Amber Beef

Amber Beef

　　Slice the beef, cut the carrots into small pieces, and slice the tomatoes. Heat oil in a pan over high heat and stir-fry the beef. Add a bit of black pepper. When the beef is about 60% cooked, add yellow wine, then light soy sauce. Cover and simmer over low heat for 5 minutes. Then add the carrots and tomatoes, and continue cooking over low heat. After 10 minutes, it’s done. The key to this dish is precision—the amounts of pepper, wine, and soy sauce are all ordinary, but get the proportions and heat just right, and the beef turns out incredibly delicious.

The tomatoes completely melt into the broth, and the color of the beef paired with the carrots truly resembles amber. It’s a vivid yet subtle red with a hint of yellow, and the aroma seems to carry the texture—tender, springy, with juices that seem ready to splash. Best served on a white plate; it looks wonderful.