[Culverin]

Heya....
I know a couple of you here are pros. I'm sure you've had the Butter Beef at Phnom Penh numerous times now. I'm hoping you'll be able to help crack the recipe for Phnom Penh's butter beef. I'd rather bounce some ideas off you guys before I walk blindly into my kitchen and create some sort of monstrosity. I've done it before. We had to order in pizza. :cry:

Here's what I know so far.


Beef (tenderloin?), it seems fairly low in fat content. Partially cooked
Cilantro. Rough chop.
Garlic. Chopped. Fried till crispy, but not bitter.
Sauce, it's sweet, salty and sour at the same time. It's thicker than water, but

Sweet - plain white sugar?
Salty - dark soy sauce and fish sauce?
Sour - it doesn't taste like citrus to me, I'm thinking straight up white vinegar? But lime juice is also a very real possibility.



Something weirds me out though. The beef isn't evenly cooked. Sometimes, there's a ring of raw beef on top outside the cooked beef which rings more raw beef.

Uneven
http://cache.johnchow.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/03/penh3.jpg

http://foodosophy.files.wordpress.com/2009/01/butter_beef_phnom_penh.jpg?w=640&h=423


http://www.ededition.com/blogpics/phnompenh-2.jpg


http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3088/2611882351_37e4d8118c.jpg


I know this is kind of ludicrous for me to say... But I have this very weird suspicion that it's being stuck in the microwave.?!?!?



Anyways, I've never really done a beef carpaccio before. Is there anything I'll need to keep in mind? Special treatment to keep the meat soft? Food safety? I'd be getting it from my local butcher (Supreme Meats, not a supermarket), but even then, the meat might not be 100% perfect.

[Ulic Qel-Droma]

mother natures pussy never looked so delicious.

[SkinnyPupp]

It's just a chunk of lean beef cooked halfway through, then sliced. Probably tenderloin. I doubt they use a microwave :lol

[Vansterdam]

:sweetjesus::sweetjesus::sweetjesus::sweetjesus:

[Jer3]

i always thought it was a mix of lime juice + vinegar. give it a try next time and report back lol

[sonick]

This has some good info on keeping raw meat clean prior to serving raw:

Making Steak Tartare | Michael Ruhlman (http://ruhlman.com/2011/06/how-to-make-steak-tartare/)

A lot of folks are worried about bacteria, and with good reason. Poorly handled meat can make you sick. That’s why it’s important to buy whole muscles. Choose the cheapest leanest cut you can find (if you have access to farm raised beef, even better), which is usually top round or eye of round. Bacteria don’t exist on the interior of meat so you only need to deal the the exterior. First, wash your hands, then rinse the meat thoroughly under running water. Then give it a thorough coating of salt—a uniform coating, can’t use too much—for an hour or so, refrigerated. Then rinse it, grind or chop, season and serve. I’ve never, ever had a problem with bacteria from beef I’ve ground myself. Buy on 2 to 4 ounces (60 to 120 grams) per person.

[ShyGuy]

Yum...i hope you can crack their sauce...after you're done that work on figuring out their chicken wings!!

[skholla]

even better, the fried spicy garlic squid!

[rexsomnii]

6that looks good.

we have something like that in vietnam too.

its called bo tai chan.

basically raw beef with lime. you combine the beef and toppings
on a ban phon tom. (vietnamese shrimp chip) usually pink or white & crunchy

[Culverin]

Yum...i hope you can crack their sauce...after you're done that work on figuring out their chicken wings!!
Their wings aren't that hard. If you've ever fried wings yourself, it's pretty easy. I'll play around with my batter and spices and see what I come up with.

even better, the fried spicy garlic squid!
I can do that... Not so hard.
Already did tofu:
https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-MqBoDxfv1c8/Tjnth80wcNI/AAAAAAAAAwk/7EQWgAScYfY/2011-08-03%25252017.37.11.jpg

[Razor Ramon HG]

My close friend owns Phnom Penh. I can ask him again what sauce they use. I forgot, but IIRC.. it's a mixture of fish sauce, lime juice, and something else.

[Culverin]

o.m.g.
:fullofwin:
Can you ask him about that raw-cooked-raw ring around the beef too?
It kills that I can't figure out why it's like that.

[[jsx] sky]

I know there's butter and worchestershire in the sauce

and I think the ring is there because they put a plate over it and steam it for a few seconds

[Culverin]

You think there's butter in it???
But the sauce isn't oily at all.

[Vansterdam]

Worschestershire sauce? Lol I don't think so
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[ShyGuy]

I'm pretty sure there IS butter in it. I have seen once or twice some small unmelted chunks of butter.

[Durrann]

Imma cravin lol
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[mqin]

My close friend owns Phnom Penh. I can ask him again what sauce they use. I forgot, but IIRC.. it's a mixture of fish sauce, lime juice, and something else.

stfu bernie!! why you spilling the secret

[Culverin]

Bernie, would love to know a bit more... :badpokerface:
Please, please, pretty please?

[Razor Ramon HG]

Buddy wouldn't spill it :lol

[ShadowBun]

:okay:

[WeezyFBaaby]

does anyone know when this places opens again? i know its under renovations right now.

[WeezyFBaaby]

oh, and whats the name of their renowned chicken wings?

[shawnly1000]

does anyone know when this places opens again? i know its under renovations right now.

IIRC week of 27th
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[Razor Ramon HG]

does anyone know when this places opens again? i know its under renovations right now.

They're arriving back in town next week.

[ooops]

sauce on top and smaller plate covering and steamed for about 30 seconds ... i too had a feeling they microwaved before, that's the effect you would get (cooked ring)

[Vale46Rossi]

Nooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!


I just went there..... it's closed =(

I was looking inside trying to find someone...

I WANT CHICKEN WINGS + SQUIDDDDDDDDD

[FN-2199]

BUTTER BEEF TIME!!! OMNOMNOMMMMM
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[Vale46Rossi]

Are they back??????

[Leetastic]

Yeah they're back since Thursday.

[instantneedles]

So i was on the skytrain talkin to a buddy and this dude all of a sudden puts a pause to our convo and demands that we go to this phenom phen place to try out their chicken wings and dip. This place better be good if im going all the way to chinatown to try it
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[HondaGuy]

Havent been there for awhile..craving the beef, fried prawns and jackfruit slushie...mmmmm