Balsamic Caramel Beef with Shiitake Mushrooms, Rice, and Toasted Coconut
Serves 6
When Monica Pope opened her first restaurant in the early 1990s, her ambition was "to change the way Houston ate." Her award-winning local, organic Houston restaurant, T'afia, fulfills that ambition. For this signature beef dish, Pope recommends hormone- and antibiotic-free meat and allorganic produce.
Ingredients
¼ cup shaved or shredded coconut (may be store-bought or freshly shaved with a grater into medium-sized shreds)
2 cups rice
2 cups chicken stock (or low-sodium broth)
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon molasses
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons sugar
6 cloves garlic, peeled and thinly sliced
1 piece fresh ginger (about 1 inch long), peeled and minced
2 cups shiitake mushrooms, sliced
2 tablespoons grapeseed oil
1½ pounds beef, cut into 1½-inch cubes
1 cup flour
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 tablespoon freshly ground pepper
Directions
-
Preheat oven to 350°F.
Place shredded coconut on a
thin baking sheet and bake,
stirring often, until golden
brown, about 20 minutes.
Remove from oven, cool, and
set aside.
- Cook the rice: Follow the instructions on the package of your favorite rice. (Pope recommends Japanese sticky rice.) When done, keep warm until ready to serve.
- While the rice is cooking, prepare the sauce: In a large bowl, combine chicken stock, soy sauce, molasses, vinegar, sugar, garlic, and ginger.
- In a sauté pan over medium heat, sauté mushrooms in 1 tablespoon grapeseed oil until tender, then set aside.
- In a large bowl, sift flour, salt, and pepper until thoroughly mixed. Working in small batches, dredge beef cubes in the seasoned flour, shake off excess flour, and sear with 1 tablespoon grapeseed oil in a sauté pan over medium-high heat for 3 minutes. (Note: This will cook the beef only about halfway.)
- When all beef cubes have been seared, combine all of the beef and mushrooms in the pan. Pour in ½ cup sauce and bring to a boil, shaking pan occasionally, until sauce has slightly thickened, about 5 minutes.
- Assemble the dish: Mound rice in the middle of the plates. Top with beef and balsamic-caramel sauce. Garnish with toasted coconut.
Nutrition Facts
Per serving: 675 calories, 26 g fat (9.5 g saturated), 79 g carbohydrates, 31 g protein, 4 g fiber, 766 mg sodium (33% Daily Value).
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