We are glad to have Lucy demonstrates in the Gilmore Park Church Community Kitchen. Lucy has signed up for a pharmacy course and once her class starts in early March, she will not be able to attend the community kitchen anymore. We do wish her the best in her future undertakings.

Lucy made this spicy Beef Jerky in the community kitchen. She brought some of these Home-made Beef Jerky for us to try on a previous meeting and all of us love it. We are glad that she can show us how to make it. These spicy beef jerky is so good that we cant stop snacking on it. If you cant eat spicy food, you can leave out the hot chili powder. We actually made two batches, one with hot chili powder and another without because Frank cant take spicy food. They are both good but I preferred the spicy one, of course. According to Lucy, after refrigeration, it will not tastes as spicy as it just comes out from the oven.

Ingredients

• 1kg stewing beef
• 40ml water
• 90ml soy sauce
• 50ml sugar
• 12.5ml (2 1/2 teaspoons) ground Szechuan pepper ground (dry roast whole Szechuan pepper corn until fragrant, place in a ziplock bag and use a rolling pin to crush the pepper until fine)
• 12.5ml (2 1/2 teaspoons) hot chili powder
• 3 to 5 star anise
• 3 to 5 thin slices of ginger

Preheat the oven to 350F.

Place the stewing beef in a pot of cold water and switch on the stove to high to bring the water to a boil.

Let the water boiled for a few minutes and test the beef with a knife or fork to make sure the juices run clear i.e. not bloody. Do not over cook the beef or else they will be tough.

Drain the beef and let them cool naturally. Lorna asked if we can cool the beef under cold running water and Lucy replied that if the beef cool naturally, it will be more tender.

Once the beef is cold enough to handle, cut them into small cubes; the smaller they are, the tastier they will be as there are more surface to absorb the sauce.

Prepare the sauce by mixing the rest of the ingredients in a big bowl.

Toss in the beef cubes and make sure each piece is coated with the sauce.

Lay the beef on a single layer on a parchment lined baking sheet. You’ll need two baking sheet for this recipe.Bake in a 350F preheated oven for 8 minutes. Remove the baking sheets from the oven to give it a good stir and return the baking sheets into the oven for another 8 minutes. Remember to switch the baking sheets position to have even baking.Let the beef cool before storing them in air tight container in the refrigerator. Lucy said they should last for a week in the refrigerator.