East meets West...

I tend to be a bit sceptical about fusion cooking in general, especially when I see poor, if not bizarre combinations on a menu. That's when I jokingly refer to it as 'con-fusion cooking'. But having said that there are a great many exceptions. Some chefs have the vision and an understanding of the cuisines in all their complexities and those few magically come up with the good stuff. Jean George Vongerichten happens to be one of them and his booming restaurant business is testament to his talent and creativity. So I took one of his recipes and made it my own as I looked through my cookbooks for a recipe with sirloin steaks. Recipe for Asian style Sirloin Steaks: 4 steaks For the marinade: 1 tbsp dark soy 1 tbsp light soy 1 tbsp kecap 1 tbsp Shaoxing cooking wine 2 birdseye/Thai chillies 2 dried chillies 2 cloves pickled garlic 1 tsp salt 1. Bring all the ingredients to a boil and simmer for a few minutes. Cool and puree. 2. Add a handful each of Thai basil and Cilantro and puree again. 3. Brush this marinade onto the steaks, cover and refrigerate. For the topping: 1 tbsp olive oil 1 tsp sesame oil a handful each of Thai basil and Cilantro. salt to taste Puree all the ingredients until it forms a thick paste Serve cooked steaks with a spoonful of the topping, on a bed of baby spinach leaves sauteed in butter or olive oil. Garnish with toasted sesame seeds and serve immediately