THE DISH
“This dish is inspired by the French colonisation of Vietnam and the influence that this had over the cuisine at the time. This beef dish is one of those great classic dishes—known in Vietnamese as Bo Luc Lac. At Botanic House, we source only the best produce. Here, we use Angus Beef Striploin from the Riverine region. The tender beef is cut into cubes, then marinated with garlic, oyster sauce & sesame oil overnight, allowing the beef to absorb all the great flavours.
We bring a wok to intense heat, add a little oil, the beef is added, then flames ignite creating an incredible Wok Hei, also known as ‘breath of the wok’, which is the complex charred aroma and flavour it imparts to the dish. Once the flame calms, we add butter, onions and native pepperberry (from northern NSW) and stir-fry for a further minute. The beef is wonderfully charred & cooked to medium. Our Native Pepper Beef is served with textural green papaya, coriander, cherry tomato, spring onion & chilli, garlic, oyster sauce. This dish is best shared and enjoyed with steamed Jasmin rice.”
THE CHEF
Luke Nguyen
Chef, restaurateur, TV presenter and former Master Chef judge Luke Nguyen brings over twenty years’ experience to his role as Ambassador Chef of Botanic House. Born in Thailand and raised in Australia by Vietnamese parents and Chinese grandparents, Luke opened his first restaurant Red Lantern at age 23. Luke is also the man behind Fat Noodle, an Asian Noodle Bar concept at The Star in Pyrmont Sydney and The Treasury in Brisbane. Luke is the author of seven best-selling and award-winning cookbooks and was recently inducted into the Food Hall of Fame for his cooking and travel programs that are televised in 150 countries.
Our thanks to Luke at Botanic House, Sydney:
www.botanichouse.com.au
