Caxton magazines staffCanadian born Phil Fong and his wife Sandra Nolan serve up a modern fusion-style Asian menu with an innovative twist
INGREDIENTS
For the soy-maple dipping sauce:
- 150ml soy sauce
- 150ml maple syrup
For the fillet:
- 500g beef fillet
- 15ml olive oil
- coarse sea salt and pepper
- 3ml chilli flakes
- 10ml sesame oil
- 15ml soy sauce
To assemble:
- 8 rice paper rounds
- cucumber, red pepper and red chilli, sliced into thin slivers
- fresh basil and mint, chopped
METHOD
1. To make the soy-maple dipping sauce: combine the ingredients in a small, heavy-bottomed pot. Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat to medium and simmer gently until reduced by half. Set aside and allow to cool.
2. Rub the fillet with olive oil and sprinkle salt, pepper and chilli flakes all over it. Leave the meat to rest at room temperature for an hour.
3. Sear the fillet on the braai for 10 minutes until brown on all sides. Let the meat rest for 15 minutes, then slice it thinly into strips and combine with the sesame oil and soy sauce.
4. To assemble the wraps: dip a single rice paper round in water until soft, about 10–20 seconds. Remove and pat dry. Place some of the beef, strips of cucumber, red pepper and chilli and some fresh basil and mint in the centre of the rice paper round. Fold one end over the filling to form a base and then roll the rice paper from the side to enclose. Repeat with the remaining beef, vegetables, herbs and rice paper rounds.
5. To serve: cut each beef wrap in half on the diagonal and arrange on a platter. Serve with little bowls of the soy-maple dipping sauce.
Cook’s note: This dipping sauce can be stored in a sealed jar at room temperature for up to a month.
This recipe serves 8.
