Saturday, June 30, 2012

Rolled Beef with Vegetables Inside

This is a meat dish in which colorful vegetables such as carrot, green beans and burdock root are wrapped inside slices of beef. Although served cool, the rolls are delicious and easy to eat hot! Try them for a party!
Preparation time: 40 minutes
Ingredients:
10 ounces (300g) lean beef, thinly sliced (ask your butcher to slice it)
  Substitution: pork, sliced as above
4 ounces (100g) carrot
4 ounces (100g) burdock root
To boil carrot and burdock root: 1/2 cup water, 1 tsp. sugar, 1 tsp. soy sauce
4 ounces (100g) green beans
Broth for cooking rolls: 1/4 cup water, 1 T. sake (rice wind) or dry white wine, 1 T. miring (sweet rice wine for cooking), 3 T. soy sauce
Cornstarch or potato starch for dusting meat
1 T. vegetable oil for sautéing
4 sprigs watercress, as garnish

Preparation:
1. Scrape carrot and cut lengthwise into strips about 6 inches long and roughly 1/4 inch square.
2. Scrape the thin, brown skin off burdock root with the back of a knife, and cut crosswise, then lengthwise, into strips of the same size as carrot. Soak in water containing 1 tsp. vinegar for 5 minutes immediately after cutting to prevent discoloring. Drain and rinse off vinegar.
3. Bring to boil 1/4 cup water containing 1 tsp. each of sugar and soy sauce, add carrot and burdock root, and boil until done, or about 5 minutes.
4. Cut off tips from green beans and remove strings. Bring 2 cups water containing 1/4 tsp. salt to a boil, and parboil beans in pot without lid until tender, or about 3 minutes, and drain. Cool quickly under running water and drain.
5. Cut beef slices into 2 inch wide strips. The length will vary according to the size of your slices.
6. Spread beef on chipboard and sift cornstarch lightly over the upturned part only.
7. Make several bunches of vegetables using 2 pieces each of burdock root, carrot strips and green beans.
8. Put one bunch of vegetables on the dusted side of each slice of beef and roll. Fix last wrap with toothpick so they will not come apart when cooked. Make several rolls. dust outside of each lightly with cornstarch or potato starch.

Cooking:
1. Heat pan with 1 T. vegetable oil over high heat, and sauté beef rolls until slightly browned all over, turning over occasionally.
2. Add broth. When it begins to simmer, reduce heat to low, and continue to sauté about 5 minutes, turning rolls over continuously until well-flavored and well-coated with sauce, then turn off heat.

Serving:
After the rolls have cooled slightly, cut each crosswise into 1 to 2 inch thick rounds. Serve several pieces on each person's plate, and pour remaining sauce on top. Watercress makes a good garnish for these rolls.

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