Three Easy Taiwanese Dishes to Make at Home with Beef Jerky
Our delicious Hometown jerkies are amazing on their own, but they can also be used as important ingredients in common Taiwanese dishes. Using Taiwanese beef jerky’s umami flavor and soft texture can elevate everyday home-style dishes that bring extra flavor to the table! In this blog post, we’ll be sharing our super easy, favorite dishes that incorporate our delicious beef jerky.
1. Congee
Ingredients
1 cup of white rice (Jasmine rice is recommended)
8 cups of water
1 root of ginger
Cilantro
Green onions
Salt and pepper
Fried shallots
Most importantly, Hometown’s beef jerky of your choice or our delicious pork sung!
Instructions
1. Wash your rice by running water through it until the water is clear.
2. Add 8 cups of water to your rice and cook either in a rice cooker or in a pot on low heat.
3. Chop up your cilantro and green onions finely and set aside.
4. Chop up your ginger into thin strips and set aside.
5. Cut your beef jerky into thin strips and set aside. Remember to stir your porridge every now and then to make sure there’s no burning or clumping!
6. The longer you cook your congee, the thicker it will get. We recommend cooking it until it reaches an oatmeal-like consistency. If it gets too thick, you can always add more water to thin it.
7. Once your congee is ready, top it off with the beef jerky strips (or pork sung) cilantro, green onions, ginger, fried shallots, salt, and pepper.
This recipe is great for a lazy meal or for sick days. The simplicity of traditional congee topped off with our delicious jerky or pork sung adds a delicious savory component to this traditional dish!
2. Taiwanese fried rice
Ingredients
3 cups of cooked 1–2-day old rice (freshly cooked rice will clump together)
4-6 pieces of any Hometown jerky of your choice
2 eggs
½ cup frozen peas, diced carrots, and corn
2-3 cloves of garlic
2 tablespoons of vegetable oil
½ sesame oil
½ tablespoon sugar
1-2 tablespoons soy sauce
¼ tablespoon of white or black pepper Green onions and cilantro for garnish
Salt to taste
Instructions
1. Dice your beef jerky into small pieces (around bite-sized).
2. Mince your garlic and set aside.
3. Chop up cilantro and set aside.
4. Chop up green onions and set aside.
5. Break up your rice if it’s clumpy with your hands.
6. In a separate bowl, combine the sesame oil, sugar, soy sauce, and pepper and mix to make a seasoning sauce.
7. In a wok or a large frying pan, add 1 tablespoon of oil over medium-high heat.
8. Beat your eggs and add them in the wok, scramble until they’re slightly wet and set aside.
9. In the same wok, add the rest of your oil and garlic and stir fry the garlic for about 30 seconds.
10. Next, add the sliced beef jerky and stir fry for about 1 minute until its fragrant.
11. Add the frozen peas, carrots, and corn until thawed.
12. Add the rice, and break any remaining clumps if necessary and stir fry until the rice is heated through.
13. Add the seasoning sauce we made earlier and stir evenly.
14. Add the scrambled eggs and chopped green onions.
15. Stir fry everything to make sure all is heated and distributed evenly.
16. Taste and adjust with additional soy sauce, salt, or pepper if needed.
17. Serve and garnish with additional green onions and cilantro.
You can also top it off with thin slices of beef jerky or our delicous porl sung for more protein and flavor!
Tips:
Using older rice will prevent mushiness!
Cook in batches if your wok/pan is too small.
Make sure the heat doesn’t burn the rice but is relatively high enough to toast the rice.
The beef jerky will absorb moisture from other ingredients, making it softer during the cooking process for a satisfying bite!
3. Minced pork over rice
Ingredients
1 pound ground pork
2 cups water
2 tablespoons of vegetable oil
4-5 cloves of garlic
5 shallots or 1 medium onion
3-4 Shiitake mushrooms
2 tablespoons sugar
4-6 slices of ginger root
1 cinnamon stick
2-star anise
1/3 cup of shaoxing wine
½ teaspoon of five spice powder
½ teaspoon of black pepper
3 tablespoons of soy sauce
2 tablespoons of dark soy sauce
3-4 boiled eggs
Green onions for topping
2 teaspoons of ground Sichuan peppercorns (optional)
Most importantly, 3-4 pieces of Hometown beef jerky, finely diced
Instructions
1. Mince up your garlic and set aside.
2. Chop up your shallots (or medium onion), mushrooms, and green onions and set aside.
3. Heat a large pan or wok on medium heat and add in 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil, chopped up shallots, and mushrooms. Stir for 2 minutes and add in minced garlic.
4. Turn the heat to high and add in your ground pork and spread it out evenly.
5.Add in star anise, cinnamon stick, ginger slices, and dark soy sauce and mix well for 3-4 minutes.
6. When the pork is cooked, add in sugar, soy sauce, five spice, shaoxing wine, black pepper, sichuan peppercorns (for extra spice), water, and peeled hard-boiled eggs.
7. Add half of your finely diced beef jerky and save the other half for topping.
8. Cover and simmer on low or medium heat until the sauce is thick.
Note: Make sure to stir it a few times while it’s reducing!
9. Serve over rice and top off with green onions and your finely diced beef jerky for an extra layer of umami flavor!
In just a few recipes, we've seen how Taiwanese beef jerky's unique blend of sweet, savory, and smoky flavors can transform everyday dishes. We hope that you enjoyed these 3 super-easy dishes that you can make at home with our beef jerky! Whether you're craving a taste of Taiwan or simply looking to experiment with new ingredients, these recipes demonstrate that a bag of beef jerky can be the starting point for countless delicious possibilities.
