A few years ago, I went to Singapore for summer vacation and the first thing on our travel itinerary was to eat lunch. We settled on dining at the food court in the plaza behind our hotel, for we were famished and could not wait to devour food that was not made in a cramped galley of an airplane 36,000 feet above ground. The food hall was massive. There was an assortment of cuisines and specialty dishes to choose from—from Hainanese chicken and burger to duck and sushi. But, guess what I chose. I could not resist getting Beef Pepper Rice from the one and only Pepper Lunch even if I could have just ordered the same meal in the Philippines.
Pepper Lunch is so addicting! The buttery, peppery, sweet and meaty scent that wafts from the restaurant just seduces me every time I walk past. Even if my mouth is numb because my impatience would not let me wait for the rice to cool down or I burned my pinky finger on the scorching sizzling plate, I will not stop scooping large spoonfuls of the fried rice into my mouth until it is scraped clean. I miss being able to enjoy my Beef Pepper Rice, but ordering takeout just does not match up to the experience and the fire-breathing sensation of eating it straight from the hot plate. To resolve this tragic dilemma, I recreated the acclaimed dish in my own home kitchen.
Recipe
Yields 5 servings
~ Ingredients ~
Miso Butter
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons miso paste
Honey sauce
1 tablespoon oil
1 teaspoon garlic, minced
1 tablespoon onion, minced
3 tablespoons honey
1 tablespoon oyster sauce
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 teaspoon cornstarch in ¼ cup water
Garlic Soy Sauce
1 teaspoon oil
4 cloves garlic, minced
½ cup soy sauce
2 teaspoons white sugar
Pinch of ground black pepper
1 teaspoon cornstarch in ½ cup water
Pepper Beef and buttered corn
500 grams beef sirloin, sukiyaki cut
1 can sweet corn, drained
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon pepper
3 tablespoons springs onions, chopped
~ Procedure ~
Miso Butter
Whisk butter and miso together and let it chill.
Honey Sauce
In a small saucepan, brown the garlic and onion in the oil.
Mix in the honey, oyster sauce and soy sauce.
Add the cornstarch and water mixture into the sauce and let it simmer until thick.
Blend the sauce until the garlic and onions are fully processed and set aside.
Garlic Soy Sauce
In a small saucepan, brown the garlic in the oil.
Add in the soy sauce, sugar and black pepper.
Pour in the cornstarch and water mixture and let it simmer for 2-3 minutes.
Place the sauce into a blender or food processor, blend until smooth and set aside.
Pepper Beef and Buttered Corn
In a pan, melt some 3 tablespoons of miso butter and cook the corn in it.
After 4-5 minutes, transfer the corn into another bowl.
Add more miso butter into the pan, season the thin beef slices with salt and pepper and cook them for 1-2 minutes.
Add about half of the honey sauce and garlic soy sauce into the beef and adjust to preference.
Serve the beef and corn with rice and mix them all together. Add the rest of the sauces if needed, garnish with spring onions and enjoy!
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