Let's Do Lunch: Chef Jun Trinh's Flavorful Beef Larp

Sponsored by TooToo Organic Farm (沱沱工社) – find all of the organic, natural, and healthy ingredients you’ll need for this recipe and more by visiting their English online shopping website: shop.tootoo.cn - it’s easy to make orders and get your products via TooToo’s own Cold-Chain logistics system to your door. Ask your favorite restaurant where they source their food supplies – TooToo Organic Farm can be your reliable resource! 

Jun Trinh’s healthy eating habits are anything but new. He may be phasing the gluten products out of the menu at his 4corners restaurant in Gulou, opening a gluten free product shop next door, and minding his own diet after symptoms from celiac disease recently left him all but crippled. 

Although Trinh is taking wholesome eating to a whole new level as of late, the 4 Corners chef and owner has always had an affinity for nutrition. In fact, it was part of his identity as a boy, and it was something he had very little say in. 

“When I was a kid, all my classmates would have Twix and other sweets. But my Mom always packed me healthy Asian dishes,” says Trinh, who is of Vietnamese descent but grew up in Toronto, Canada. One of the items that his mother often sent him to school with is today’s featured dish: beef larp with sticky rice, fresh bean and cabbage. 

“I first ate this dish as a child when my mother's side of the family would have gatherings. I love this dish because of its raw flavours, and its tastes of South East Asia, all without being too heavy. But it sure didn't win me any popularity points at school, because I had to eat it with my hands,” he says with a laugh.  

Trinh adds that he is now grateful that his mother instilled such good habits into him when he was a boy. He now relishes in sharing nutritious dishes in Beijing, saying that this larp lunch is one of his favorite examples (larp is a popular South East Asian meat salad that is considered to be the national dish of Laos). He goes on to break down the nutritional value of its ingredients:

“It has kaffir lime leaves, which are great for gum health. Lemongrass in an anti-inflammatory, antioxidant and much, much more.”

Ingredients (look for the freshest selection on shop.tootoo.cn):

Beef Triangle Meat (try TooToo's Kerchin beef shank from Inner Mongolia)
Sticky Rice (check out TooToo's gluten-free sticky rice)
Cabbage (try TooToo's organic round cabbage)
String Beans (use TooToo's organic string beans)
Cherry Tomatoes or Regular Organic Tomatoes (consider using TooToo's organic red cherry tomatoes)
Organic Hang Pepper 

Directions:

1. Take beef and slice across the grain into 2cm slices.

2. Sprinkle with salt and black pepper. 

3. Grill until medium-rare.

4. Rest for 5 minutes and then slice again into strips. 

5. In a mortar and pestle, combine and mash up:

1/2 knob of galangal
1 shallot 
2 lime leaves 
2 lemongrass (white tender inner stalk only) 
1 thai chilli 
1 lime, quartered 
1 tbsp palm sugar 

6. Then add beef strips and lightly pound before incorporating 3 tbs sticky rice (toasted and ground into coarse powder). 

Other tips for preparation: 
-    Be careful with the chili peppers, perhaps use gloves. For less spice, but still some of that nice chili scent, remove seeds. 
-    The sticky rice should be soaked overnight before cooking. 
-     If using frozen steaks for the beef, go ahead and just pan fry them straight up without de-frosting. Use at least 2.5 cms of oil, preferably coconut or lard for healthy eating.

Tip for eating:
-    Roll the rice into a ball and press into a small disc and scoop the meat onto it. 

For more of Jun Trinh's recipes, made from TooToo's organic products, check out his gluten-free claypot pork and shiitake meat loaf here. 

About the author: A ravenous foodie and frequent tbj contributor, Kyle Mullin has been working as a freelance reporter in Beijing since 2011.

Photos: Mitch Pe Masilun

This series is sponsored by TooToo Organic Farm. Ask your favorite restaurant where they source their food supplies - TooToo Organic Farm can be their reliable choice!

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