The Classy – Beef Tartare

Beef tartare. Have you tried this dish before? Raw beef…raw yolk…ermmm. Aha..don’t rush to your toilet for puking thou. Honestly you have to try this! I’m serious.

I saw it in one of the cooking show in the TV and decided to do it by myself. I’ve tried the salmon tartare but not the beef. In some recipe said you even can use horse beef. I can’t kill horse! They are my baby!

Based on my secondary research about this recipe, this dish is a classy recipe popular in Korea where the local called it Yokhae. France called it tartare aller-retour. I’ll share the recipe that I've tried. 

Ingredients:

500g beef fillet, trimmed, chopped finely

4 egg yolks

1 nashi pear, sliced thinly

Half a Lebanese cucumber, cut into matchsticks 

Quarter of a small Chinese cabbage (shredded)

1 spring onion, sliced thinly

1 teaspoon toasted sesame 

1 tablespoon toasted pine nuts

Dressing:

60ml light soy sauce

2 tablespoons apple juice

1 tablespoon rice wine syrup

2 teaspoon sesame oil 1 clove garlic, chopped finely 

Half a red birdseye chilli, chopped finely

pinch Korean chilli powder (can be found in Asian grocery)

1 teaspoon caster sugar

Method:

To make dressing, whisk all ingredients in a large bowl until combined. Add beef. Stir to combine. Taste the dressing before combining with the beef to make sure it is seasoned to your liking.  It should have a kick, but also be sweet from the sesame oil and apple juice.  

Divide beef mixture into four portions. Place a portion on each serving plate, making a slight well in centre. Place an egg yolk in well.

Arrange nashi, cucumber, cabbage and onion on top of egg yolk. Garnish with toasted sesame and pine nuts. You can have it with toast or baguette

Of course my first trial was not turn out to be this beautiful. Photo credit from Melty Food.

Aren't they elegant?