Let’s Do Lunch: Aria Chef Phillip Taylor's Beef Vegetable Salad

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On the wall in Phillip Taylor’s kitchen hangs a gleaming air tight sealed box. Inside is an assortment of knives resting safe and sound, and sanitised. 

“The health and safety standards for knives are actually quite high here,” the Australian chef, who works at the Aria restaurant in the China World Hotel, says. He clarified that, of course, most kitchens don’t have high tech knife sanitizers, and there are plenty of Beijing restaurants that don’t follow the nation’s strict health and safety laws. However, when he began working here he was quite surprised, impressed, and even challenged by the food safety regulations.

“Most Western restaurants provide everything but the knives, so chefs have their own and they take a lot of pride in what they have, how they keep them sharp, and so on. But here, especially at hotels, the knives are provided because it’s a safety standard.

He goes on describe the hurdles coupled with that policy’s obvious benefits: “Because the knives are provided, that can lead to them not being very well cared for. So I ordered a bunch of Japanese sharpening stones, and emphasized with the importance of using them with my staff.”

Taylor says such rigorous standards are by no means necessary foodies at home who are readying today’s dish – a simple, delicious healthy beef vegetable salad. However, he says that even an amateur should apply a seasoned kitchen veteran’s approach when it comes to tending to their knives. 

“If you don’t keep your knife sharp it’ll ruin your product, ruin your efficiency, and just make the whole process unsafe,” he says.

Taylor goes on to give a few more simple, but crucial, tips for this dish that will make you feel like culinary insider. 

“You can dress this salad in the morning before you take it to work. For most salads, I recommend you dress it right before eating it. But here, we’re using sturdier vegetables than normal, so having it dressed for a few hours won’t lead to it breaking down.”  

After that, Taylor has one last tip: “Slice the beef thin, it makes it easier to eat when it's cold.”

Aside from the mascarpone, and grain mustard, we sourced all of the ingredients in this recipe from Tootoo Organic Farm (a reliable organic, natural food online shopping supermarket).

Ingredients:

- 200g Kerchin Beef Chuck Tender
- 1 Beetroot
- 1 Tablespoon Grain Mustard
- ½ Bunch Asparagus
- 1 Tablespoon Mascarpone (available at Jenny Lou's and April Gourmet)
- 1 Bunch Shimeji Mushrooms
- Olive Oil
- 1 Lemon
- Salt and Pepper to taste

Directions:

Cooking the Beef

1.    Slice the beef into 2cm medallions.  

2.    Place a pan over high heat.  

3.    Season the beef with salt and pepper and add a splash olive oil to the pan.  

4.    Once the pan is medium to high heat add the beef and cook for one minute on each side, two minutes total.  

5.    Allow the steak to rest on at room temperature; the residual heat will continue cooking the steak and will ensure a nice juicy pink steak.  

6.    Increase cooking time if you prefer a well done steak.

Cooking the Beetroot

1.    Ensure the beetroot is clean.

2.    Place whole beetroot in a pot of cold water with salt and bring to the boil, allow simmering for 30 minutes, and then test with a small nice, the knife should pierce to the core of the beetroot with ease and little resistance.   

3.    Once cooked remove the skin of the beetroot and dice into bite size.  

4.    Dress with lemon, olive oil and seasoning and allow cooling at room temperature, dressing will be absorbed into beetroot.
 

To Prepare the Vegetables

1.    Wash the asparagus in cold water.

2.    Trim of the stem of the asparagus, as it’s too hard to eat.  

3.    Blanch the asparagus in boiling salted water for 20 seconds and place into iced cold water, keeping your asparagus green and vibrant.

4.    Trim the stem of the shemiji mushrooms and give them a quick rinse under cold water.

5.    Pat them dry with a cloth or paper towel.  

6.    Heat a pan to high heat and add a splash of olive oil. 

7.    Add the mushrooms and pan fry them until nice and golden. 

8.    Remove from heat and allow to cool.
 

To Prepare the Dressing:

1.    Add the mascarpone, 1 tablespoon lemon juice, 1 tablespoon of olive oil, and seasoning to taste. 

2.    Mix well.

To Assemble

1. Mix all the vegetables with the dressing in a large bowl.  

2. Slice the beef and lay them over top. 

3. Enjoy.

About the Author: A ravenous foodie and frequent tbj contributor, Kyle Mullin has been working as a freelance reporter in Beijing since 2011.

Photos: Ken Liu

This series is sponsored by TooToo Organic Farm. Ask your favorite restaurant where they source their food supplies - TooToo Organic Farm can be their reliable choice!

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