Stir-fried Korean beef with cucumber

Name: Stir-fried Korean beef with cucumber
Cook time: 30 min
Yield: 4 as part of a shared banquet
Cuisine: Korean
Ingredients: 4 Lebanese cucumbers; 1 tsp salt; 1 tbsp vegetable oil; 300g beef fillet, cut into 2cm cubes; ¼ tsp crushed garlic; sea salt and freshly ground pepper; 1 tbsp spring onion, finely chopped; 1 tsp sesame oil; 1 tbsp gochujang; ½ tsp soy sauce; ½ tsp chilli flakes; ¼ tsp salt; 1 long red chilli, deseeded and finely shredded, to serve; 1 tsp roasted sesame seeds, to serve; steamed rice (optional); kimchi (optional)

Neil Perry

April 3, 2019

Add some chopped kimchi and rice to make a meal of this fiery beef and cucumber combination.William Meppem

Time:< 30 minsServes:4 as part of a shared banquet

Spicy gochujang paste adds a flavour-kick to this beef stir-fry, which can be served with steamed rice to make a full meal. Fold through some chopped kimchi at the end to add another dimension.

Ingredients

4 Lebanese cucumbers
1 tsp salt
1 tbsp vegetable oil
300g beef fillet, cut into 2cm cubes
¼ tsp crushed garlic
sea salt and freshly ground pepper
1 tbsp spring onion, finely chopped
1 tsp sesame oil
1 tbsp gochujang
½ tsp soy sauce
½ tsp chilli flakes
¼ tsp salt
1 long red chilli, deseeded and finely shredded, to serve
1 tsp roasted sesame seeds, to serve
steamed rice (optional)
kimchi (optional)

Method

Top and tail the cucumbers, and peel a strip of skin lengthways with a vegetable peeler. Turn the cucumber, leave a similar width of skin, then remove another strip. Peel alternatively like this until you have a striped cucumber. Cut into 1cm slices, place in a bowl and sprinkle with salt. Let stand for 5-10 minutes. When the cucumber has given off a little water, rinse quickly and dry.
Over a high heat, heat vegetable oil and quickly stir-fry the beef, along with the crushed garlic, salt and pepper, for about 2 minutes. The beef should have a crust on the outside and the middle should be medium-rare.
Add cucumber slices and stir-fry briefly. Add the spring onion, sesame oil, gochujang, soy sauce, chilli and salt.
To serve, spoon onto a large plate and sprinkle with shredded chilli and sesame seeds.
Tip: Try the stir-fry with lamb or chicken; cucumbers can be replaced by snow peas or sugar snap peas, or cubes of fresh cabbage.