Corned Beef

Ingredients

The dish

• 2 tinscorned beef, about 680 g, chilled
• 2onions, sliced
• 2 tbspoil
• 2tomatoes, chopped
• 1green pepper, diced
• 2 clovesgarlic, crushed
• 1 tspblack pepper
• 1chilli, sliced, optional

To serve

• hot white rice
• soy sauce
• lime wedges

Directions

1. Chill the tins in the fridge for an hour before opening. Cold corned beef comes out of the tin in one block and can be sliced or crumbled cleanly; at room temperature it is a paste and turns to mush in the pan.
2. Turn the block out and break it into rough chunks rather than shredding it fine. Some texture left is the difference between a good plate and baby food.
3. Heat the oil in a wide pan and fry the onion over medium-high heat for 8 minutes until soft and starting to brown at the edges.
4. Add the garlic and pepper and cook two minutes more, then the tomato and cook until it collapses.
5. Add the corned beef and press it into the pan in a single layer. Leave it alone for three or four minutes so it browns and crusts on the base before you stir it.
6. That crust is the point of the dish. Stirred constantly, it steams; left to sit, it caramelises against the pan.
7. Turn it over, break it up a little more, and let the other side crust for another few minutes.
8. Season with black pepper — no salt, the tin has plenty — and serve over hot rice with soy sauce and lime.

Technique

• Chill the tin first, then leave the beef alone in the pan. Those two things make the difference.
• Never add salt. Tinned corned beef is already heavily salted.
• It is a post-war shipped-in food that displaced fish and breadfruit, and it is cooked with that history rather than around it.

Substitutions

• Tinned mackerel or Spam, both cooked exactly the same way and both common on the islands.
• Cabbage or bean sprouts added with the onion, which stretches it further.

Variations

• Corned beef and cabbage stewed together, which is the common Pacific version.
• Fried into a hash with diced potato and topped with a fried egg.

History

Shipped in by American administration and traders, canned meat displaced fish and breadfruit in the post-war Marshallese diet.

Frequently asked questions

What is Corned Beef?

Corned Beef is a charcuterie & cured from Marshall Islands: tinned salt beef fried with onion and served over rice. Shipped in by American administration and traders, canned meat displaced fish and breadfruit in the post-war Marshallese diet.

How long does Corned Beef take to make?

Corned Beef takes 10 min of preparation and 20 min of cooking. The recipe makes serves 4. It is rated easy to make.

What can I substitute in Corned Beef?

Yes, within limits. Tinned mackerel or Spam, both cooked exactly the same way and both common on the islands. Cabbage or bean sprouts added with the onion, which stretches it further.

What is the most important thing to get right in Corned Beef?

Turn the block out and break it into rough chunks rather than shredding it fine. Some texture left is the difference between a good plate and baby food.