Beef Luc Lac

Cooking time: 45 minutes
Serves: 2

This dish has a special place in my repertoire of SE Asian cuisine. I had just lurched off a very long and crowded bus ride from Kratie to Phnom Penh, Cambodia and I had lost my sweater. This particular 11 hour ride had featured a few of the treats one encounters when taking a local bus: cheap bus fare, loud karaoke, plastic seats in the aisles, and a loose chicken. I was dusty and dog-tired but needed to sink my teeth into something good so I stopped into a restaurant beside my hotel and ordered what was called a Khmer specialty: Beef Luc Lac. It was an absolute pleasure to order it in various parts of the country and receive the same salty sweet and sour flavoured beef on a bed of fresh tomato and onion with a beautifully cooked fried egg as the crown. To top it off: a simple sauce of lime juice and famous ground Kampot pepper with salt.

When returning to Canada I used to make this dish for family and friends and whenever I make it the smiles are as big as a buddha's. It's just a very good wealth of SE Asian flavours and textures that deserves to be made on a special occasion, but go ahead and eat it for breakfast if you fancy, like I used to do on the other side of the ocean.

A couple of ancient secrets here: when selecting limes, never buy the pretty dark green ones that you see in Corona commercials. The best, juiciest limes are those that look old, with the green faded and the skin thinning. So pick those ugly ones and see how much easier it is to squeeze them and how much more juice dribbles out.

Also, pick your beef on the cheaper side. Luc Lac isn't typically made with a classy cut of beef and you'll get a better flavour with a tougher cut. I used a marinating steak for this round and sliced it in small pieces, which I would recommend doing unless using a nice top sirloin or other tender steak. Thinly sliced flank would work well too but feel free to use what you like.

Start the rice:

1 cup rice ( I use brown but jasmine works wonderfully)
1 and 3/4 cup water depending on the type of rice

1) In a small pot, add the rice and water and heat over medium-high heat until boiling.
2) When boiling, reduce the heat to low, cover and cook until tender, about 35- 45 minutes according to the type of rice.

While the rice cooks prepare the beef:

1lb of marinating beef steak, sliced thinly or in small pieces
2 tablespoons oyster sauce
1 tsp fish sauce
juice of two limes
3 tsp ground fresh pepper

1) Mix the oyster sauce, fish sauce and lime juice with the pepper. Add the beef and let marinate for at least 30 minutes.

Prepare the lime pepper sauce:

2 tsp fresh ground pepper
1 tsp salt or to taste
juice of 1/2 -1 lime

1) Mix all together and set aside.

Arrange the vegetable bed:

2 tomatoes, thinly sliced
1 small onion, thinly sliced
1/2 cucumber, sliced (optional)

Prepare the Luc Lac:

1 lb marinated beef
1-2 tablespoons of coconut oil ( or preferred high smoke point oil)
2 cloves garlic, chopped
3 tablespoons oyster sauce
1/2 tablespoon fish sauce
1 red Thai chili, sliced
1 tsp fresh ground pepper
juice of two limes
2 eggs

1) In a medium frying pan or wok heat the oil to medium high to high heat.
2) Add a small amount of garlic to test the heat of the oil: if it bubbles and sizzles without burning it's ready. Add the remaining garlic and stir.
3) Add the chili to the garlic and oil, stirring constantly. Let the chili and garlic cook for no longer than 1 minute.
4) Drain the marinade from the beef and then throw the beef into the pan. Add the oyster sauce, fish sauce, lime juice and pepper. Stirring often, cook for about 2-3 minutes. The beef should be almost cooked through.
5) Spread the beef to the outermost regions of the pan. Crack the eggs into the center without touching the beef. Let cook until the white has set but the yolk is runny, about 2-3 minutes.
6) Spoon the beef onto the bed of sliced vegetables. Top with the fried egg, being careful not to break the yolks.
7) Serve with rice and the lime-pepper sauce. Chnang na (very tasty)!