How to Make Spicy and Sour Dried Beef That Everyone Loves to Devour

How to make Dried Beef with Tamarind

• 1

  Chop garlic and make tamarind juice

  Peel the garlic, put it in a blender, and grind it finely.

  Then put the ground garlic into a bag with 3 tablespoons of water, and squeeze it with your hands to extract the juice.

  Next, filter the mixture through a sieve to collect the tamarind juice.

  Tip: To extract more juice and aroma from the garlic, before mixing the ground garlic with water, you can freeze the garlic in the refrigerator for about 1 hour, then take it out to thaw. The thawing process will help the garlic release more juice and nutrients.

  Add 220g of sour tamarind to a pot with 200ml of water and 200g of sugar. Place the pot on the stove and cook until the tamarind and sugar dissolve, and the tamarind juice mixture comes to a boil, then turn off the heat.

  Filter the cooked tamarind through a sieve to collect the tamarind juice.

  

  

  

  
• 2

  Prepare the beef

  Soak the purchased beef in water mixed with 1 tablespoon of salt, a little lemon juice, and a bit of smashed ginger for about 15 minutes, then rinse thoroughly with water and let it drain.

  Use a knife to cut the beef along the grain into 3 small pieces.

  How to clean beef properly, without odor

  • Method 1: Roast a small piece of ginger until cooked, then scrape off the outer skin, pound it finely, rub it evenly around the beef, and rinse thoroughly with water.
  • Method 2: Soak the beef in white wine for about 15 minutes, then rinse clean under cold water.
  • Method 3: Boil a pot of cold water, then blanch the beef for about 3 minutes, remove, and rinse with cold water.
  • Method 4: Roast a shallot until dry, then peel, pound it finely, and marinate it with the beef.

  See more: Some ways to clean beef effectively, reducing odor

  

  

  
• 3

  Steamed Beef

  Place the steamer on the stove, add 1 liter of water and 1 teaspoon of salt, then bring to a boil.

  When the water in the steamer starts to boil, place smashed lemongrass and sliced ginger at the bottom of the steamer, then arrange the beef on top. Cover and steam the beef for about 20 minutes for the meat to cook evenly.

  Tip:

  • To check if the beef is fully cooked, you can use a toothpick to pierce the meat. If red blood flows out, the beef is not cooked yet and needs more steaming time.
  • Steaming the beef before marinating helps shorten the drying time and allows the beef to absorb the seasoning more quickly.

  After steaming the beef until cooked, let it cool, then use a knife to slice it along the grain of the beef. Next, use a pestle to gently pound the beef to thin it out.

  Tip:

  • Slice the beef along the grain so that the final product can be easily torn apart when eaten.
  • Avoid cutting the beef too thin, as pounding it with a pestle may cause the meat to break apart or shrink during the drying process, making it difficult to taste the flavor.

  

  

  
• 4

  Make the marinade sauce

  Place a pan on the stove, add 2 tablespoons of cooking oil, and heat it until hot; when the oil is bubbling, add 1/2 tablespoon of annatto seeds and sauté until the seeds release a beautiful orange-red color.

  Next, remove the annatto seeds from the pan, leaving the colored oil behind.

  Add the colored oil into a bowl of garlic water, then add 120g of sugar, 1 tablespoon of salt, 2 teaspoons of monosodium glutamate, 2 teaspoons of seasoning powder, 2 teaspoons of turmeric powder, 1 teaspoon of finely ground chili powder, 1 teaspoon of crushed dried chili, 1/2 teaspoon of five-spice powder, 1/2 teaspoon of beef stew seasoning, 1/2 teaspoon of curry powder, and all of the tamarind juice into the bowl.

  Use a spoon to stir well until all the seasonings are completely dissolved.

  Tip:

  • If the seasonings are hard to dissolve, you can bring this sauce to the stove and cook it on low heat, stirring continuously until all the seasonings dissolve.
  • If you cook the sauce on the stove, let it cool completely before marinating with the beef!

  

  

  

  
• 5

  Marinate the meat

  Use a spoon to drizzle the sauce over each piece of beef, then use your hands to massage so the sauce adheres evenly to both sides of the meat.

  Place the marinated beef in the refrigerator and let it sit overnight for the beef to absorb the seasoning evenly.

  Tip: In this step, you need to be gentle, marinating each piece of beef with the sauce, which helps the beef absorb the seasoning better and prevents it from tearing or falling apart.

  

  
• 6

  Dry the meat

  Preheat the oven to 100 degrees Celsius for 10 minutes to stabilize the temperature.

  Arrange the beef on a tray and place it in the oven. Use a chopstick to prop the oven door open by 1/3.

  Proceed to dry the beef at 100 degrees Celsius for 2 hours to complete.

  Tip:

  • When drying beef using an oven, you should turn the beef every 30 minutes; this helps the beef dry evenly and taste better.
  • Besides using the oven, you can also dry beef using a dehydrator or by steaming it in a pan.

  

  
• 7

  Final Product

  With just a few simple steps, you have delicious, chewy, sweet and sour dried beef that is rich, appealing, and enticing! This can be both a snack and a great dish to enjoy with friends.