Cooking steak is not just all about the meat. Dedicating extra time in the kitchen to cook intriguing gravy and sides for the steak means a magnified experience when savoring the beef. Here, the young and talented Chef Yuda Bustara shares his recipes to give you the complete beef experience.

It all began with his fascination with cooking shows and their stars back in the 1990s. The likes Sisca Soewitomo and Rudi Choirudin got the young Yuda Bustara hooked onto cooking. Looking back, he really wanted to become a scientist. “Being a chef feels like being a scientist, we put our ideas into something and assemble every ingredient to create great dishes!” said Yuda.

Being thankful is probably what Yuda feels every single day since his family supported him from the beginning. His mother in particularly, took notice of his talents and decided to send him to culinary school in Malaysia. After four years of study and training, he moved to Melbourne to work at Crown Casino Hotel.

Learning to cook for 15,000 guests at a time at Crown on regular basis was a rewarding experience for Yuda but he decided to go back to Indonesia and shift careers slightly as writer, food stylist and a photographer. Until one day, he joined a casting opportunity for KompasTV’s cooking show and became a host of his own show, like those whom he adored back then. He now also works very closely with Arimbi Nimpuno and Putri Miranti to run a private dining venture in Jakarta.

In this issue, Yuda shares with us great pairings for steak meals that are very easy to cook and savor at home. The two gravies and three sides he shared are both simple and flavorful, which demonstrates Chef Yuda’s personal definition of comfort food, which also has to be healthy and hearty.

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GRAVY RECIPES

Beef Gravy
Serves: 2 cups

• Ingredients:

¼ cup             Butter
¼ cup             Flour
2 cups            Beef broth
¼ tsp              Salt
¼ tsp              Pepper
1 tsp               Kitchen bouquet (any herbs that you like)

• Method:

1. Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Add flour and whisk together. Make sure to get all lumps visible.
2. Add salt and pepper.
3. Cook for 5 minutes or until the mixture starts to turn light brown. Be sure to stir constantly.
4. Turn to low heat and slowly add the beef broth and still stir it constantly. Be careful that it will spit & bubbles.
5. Add the kitchen bouquet.
6. Turn the heat back to medium.
7. Continue stirring until the gravy boils and thickens. Serve.

Mushroom Gravy
Serves: 2 cups

• Ingredients:

4 cups             Vegetable stock
900gr              Mixed mushrooms (Portobello, shiitake, and cremini) – thinly sliced
2 pcs               Shallot – finely chopped
6 tbsp             Unsalted butter
1 tbsp             Dry white wine
3 tbsp             Flour
1 tsp                Thyme leaves

• Method:

1. Remove stems from mushrooms. Place stems and stock in a saucepan over medium heat and bring to a boil.
2. Reduce heat to low, simmer for 30 minutes. Strain, set aside.
3. Place 3 tablespoons butter in a large skillet over medium heat, add shallots and cook until translucent for 3 to 5 minutes.
4. Add mushrooms, and cook until mushrooms are soft, browned, and all liquid has evaporated.
5. Add wine, if using and cook, stirring with a wooden spoon to loosen any browned bits on bottom of pan. Remove from heat, set aside.
6. Combine remaining 3 tablespoons butter and flour in a medium saucepan over medium heat; cook, stirring until incorporated and browned, 2 to 3 minutes.
7. Slowly whisk in stock; bring to a boil, whisking until thickened.
8. Stir in reserved mushroom mixture and thyme. Serve.

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SIDES RECIPES

Mixed mushrooms with eggs
Serves: 4 portions

• Ingredients:

900gr              Mixed mushrooms (champignon, cremini, shiitake, and oyster) – trimmed and thinly sliced
4 pcs               Large eggs
2 cloves         Garlic – sliced
¼ cup              Dry white wine
3 tbsp             Extra-virgin olive oil
2 tbsp             Thyme leaves
to taste          Salt
to taste          Red-pepper flakes

• Method:

1. Preheat oven to 220C.
2. Heat oil and garlic in a large ovenproof skillet over medium heat. Stir, until garlic is fragrant but not browned, about 1 minute.
3. Increase heat to medium high, add mushrooms, and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender and golden brown, about 10 minutes.
4. Season with salt and red-pepper flakes.
5. Add wine, scraping up browned bits. Stir in thyme, remove from heat.
6. Make 4 shallow wells in mushroom mixture and crack 1 egg into each well. Transfer to oven and cook until egg whites have just set, about 4 minutes.
7. Season eggs with salt and red-pepper flakes. Serve.

Three kinds of mashed potato
Serves: 2 portions each

• Ingredients:

8 pcs               Russet potatoes (can be substituted with sweet potato or purple potato)
15 cloves       Garlic – peeled
1 ½ cups        Milk
½ cup              Butter – cut 1 stick to small pieces
to taste          Salt

• Method:

1. Peel potatoes and cut into small dices.
2. In a big stock pot, put garlic and potatoes in and fill the pot with water. Add 1 tablespoon salt into the pot.
3. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer until potatoes are easily pierced with the tip of a paring knife, 25 to 30 minutes.
4. Drain, return garlic and potatoes to pan.
5. Stir over medium high heat until dry, 1 to 2 minutes. Remove from heat.
6. In a small saucepan, bring milk to a boil and pour over potatoes. Add butter and 1 teaspoon of salt.
7. Mash until smooth and creamy. Serve.

Grilled corn with cheesy mayo
Serves: 4 portions

• Ingredients:

4 pcs               Corn
1 pc                  Lime – cut into wedges for serving
1/3 cup          Parmesan – grated
1 tbsp             Butter – melted
2 tbsp             Mayonnaise
¼ tsp               Chili powder
to taste          Salt
to taste          Pepper

• Method:

1. Heat grill to high. Place cheese on a plate or in a shallow bowl, set aside.
2. Brush corn with butter and season with salt and pepper.
3. Grill, turning every 2 to 3 minutes, until tender and slightly charred for 10 to 12 minutes. Let cool for 2 to 3 minutes.

Brush corn with mayonnaise and roll in cheese to coat. Sprinkle with chili powder and serve with lime wedges.

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Featured in THE FOODIE MAGAZINE March 2014 edition

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Photos by: Dennie Benedict