Thursday 26 January 2017

Freaking Out : PH Eats Raw Beef


Initially I could not bring myself to publish this post. I mean, my intended medium rare steak turned out to be rare. Very rare. No. Raw. 

Well, thanks to RG who is taking the risk of listening to month long lectures 😁, I decided what the heck.

But before I go into the post proper, let me tell you how happy I am that I have found a source for good beef.


Yup, at Jaya Grocer. The meat is vacuum sealed for freshness and you can also get Wagyu beef there. But no, I won't be buying those because it costs something like RM140.00 per packet.

So. I was hankering for a steak salad. I don't know how to cook steak properly. I did it once here and never again. Then I thought of Kris' Beef Salad. Again, what the heck. Go forth and hentam!

OK. I took the beef out from the fridge and let it stand to room temperature. Then I heated my cast iron pan. I seasoned one side of the beef with lots of salt and pepper. When the pan was hot I placed the meat (seasoned side down) into the pan. Sizzle...sizzle...sizzle.

How long? Don't know. Just agak-agak. While one side was cooking, I seasoned the other side with lots of salt and pepper. Then I flipped the steak over. The smell was wonderful.

When I thought it was cooked (to medium rare), I removed it from the pan and let it rest. But I pinched a section of meat that was connected to the bigger piece by some fats. Wow. It tasted incredible. So so good.

And then I assembled my salad. Moment of truth. I sliced the beef. Arrghh...... 

Tengok tu. Tak senonoh. Umur dah nak masuk 5-series pun
masak daging mentah. Macam anak dara baru belajar. Ish!

Is that raw or what? 


Suddenly, Gordon Ramsay's face flashed before me. "What in the bloody hell is THAT?'" In my mind's eye, he glares at me harder. "It's RAW!!" Chill out Gordo. Chill out.

Tsk!! Being the daredevil that I am, I ate it all the same. A bit chewy but juicy and tasty, nevertheless. It seemed such a shame to apply dressing to it.


Thoughts of mad cow disease flashed before my eyes. Or trips to the toilet. But nothing bad happened to me. Touch wood.

Mummy, please don't say anything. I promise I won't pull a stunt like that again.

But I will buy some more beef. Practice makes perfect. I hope to present a properly cooked steak next time. Cheers. Maybe I can make Gordon smile.

28 comments:

  1. it does look red but no red juices oozing out so should be ok i guess since i am no expert. i have eaten medium rare steak once or twice and the red juices are a lot trust me. shudders thinking of it.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It's supposed to be the best way to enjoy a steak. At the restaurant, I feel a bit geli because I sometimes doubt their hygieine standards.

      Delete
  2. Oh no it is raw and you were so BRAVE! Clap! Clap! Bravo Ah Hong!
    I had never eaten beef so raw and probably need big guts like yours. I believe it tasted good with the salad and sauce thrown in.

    I have to compliment your photography skills again for using so much white to bring the beef and greens out in clear perfect contrasts. It certainly made the readers like me to pay attention to your subject. Hee Hee! I was rehearsing what my US lecturer used to mumble.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Waste not, that's why I was brave hah..hah... Your lecturer will be happy that you still remember his mumblings :D

      Delete
  3. I would have been very happy with that doneness...I think you've managed to cook it to medium rare (not rare) by the looks of the cooked rim on the steak (if, for argument sake, we could say it's between rare and medium rare). I guess for us home cooks, when it comes to cooking steaks, it will always be agak-agak unless we stick a thermometer in (like professional kitchens) to check the temperature of the meat to assure its doneness. Since you were eating it sliced that way, you could always cut the steak right in the centre (or slice a bit off at the edge) to check the doneness and return it to the pan to cook a while longer if the inside looks raw to you. You can't do this if you're serving the steak whole though.

    And from the photo of your cut steak (4th pic), you've rested it well, that's why there are no red juices flowing out of it. Resting keeps the juices locked in and also allows the steak to cook further. As for trips to the toilet, you don't have to worry about that if it's a fresh piece of steak as beef (unlike chicken or pork) can be eaten in its raw or rare state.

    My beef salad was the worse comparison you could make as mine was way overcooked...wahahahaha...and it was cheap beef (if only I have a Jaya Grocer near me) :D I'm looking forward to seeing you cook more steaks! ;)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Really? That's medium rare? Wow, I thought it was raw hah..hah... No wonder I did not end up in hospital hee..hee...

      Well, yes, I will be cooking steak again as I have stocked up on some more beef recently :)

      Delete
  4. Love it, love it. Grain fed, you have raised your bar high ��

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Oh, hah..hah...that's the only kind they sell at Jaya Grocer.

      Delete
  5. Hubby often gets beef from Jaya. I prefer grass fed beef and they sell both.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I wonder if there is any significant difference in taste and texture between grain and grass fed.

      Delete
  6. Wahhhh... salute! I am more "chicken" for sure...hahaha... I would end up putting in the pan once more, add salt and pepper like what you did...

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I was too lazy to cook it again, so I just wallop hah..hah...

      Delete
  7. That looks like very good imported Australian beef. I wish we could get something like that here.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It is, the better cuts (with lots of marbling) cost something like RM40 and above.

      Delete
  8. hmmm.. I prefer well done:)Raw meat is not for me

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes, some people prefer it cooked through.

      Delete
  9. I thought that looks medium rare-ish. But what do I know, right? :P

    FYI, people do eat raw beef in some places. I think in Japan there is a raw beef dish where you just add one raw egg into the meat and mix them all up or something. So you're probably fine anyway. :P

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. That's what Kris said, medium rare. So you are right. Yeah, I do remember my grandpa telling me about the raw beef mixed with egg when I was young. It sounded so weird to me then.

      Delete
  10. Hihi, raw eh? But you dare to eat it. If that happen to me, maybe its turn to daging masak kicap.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. hah..hah...I love daging masak kicap :)

      Delete
  11. Kalau tengok warna tu nampak mcm tak masak.... Tapi sesetengah orang suka daging yang raw mcm ni.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Ada yang kata itu separuh masak (medium rare). OK kot sebab lepas makan, PH tak pengsan hah..hah...

      Delete
  12. This looks so good!
    I am always afraid of cooking meat.. so I hardly do it. Funny you talk about mad cow.. I was once told I couldn't give blood because I lived in England when there was the mad cow!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Oh dear! Obviously, you don't have the disease :)

      Delete
  13. This is too raw for me too, I normally have medium for my steak but some said it's a waste as the texture is a bit too tough to be enjoyed. :P

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. That's alright because that's the way you like it.

      Delete