Don’t be misled by the rather uninteresting appearance and name of this beef dish. It is wonderfully flavored and generally so popular that it’s worth making a large amount. Cook as directed below, then if you have leftovers after a meal, deep fry the beef until very crisp. Drain thoroughly and store in an airtight container. This crisp beef is excellent as a finger food with cocktails, and also makes a tasty accompaniment to rice-based meals.

INGREDIENTS :
1 kg beef topside, cut in 4 steaks 250g each
8 cloves garlic, peeled
2 tsp coriander seeds, crushed
1 tbsp chopped palm sugar
2 large red chilies, seeded
2 tbsp laos peeled and sliced
2 tsp dried shrimp paste
2 cloves ground
1 tsp salt
1 tsp black peppercorns, coarsely ground
2 tbsp oil
2 tsp freshly squeezed limejuice

PREPARATIONS :
Bring 5 liters (20 cups) of lightly salted water to the boil in stockpot. Add beef and boil for approximately 1 hour, until very tender. Remove from stock. Meat must be so tender that its fibers separate very easily. Keep stock. Pound meat until flat and shred by hand into fine fibers.
Place garlic, coriander, palm sugar, red chilies, Laos, dried shrimp paste, cloves, salt and peppercorns in food processor and puree coarsely, or grind in a stone mortar. Heat oil heavy saucepan and sauté the marinade for 2 minutes over medium heat.
Add shredded beef, mix well and sauté until dry. Season with limejuice.
Remove from heat and allow cooling. Serve at room temperature with steamed rice.
Helpful hint: Do not tempted to use a food processor to shred the meat; you will obtain the correct texture only by shredding the meat with your fingers or a fork.