and Caterpillars! But thats another story! Childhood memories of summers when I lived with my grand parents reminded me of so much that I had learnt about the make do and mend generation that I had forgotten.

Now as a family we love our free wild food days where we gather what nature has provided, have gone from being mini mini garden urban small holders, who did raised pigs at home because we could not wait to find land and supporting ourselves from our garden to now owning a very small farm that allows us to grow more vegetables for the whole of our family and neighbours, raise our own gorgeous Gloucestershire Old Spot pigs, (Sausages!) and pets! Dorset Down sheep, chickens for eggs and pet goats! Suddenly having large quantities of produce started to wake up the Cook in me!

The Cook was awake that part of me that wants to cook for the masses and I found myself setting up Flowerpot Kitchen, a Farmers Market Stall, I wanted to use our honest raised meats and make old fashioned pork pies, rabbit pies and game pies from the local game keeper along with old fashioned techniques and the best hot water crust pastry. This in turn grew to a small cottage industry from home weekly supplying three farm shops and a deli along with also attending three farmers markets A few years later there came a time when my son Oscar's health changed and it was an easy decision to stop.

I still hold the occasional pop up 40 seater restaurant or gourmet lunch which we do for local charities for the love of sharing food and to remind that Cook in me why I love our go slower self sufficient life!

So here I am sitting amoung the vegetables watching the chickens loving that every season nature teaches me something new and that nature is in charge! She has taught me to just go with it and grow. Give it a try from a tray of salad on your windowsill to a few tomato plants it all counts.