Heavenly Beef Recipe

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Heavenly beef or Nua Sawan, a spicy beef jerky with a sweet twist, fits the bill for a high protein snack and travel food. The meat is cut into strips for easy eating on the go, tastes great at room temperature and, like any jerky, doesn't spoil easily. When we travel and pack our own meals, we always bring heavenly beef and sticky rice.

Traditional heavenly beef is thin, flat and often overpoweringly sweet. In this recipe, I cut down the sugar significantly because we prefer the complexity of other flavors.

4 Servings, Prep Time: 30 Minutes, Total Time: 3 Hours30 Minutes

1 1/2 lbs beef
1 tablespoon coriander
1 tablespoon cumin
3/4 - 1 tablespoon peppercorns
1/2 tablespoon salt
3 tablespoons sugar

Tips and Techniques

The spices can be ground and stored in the pantry.

Use 1 tablespoon of peppercorns, if you like the heat. However, if you are making heavenly beef for kids, 1/2 - 3/4 tablespoon might be just enough heat.

Method

There are 2 parts to this recipe; making the beef jerky and frying the spiced dried beef jerky.

Choosing the Beef

The best cut for heavenly beef is any cut of beef that is on sale, even ones with fat and gristle. The way the beef is cut and cooked, the gristle will be exposed and the fat will melt away.

Making Beef Jerky

Grind cumin, coriander (cilantro seeds) and peppercorns into a coarse mixture. If you are using a food processor, use ground pepper instead; the peppercorns seem to escape the blade. Mortar and pestle work well for me.

Cut the beef into 4 inch by 1/2 inch strips. Add the spice mixture above, sugar and salt. Mix or massage the spices into the beef.

Heat up your oven to 170 F. Line the oven rack with the strips. Space them out for fast and even drying. Leave the oven door ajar to let the moisture out. Dry the heavenly beef for at least 1 hour. Two hours, though, is ideal for storage. The meat will be dry and turn darker, almost purplish.

Storage

The uncooked dried heavenly beef can be stored in the fridge for up to a week, or in the freezer for months. You can drop the beef directly into frying pan when you need to.