'Paddock to Plate' Dinner at Assiette + Beef Satay & Spicy Peanut Sauce Recipe

If you are a long time reader of my blog, you should know that I have only attended and blogged about a handful of foodie events. I am not a brilliant food writer and my interest really is to create beautiful dishes to be presented on the plate rather than to write about what is presented on the plate.

But, once in a blue moon, I do come across projects or events that I get excited about. This is one of them and it also marks the first dinner event I have attended since I injured my back in May last year. Although I couldn't sit through the entire 10 courses, it's a good come back.

I was invited along with seven bloggers by Meat and Livestock Australia (MLA), a producer-owned company that provides services to the Australian red meat industry, to each develop a beef recipe in consultation with renowned Assiette's chef Warren Turnbull. Warren has hand pick an grass-fed Angus steer sourced from acclaimed beef producer, Alison McIntosh's property at Crookwell, in Southern New South Wales and got it butchered by Anthony Puharich of Vic's Meats and Victor Churchill. Our beef creations would then be showcased by Warren and his team at an intimate degustation dinner at Assiette.

It's fascinating not just to learn about the 'Paddock to Plate' experience but to actually participate and be part of this unique farm to food journey.

The Angus steer was divided into nine cuts. Eight food bloggers, as well as Warren Turnbull, were each given a different cut to work with for the development of a recipe for the beef degustation dinner.

I was presented with the beef rump which is cut from the hindquarters. It is a boneless piece of beef that covers the hip bone of the animal. There are two rumps per carcase. Being a versatile cut, it can be roasted, pan-fried, barbecued, stir-fried or slow cooked in a braise or casserole. It is a great full-flavoured piece-of-beef.

It wasn't a difficult decision to make on what to create with the rump. It came naturally to me that I want to create a Malaysian dish to celebrate my heritage. Rump is the perfect cut for Beef Satay, a traditional Malaysian dish that is well loved by the nation. My worry was more whether my idea and the flavours could be accepted and incorporated into a degustation menu. It also takes a lot of courage for one to suggest a street food to be put on a fine dining menu.

A phone call with Warren Turnbull to discuss my dish did remove all my doubts. Having the seal of approval from Warren, it was then down to the hard work: to perfect the beef satay recipe and and then to work on the spicy peanut sauce and condiments to complete the dish.

Beef satay is traditionally served with spicy peanut sauce, ketupat (It is made from rice that has been wrapped in a woven palm leaf pouch and boiled. As the rice cooks, the grains expand to fill the pouch and the rice becomes compressed. This method of cooking gives the ketupat its characteristic form and texture of a rice dumpling.), cucumber and onions. I have suggested nasi impit which is similar to ketupat except that the rice is manually compressed instead of being wrapped and cooked in the woven palm leaf pouch. I have also suggested ulam, the less known Malaysian herb salad as the condiment to the beef satay instead of the usual suspects - cucumber and onions.

Excitement and anxiousness overpowered me on the evening our recipes were brought to life at Assiette. The rump was neatly trimmed into a small log, marinated and grilled to perfection. The rice cake was sliced into a similar shape as the rump and coated with kerisik (toasted dessicated coconut). Cucumber Spaghetti was a nice change from the traditional cucumber cubes.

Ulam is usually eaten with sambal but instead it was served in a salad bowl with a light dressing. I have provided a list of ingredients that can be used in the salad but most are hard to source in Australia. Among the ingredients, Warren has chosen Daun Kaduk (batel leaf), Daun Limau Pulut (kaffir lime leaf), Spanish onions and fresh red chillies.

I wasn't able to sit through the entire ten course degustation dinner because of my back injury. I missed out on the last three courses but the kind and forever helpful Fouad from The Food Blog has come to my rescue and sent me the photographs of dishes that I missed out on. Here is the photo journey of the wonderful dishes created by Warren, his team and bloggers who took part in this project.

Beef and ale pie - Sarah Hobbs, Taste.com.au

White Rabbit Dark Ale, Healesville, Victoria

Achiote and tequila cured beef knuckle with pozole rojo - Anna Fedeles, Morsels & Musings

Bodegas Hidalgo 'Faraon' oloroso, Jerez, Spain

Seared sirloin, buttered roots, horseradish and wakame - Cathy Xiao Chen, Aficionado

Kidiozumi Hakugyokuko 'Yamahai Nama' Sake, Chiba, Japan

Thai beef salad with mint, peanuts and chilli dressing - Warren Turnbull, Assiette

2009 Chehalem '3 Vineyards' Pinot Gris, Oregon, USA

Beef Satay with spicy peanut sauce, rice cake and herb salad - Ellie Hoeve, Almost Bourdain

2009 Domaine Sigales Asirtiko/Athiri, Santorini, Greece

Scotch fillet with moghrabiyeh - Fouad Kassab, The Food Blog

2009 Pittnauer Blaufrankisch Rose, Burgenland, Austria

Pulled beef and pine mushroom cannelloni - Trina So, The Gourmet Forager

2009 Cairanne, Domaine Marcel Richaud, Rhone Valley

Braised beef in coffee with brandied cumquats and onion milk - Rebecca Varidel, Inside Cuisine

2009 Akarua Pinot Noir, Central Otago, New Zealand

(Photograph credits The Food Blog)

Slow braised brisket with cauliflower cream and Pedro Ximenez muscatels - Bridget Davis, The Internet Chef

2009 Sami Odi Shiraz, Barossa Valley, South Australia

(Photograph credits The Food Blog)

Citrus terrine with yoghurt sorbet and poached rhubarb - Soren Lascelles, Assiette

2002 Blue Pyranees 'Cuvee Riche', Pyranees, Victoria

(photograph credits The Food Blog)

Seeing my dish come to life in the hands of Warren Turnbull and his team was the highlight of the entire experience. Meeting many other bloggers for the first time and sharing a wonderful meal with everyone who was involved in the 'Paddock to Plate' process has brought this experience to a whole new level. Most of all, thanks to Hausmann Communications and MLA for this wonderful opportunity.

Beef Satay
Makes 24 skewers

Ingredients

24 wooden skewers, soaked in water overnight
500 g rump steak, cut into 2cm cubes

Basting mixture:
1 lemongrass
1/2 cup peanut oil or other cooking oil
1/2 cup coconut milk

Marinade:
60 g Asian shallots
10 g ginger
5 g galangal
2 lemograss, white part only
2 cloves garlic
1 tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp ground fennel seeds
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp salt
1 tbsp shaved dark palm sugar

Method

1. Add all ingredients in the marinate list in a food processor and whiz until a paste is form.
2. Marinade the meat with the paste for at least 4 hours or overnight.
3. Prepare the basting mixture by mixing the coconut milk with oil. Bruise the white part of the lemongrass and use it as a brush.

4. Thread the meat into wooden skewers and chargrill on woodfire. Turn and baste the meat regularly with the basting mixture using the lemongrass brush.
5. Grill until beef is almost cooked through and crisp and brown on all sides.

Spicy Peanut sauce
Serves 4

Ingredients

120g Asian shallots
2 cloves garlic
10g galangal
20g ginger
1 lemongrass, use only the white part, roughly chopped
1 tsp turmeric
8 dried chillis, soaked in hot water for 10 minutes and deseeded
1/2 cup peanut oil (or any other cooking oil)
200 g raw peanuts, toasted and crushed
2 tbsp tamarind pulp, soaked in 1/2 cup water, squeezed out juice and
strained
3 tbsp shaved dark palm sugar
2 tsp salt
300 ml coconut cream (or coconut milk for thinner sauce)

Method

1. Add shallots, garlic, galangal, ginger, lemongrass and chilli in a food processor and whiz until it forms a fine paste.
2. Heat a wok with peanut oil, add the spice paste, turmuruc and stir fry under low heat until the oil seperated from the paste.
3. Add taramind juice, crushed peanuts, palm sugar, salt and coconut cream and keep stirring under low heat until it reaches a slow simmer and the oil has separated and float on top.