In the world of advertising, the saying goes that “you don’t sell the steak, you sell the sizzle.” The meaning of this in essence is that the focus should be on the emotive experience of a product rather than the product itself. For the fun of it, you may want to know that the person who came up with that phrase is reputed to be Elmer Wheeler, a salesperson speaking to other salespeople at the National Ice Association convention, of all places, in the mid-1920s.
Not sure that’s why sizzling beef got its name, nor is GM Rainbow, at Asian Paradise. But sizzle it does, and if you are a beef-lover, that sizzle likely will sell you as it does me on this dish that floods the senses. The aroma wafting to your table is wonderful. The sizzle you can hear almost the moment the dish leaves the kitchen. And the steam rising off the cast iron prep/serving flat-rimmed pan is a sight for hungry eyes. This dish engages four of the senses, and you do not want to engage the fifth, the sense of touch anywhere near the cast iron serving platter. It’s heated to the point where it helps with that sizzle.
The sizzling beef
Turns out, heat is an essential “ingredient” in the art of Asian cooking. Heat as an ingredient? Where the sizzling beef entrée is concerned, that is so, according to Rainbow. This dish, she says, is both grilled and stir-fried, and both methods are done over intensely high heat.
For starters, the sizzling beef dish features filet mignon as the cut of beef, so the quality of the protein is tops. And the dish does come to table sizzling, on a cast-iron flat with edges to corral the sauce. The mix of other ingredients includes red onions, red and yellow peppers, and bite-sized chunks of pineapple. And the sauce produces a wonder of flavors, being made of A1™ Steak Sauce, pineapple juice and a host of herbs and spices.
For me, the taste profile of this entrée is that subtle sweet-hot combo so prevalent in Asian cuisine. Spiciness comes from a mignonette of black peppercorns, which produces a tongue-tickling edge that sneaks up on the diner. I loved the flavor, as did all at our table. The spiciness was mild-to-medium, and the sweetness gave balance to the dish. Delicious!
But what about that phantom “ingredient,” heat? In paraphrase, here’s what Rainbow had to say: first, the grill is very hot, and the filet spends only a few seconds on each side during the grilling process. The intent here is to sear and to provide grill marks, which is the maillard effect or reaction, utilized by chefs to create flavor in a char of the flesh produced from the extreme heat. This technique generally is done quickly, since the intent is not to thoroughly cook the item, but to add flavor notes before going to the next step in the cooking process.
Basil beef, done Asian street-vendor style
After this grilling step, the beef filet is sliced into strips and the strips jump, in reverse, from fire to frying pan — in this case, a wok. Here again, heat is a key factor. Did you know that the low end of heat is 650°F for a wok used in authentic Asian cooking? It’s true. One reason Asian wok-based dishes are very hard to replicate at home is because getting that intense heat out of a residential stovetop is not easy or even possible on an electric range. And when chilled or even room-temperature food is dropped into wok cooking oil, the temperature plummets.
In a commercial Asian kitchen, the burner heat is intense and the desired result — flash stir-frying — is achieved. And that is where the authentic flavor of the food is in part derived. In my book, that makes heat the phantom ingredient talked about above. My guess is that is one reason we go to eateries such Asian Paradise, where tasty magic comes from their woks, and we cannot do the same at home.
In the years that we have been patronizing Asian Paradise, our table mates and we have tried almost everything on the menu. I have my favorites, including Mongolian beef, crispy red snapper, house special pan-fried noodles with chicken, the Pan-Asian grilled salmon, the make-your-own Southeast Asian dishes such as beef or chicken in fresh mango or Szechuan peppercorn sauces, or any of the many sushi entrées or rolls offered. I’m betting that with any one of these dishes, you will find a winner for your taste buds.
Also, for Jewish diners, Rainbow said that scratch preparations are the standard in her kitchen, so of course a diner may opt in or out of virtually anything in a recipe. Even most of the sauces are scratch preparations done at the time of the order. This approach not only allows choices, but also maintains the freshness of flavors and textures. Asian Paradise mimics that of Chinese street vendors and restaurants in her native land in that regard, she said, and it is made to order for kosher-style dining.
See you at Asian Paradise!
