How to cook bibimbap, lumpia, and other dishes with Angus corned beef

MANILA, Philippines – How much do we love corned beef? Let us count the ways.

Although it’s not a traditional Filipino dish, most of us grew up enjoying corned beef any time of the day: at breakfast, it’s fried and paired with fried eggs and garlic fried rice or enjoyed as palaman for pan de sal or slices of tasty bread. At lunch or dinner, it’s usually incorporated in egg torta or cooked with potatoes, either as gisado or as a stew.

Every time we go home to a steaming plate of corned beef and enjoy bite after bite, we can’t help but remember happy memories from our youth. We’re easily reminded of how its flavorful, smoky taste and firm texture, especially if its made from pure, premium meat like Angus beef, are enough to complete our day.

This is why our love for this classic remains, even as we learn to enjoy cuisine from around the world. 

Below are examples of how we can recreate some international dishes with premium Angus corned beef. Here are five dishes from Asia, Europe, and the Americas that you can make at home with a delicious, nostalgic twist:

Bibimbap

 

Bibimbap is a popular, colorful, and healthy Korean dish often served in a bowl. It’s easy enough to make and enjoy. You can tweak the ingredients to suit your taste, but the standard usually includes pre-cooked toppings like bean sprouts, zucchini, cucumber, spinach, shiitake mushrooms, and fried egg.

Meat is also added, but instead of pork, beef, or chicken, use a spoon or two of fried corned beef to add another layer of taste and texture to your bibimbap. Don’t forget to add a dollop of gochujang (Korean red chili paste) and a drizzle of sesame oil, and mix well! 

Spaghetti carbonara

Make this Italian dish the traditional way by skipping the pre-packed mixes and making your own sauce from scratch. Carbonara calls for a mixture of raw eggs, hard cheeses, and ground pepper for the sauce, in which the freshly cooked pasta and fried pork (usually guanciale or pancetta) are tossed into.

For your dish, you can either add corned beef in straight from the can (it’s pre-cooked!) as substitute for the pork or mix it in with strips of fried bacon.

Nachos

Nachos is a fusion of American and Mexican cuisines, or Tex-Mex. In this dish, a bed of crispy tortilla chips is topped with sliced pickled jalapeño peppers and olives, beans, salsa, sour cream, and melted cheese, among many other toppings.

Nachos usually call for ground pork, beef, or chicken, but feel free to make it your own by replacing it with fried corned beef.

Hamburgers

Hamburgers is an all-American dish, often enjoyed with fries on the side. Its star is the patty, which is made by seasoning raw ground beef with salt and pepper and forming into a disc-like shape, then cooked by either grilling or frying.

For this version, make the patties as you would but use corned beef. Pan fry your patties and when they’re done, sandwich one or two in between a bun along with lettuce, tomato, and cheese. 

Fried lumpiang shanghai rolls

Lumpiang shanghai, like corned beef, is a quintessential Filipino favorite often served during birthdays, family reunions, Christmas, New Year, and other occasions in between. So how about combining two well-loved dishes to create a new one?

The traditional lumpia shanghai recipe calls for a mixture of ground pork seasoned with salt and pepper, chopped carrots and onions, and wrapped in lumpia wrappers. These are then deep fried until golden brown to make sure the filling is fully cooked.

To give your lumpiang shanghai a new twist, use corned beef! Mix it straight from the can and make the filling as you normally would. The corned beef will give this old favorite a new flavor and texture.

By simply opting for corned beef instead of pork, beef, or chicken, you can easily add a new layer of smoky, beefy flavor and texture to any of your favorite dishes.

Of course, the quality of your corned beef can affect your dish. So make sure to cook your dishes with corned beef that’s made from 100% premium Angus beef, which makes it juicier, tastier, firmer, and more flavorful.

How do you plan to incorporate corned beef to your next meal? – Rappler.com

All illustrations by Raffy de Guzman.