Tinned Corned Beef

Ingredients

Main

• 2 tinscorned beef, about 340 g each
• 2onions, sliced
• 2 tablespoonsoil

To season

• 2garlic cloves, chopped
• 1tomato, chopped, optional
• 1 tablespoonsoy sauce
• black pepper
• 1chilli, sliced, optional

To serve

• steamed white rice
• a fried egg, per person, optional

Directions

1. Chill the tin before opening it, which helps it come out whole. Break the block up with a fork before it goes in the pan. Slice the onions fairly thickly rather than fine. Thin onion disappears entirely into the meat.
2. Chop the garlic and the tomato if you are using them. Frying it takes under twenty minutes. Heat the oil in a wide frying pan over medium heat. Add the onions and cook them slowly.
3. Let them soften and turn golden, about eight minutes. Do not rush this, because the sweetness matters.
4. Add the garlic and cook it for another minute. Stir in the tomato if you are using it. Let it break down for two or three minutes. Crumble the corned beef into the pan.
5. Break it up with a wooden spoon as it heats. Spread it out and let it sit without stirring. Turn it after three minutes and let it crisp again. Repeat this two or three times. Do not stir it constantly, which keeps it pale and wet.
6. Add no salt at all until you have tasted it. Add the soy sauce for depth rather than for salt. Grind in plenty of black pepper. Add the sliced chilli now if you want heat.
7. Taste it and adjust from there. Serving it is done over white rice. Steam plain white rice and pile it into bowls. Spoon the corned beef and onion over the top. It is also eaten cold in sandwiches the next day.

Technique

• Nauru’s phosphate deposits were largely worked out by the 1990s and the economy contracted sharply afterwards.
• The dietary shift that came with the boom years is one of the most studied cases of rapid nutrition transition in the Pacific.

Substitutions

• Fresh minced beef can be used with extra salt for a less processed version.
• Tinned mackerel or tuna is cooked the same way in many Pacific households.

Variations

• Some cooks add tinned or frozen mixed vegetables to the pan.
• A version with coconut cream stirred in at the end is made across parts of Micronesia.
• Corned beef fried with cabbage is common throughout the Pacific.

History

Phosphate royalties from the 1960s replaced fishing and gardening with imported processed food, leaving Nauru among the world’s highest diabetes rates.

Frequently asked questions

What is Tinned Corned Beef?

Tinned Corned Beef is a main from Nauru: imported corned beef fried with onion and rice, a mainstay of the modern diet. Phosphate royalties from the 1960s replaced fishing and gardening with imported processed food, leaving Nauru among the world’s highest diabetes rates.

How long does Tinned Corned Beef take to make?

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

What can I substitute in Tinned Corned Beef?

Yes, within limits. Fresh minced beef can be used with extra salt for a less processed version. Tinned mackerel or tuna is cooked the same way in many Pacific households.

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

Chill the tin before opening it, which helps it come out whole. Break the block up with a fork before it goes in the pan. Slice the onions fairly thickly rather than fine. Thin onion disappears entirely into the meat.