Asian Beef Sliders with Pickled Salad & Hand Cut Fries

East meets South (America!) in this delightful food and wine pairing. These Asian beef sliders work beautifully with a dark and decadent Malbec; a gorgeous varietal for which we have Argentina to thank for making a world-wide favourite.

We love: Catchpole & Co El Caliz Malbec, a rich, full-bodied and juicy wine with deep structure, perfectly complements these sexy Asian-style sliders.

Alternative Pairing: Felcourt Mike’s Reserve Merlot

INGREDIENTS:

For the sliders:

  • 4 mini sesame seed buns
  • 500g of beef, cut into slices
  • Butter, for toasting the buns

For the pickled salad garnish:

  • Pickling liquid:
  • 750ml Water
  • 250ml White wine
  • 1 Tbsp sugar
  • 1 Tbsp salt
  • Quarter of a red cabbage, finely sliced
  • Half a cucumber, finely julienned to matchstick pieces
  • 3 Carrots, finely julienned to matchstick pieces
  • 1 Red onion, finely julienned to matchstick pieces
  • 1 Brown onion, finely chopped
  • 1 Baby marrow, finely julienned to matchstick pieces

For the Asian chilli paste:

  • 4 Cups red onion, thinly sliced and deep friend
  • 500ml Deep fried garlic (+-5 bulbs with skin kept on)
  • 125ml Shrimp, tossed in 20ml soya sauce
  • 250ml Chilli flakes
  • 125ml Ginger, finely julienned to matchstick pieces
  • 250ml Palm sugar
  • 125ml Tamarind paste
  • 100ml Sunflower oil
  • 1tsp Shrimp paste

For the fries & mayo:

  • 5 Large potatoes with skins left on, cut into 6mm batons
  • 4 Tbsp chilli paste
  • 100ml Milk
  • 1 Clove garlic
  • 400ml Olive oil

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METHOD:

For the salad garnish:

For best results, make this several days in advance so the salad has enough time to draw flavour from the pickling mixture.

  1. Stir water, vinegar, sugar and salt together in a small pot over high heat. Bring to a boil, then remove from heat and allow to cool
  2. Combine the rest of the salad ingredients in a container. Pour cooled pickling liquid over salad mixture. Seal container with a lid and refrigerate for 2-3 days

 

For the Asian chili paste:

 

  1. Squeeze excess moisture from the shrimp with a paper towel, then toss in soya sauce and dry out in an oven for 40mins at 60°C
  2. Put the chilli flakes in a saucepan, covering them with hot oil, and add the onions
  3. Mince ginger and garlic in a pestle and mortar and once minced, add to the onions and chilli and saute for 3mins
  4. Add the shrimp paste, tamarind and palm sugar
  5. Stirring continuously, cook for a further 3mins for all the flavours to combine, then remove from the heat and allow to cool

For the fries:

  1. Deep fry the potato batons until golden brown
  2. Allow to drain

For the mayo:

  1. Add the milk, garlic clove and 4 tbsp Asian chilli paste to a blender
  2. Add a pinch of salt
  3. Add 400ml oil slowly to the mixture a little at a time while mixing on a low speed setting, until it thickens to a mayonnaise-like consistency. Once thickened, refrigerate

Putting it all together:

  1. Slice buns through the middle, spread a fine layer of butter over both sides and toast until a yummy golden brown
  2. Stir-fry the beef with the Asian chilli paste until cooked through, while the buns are busy toasting
  3. Add a layer of mayo to the bottom of the bun, carefully placing the salad garnish on top, followed by the beef
  4. Line up your sliders in a row, piling your fries in small clusters on the platter. Dot mayo at intervals on the surface of the board. Don’t worry about making this look too precise – a slightly haphazard placement adds to the presentation!

Pour your guests a large glass of Malbec, serve with the sliders and be prepared for the impressed gasps that follow!

You can buy the El Caliz Malbec online here, but why not chat to a Private Wine Merchant to see what else you might fancy?

More great Craig Cormack pairings with F&V wines are here.