Yang Yang Crispy Beef Food

YANG-YANG CRISPY BEEF

Steps:

• For the beef: Heat a wok over high heat and fill halfway up with peanut oil. Heat the oil to 350 degrees, or until a cube of bread turns golden brown in 15 seconds and floats to the surface.
• Place beef strips in a large bowl and add 2 T. cornstarch. Toss until the beef has absorbed the cornstarch. Add the remaining 1 T. cornstarch right before frying and toss to coat.
• Fry the beef in 2 to 3 batches until golden, 4-5 minutes. Drain on paper towels and season with sea salt.
• For the sauce: Set another wok or saute pan over high heat and add the chili sauce, soy sauce and orange juice. Bring to a simmer and cook until it becomes thickened and coats the back of a spoon, 1-2 minutes. Toss the beef in the sauce to coat thoroughly.
• Serve over a bed of the shredded lettuce and sliced cucumber that has been sprinkled with rice vinegar. Then garnish with the scallions and orange zest.

THAI SUN DRIED CRISPY BEEF

Steps:

• Cut steak lengthwise, with grain, in strips 1-2 inches wide and 4-5 inches long.
• Combine lemongrass, chili peppers, garlic, parsley roots, shallots and ginger into a mortar or food processor and grind together, until well mixed.
• Add mixture from last step to a gallon sized zip top freezer bag and add fish sauce, sugar and kaffir lime leaves -- stir to mix in new ingredients.
• Add beef strips and mix well to coat (don't be afraid to get your hands dirty, reach into that bag, it'll be worth it).
• Refrigerate bagged beef mixture overnight.
• Lay beef strips out on a large cookie sheet and heat in the oven on the lowest setting for 5-7 hours, until dried (historically in Thailand, this step was the sun-drying step).
• The dried beef can either be deep fried immediately for a couple minutes to give it a crispy outside (careful not to crowd the oil), or you could refrigerate a portion for frying later that week.
• Serve hot with Sriracha sauce and sticky rice, or steamed jasmine rice.