Beef Lok Lak (Cambodian Stir-Fried Beef)

Method

1. Pat the beef dry with kitchen paper and cut it into 2–3 cm cubes. Finely chop the garlic. In a bowl, mix the beef with the garlic, oyster sauce, soy sauce, fish sauce, ketchup, sugar, pepper and cornflour, massaging it in with your hands, then leave to marinate for 20 min (in the fridge if it will be longer than 30 minutes).

   Add in this stepBeef sirloin or rump 300 gGarlic cloves 3Oyster sauce 1½ tbspSoy sauce 1 tbspFish sauce 1 tspTomato ketchup 2 tspSugar 2 tspBlack pepper ½ tspCornflour (cornstarch) 1 tsp

2. While the beef marinates, prepare the vegetables. Wash and shake dry the lettuce, cut the tomato into wedges, slice the cucumber on the diagonal and the red onion into thin rings, and arrange them on plates. Squeeze the lime juice into small dishes, one per person, and stir in the coarse pepper and salt: this is the dipping sauce (tuk meric).

   Add in this stepLettuce or romaine leaves 5Tomato 1Cucumber ½Red onion ½Lime 1Coarsely ground black pepper (for the dip) 1 tspSalt (for the dip) ½ tsp

3. Heat a little of the oil in a 20 cm pan on medium heat, crack in the eggs and fry for 3 min, until the whites are completely set and the edges are slightly crisp. If you want the yolk fully cooked, flip and cook for 30 seconds more.

   Add in this stepNeutral oil 0.6 tbspEggs 2

   medium heat

4. Heat the rest of the oil in a 28 cm · 1× pan or wok on high heat until it just starts to smoke. Spread the beef in a single layer (in the number of batches shown), leave it untouched for the first minute so it browns, then stir-fry for 2 min 30 sec per batch. It is right when the outside is deep brown and the inside still slightly pink. Crowding the pan makes the meat release water and stew, so do cook it in batches.

   Add in this stepNeutral oil 1.4 tbsp

   high heat

5. Return all the beef to the pan, add the onion cut into wedges and stir-fry on high heat for 1 min more, until the onion is just turning translucent and the sauce coats the beef in a glossy layer. Turn off the heat.

   Add in this stepOnion ½

   high heat

6. Pile the beef onto the vegetables and serve with the rice and fried egg. Dip each piece of beef in the lime-pepper sauce and eat it with the lettuce and tomato.

   Add in this stepWarm cooked jasmine rice 400 g