Lucas Sin's Mongolian Steak
Lucas Sin
Lucas Sin
Lucas Sin grew up in Hong Kong and moved to the US to study Cognitive Science at Yale. He launched underground restaurants while he was a student and was swept up by the world of food, cooking in Japan and working at Modernist Cuisine in Seattle. He owns Junzi Kitchen and Nice Day in New York and Connecticut. “Food is a great lens through which to see the world,” says Lucas. “It starts conversations.”
Mongolian beef is a popular dish in Chinese takeout restaurants but it’s history is surprising. It was actually invented by a Taiwanese restauranteur and has nothing to do with Mongolia.
My version is slightly elevated. Rather than sizzling beef slices, I sous vide the whole steak, then sear it and slice it after resting. It’s served with a sweet beef stock and abalone-sauce-based reduction, as well as nice charred pieces of onion, scallion and chives.
Ingredients
Steak
Steak
230g (8 oz) Westholme striploin, 2cm (1 in) thick
Garlic powder
Onion powder
Salt
Cooked rice, to serve
Alliums
Alliums
1 handful Chinese chives, cut into 4cm (1 1/2 in) segments
2 spring onions (scallions), cut into 4cm ( 1 1/2 in) segments
1/4 red onion, cut lengthwise into 1/2cm (1/4 in) segments
Mongolian Sauce
Mongolian Sauce
4 cloves garlic, minced
Thumb-sized piece of ginger, thinly sliced
1 cup beef stock (can be from Better than Bouillon beef base)
1 tsp sugar
1 tbsp abalone sauce
1 tbsp light soy sauce
1/2 tbsp dark soy sauce
Potato starch (or cornstarch)
Water
Method
Steak
Preheat sous vide system to 54C / 130F.
Rub steak on all sides with garlic powder, onion powder, and salt. Place steak in bag and vacuum seal. Cook steak, maintaining 54C / 130F for 1 hour.
Remove from the water bath, chill in the refrigerator until ready to use.
Alliums
Place a cast iron pan over high heat, cook chives and onions (scallions) until charred. Set aside.
With a little oil, stir-fry onion segments until the sides are charred but not wilted. Set aside.
Mongolian Sauce
Heat oil in a small saucepan over medium heat. Stir-fry garlic and ginger until aromatic, about 30 seconds. Add the rest of the ingredients and bring to a boil. Let boil for 10 minutes, reducing.
Check consistency of sauce. If necessary, further thicken by making a slurry by combining potato starch and water. Drizzle in slurry 1/2 tbsp at a time until the sauce is at desired thickness. Strain, keep warm and set aside.
Steak
Remove steak from the fridge to temper to room temperature.
In a cast iron pan over high heat, sear steak in oil until each side forms a crust, about 1-2 minutes. Let rest for at least 5 minutes before slicing.
Serve with seared alliums, warm sauce and rice.
