This dish is another one that I grew up eating. In fact, it was a childhood favourite! My mom used to cook it with either minced pork or pork fillets but this version that I’m blogging about uses beef steak cut into strips. You can even use chicken, or whatever meat you fancy, except perhaps seafood.
The main star of the dish however, is not the meat. It’s the potatoes. They’re soft in the middle and slightly crispy on the outside. And they’ve got a very appetising sort of smokiness to them, derived from the chinese dark caramel sauce.
# – Caramelised potato and beef with onions
Now that I’m older, I realise how fattening it is to eat potatoes with rice but hey, we all need some comfort food now and then ;)
The ingredients:
- 2-3 potatoes, sliced
- 1- 2 onions, chopped
- 1 tablespoon of Shaoxing or chinese rice wine
- A couple of dashes of Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tablespoon of chinese dark caramel sauce
- 1 tablespoon of ordinary chilli sauce or Tabasco sauce (I used Sriracha hot chilli sauce)
- 150 ml of water
- 1 tablespoon of salt
- 200 grams of beef steak, sliced and marinaded with a bit of corn flour and salt (you can use minced meat too. And switch to pork or chicken)
# – Of course, heat up a wok or pan with oil :)
# – When oil is hot, throw in the chopped onions. Ah, the sound of sizzling oil…
# – When the onions have turned a bit translucent, throw in the potatoes. Stir around for a bit till they’re a bit browned.
# – Pour in about 150 ml of water…
# – A few dashes of Worcestershire sauce.
# – Drizzle over the dark caramel sauce.
# – A good tablespoon of salt.
# – Followed by a tablespoon of chinese rice wine.
# – And lastly, a tablespoon of chilli sauce. Mix till all are combined.
# – Then cover the pan with a lid, turn the heat down to medium and let the spuds cook for about 15 minutes. Stir occasionally to prevent sticking.
# – After that, push the potatoes to one side in the pan, and throw in the beef.
# – Drizzle a wee bit of dark caramel sauce over the beef. Stir to combine. You don’t have to cook beef too long but if you’re using chicken or pork please make sure you cook them through.
# – Mix everything up, and garnish with chopped chives or spring onions. Errr, I used Rosemary because that’s what I had…
You can add chopped chillies for some kicks or more caramel sauce if you like the dish darker. You can also slice the potatoes thinner or thicker, depending on your preference. Sometimes I pan fry the potatoes first without adding any water for a much more crispier taste.
Eat together with rice or do I what I used to do when I was little….eat everything and save the potatoes for last.
Have fun cooking!
