# I Asked 5 Asian Chefs How they Cook Beef!

Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G69ii-fqcuU
Recap page: https://rapidrecap.app/video/G69ii-fqcuU
Generated: 2026-01-25T23:36:18.619+00:00

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## Quick Overview

Five Asian chefs—from Vietnam, Korea, China, Taiwan, and the Philippines—demonstrate techniques to transform inexpensive beef cuts into gourmet meals, highlighting cost savings against high retail beef prices and showcasing recipes like Vietnamese Bun Bo Hue and Korean Yukhoe (Beef Tartare).

**Key Points:**
- Five Asian chefs representing Vietnamese, Korean, Chinese, Taiwanese, and Filipino cuisine collaborated to showcase how to elevate cheaper cuts of beef into high-quality dishes.
- Vietnamese Chef Cô Hoa demonstrated making authentic Bun Bo Hue, which requires cleaning beef bones and shank in boiling water with aromatics like ginger and lemongrass, followed by an overnight simmer.
- Korean Chef Sol Han prepared Yukhoe (Beef Tartare) using Prime Angus Strip Steak ($24/lb, or cheaper eye-round/chuck at $7/lb), incorporating a non-traditional pesto made with pine nuts, toasted sesame seeds, and truffle flowers for garnish.
- Chinese Chef Calvin Eng prepared Gan Chao Niu He (Chow Fun), emphasizing the Chinese velveting technique (marinating meat with corn starch, baking soda, etc.) to tenderize the beef before high-heat wok cooking.
- Filipino Chef Eric Valdez cooked Kare-Kare, starting by trimming fat off beef cheeks ($4.50/lb) and then braising them for 3-4 hours at 350°F (176°C) before assembling the dish with toppings like fried eggplant and bok choy.
- The chefs collectively aimed to show viewers how to unlock flavor in budget-friendly cuts, saving money compared to continuously rising average retail beef prices (shown reaching nearly $9/lb by 2025).
- The video structure involved introducing each chef, demonstrating their specific beef dish recipe, and concluding with a final presentation of the meal.

![Screenshot at 00:06: 5:Chef Calvin Eng showcasing the ingredients for the dipping sauce for Thai Crying Tiger Beef, including dry chili, cilantro & scallion, and red onion, alongside rice powder and tamarind sauce.](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/G69ii-fqcuU/00-00-06.jpg)

**Context:** This video features five Asian chefs from different culinary backgrounds (Vietnam, Korea, China, Taiwan, and the Philippines) who participate in a challenge to demonstrate creative and flavorful ways to cook less expensive cuts of beef. The context is set against the backdrop of rising beef retail prices, suggesting that culinary skill can substitute for high-cost cuts. The chefs use traditional and modern techniques to transform these tougher or cheaper cuts into restaurant-quality dishes, such as Bun Bo Hue, Yukhoe, Kare-Kare, and Beef Chow Fun.

## Detailed Analysis

The video showcases five different Asian chefs demonstrating recipes that maximize flavor from economical beef cuts. Vietnamese Chef Cô Hoa details making Bun Bo Hue broth by cleaning beef bones and shank, infusing the water with aromatics like lemongrass and toasted onion/ginger, simmering overnight, and skimming impurities for a clear broth. Korean Chef Sol Han prepares Yukhoe (Beef Tartare) using high-quality strip steak (or cheaper alternatives), emphasizing the use of a flavorful, non-traditional pesto made from toasted pine nuts, toasted sesame seeds, persimmon puree, and black truffle shavings. Chinese Chef Calvin Eng demonstrates making Gan Chao Niu He (Chow Fun) by first velveting the beef trim (a Chinese technique using corn starch and baking soda to tenderize) before par-cooking it in water or oil, followed by stir-frying with Ho Fun noodles and vegetables. Filipino Chef Eric Valdez prepares Kare-Kare, beginning by trimming beef cheeks ($4.50/lb), braising them for 3-4 hours, and then creating a rich sauce base using annatto oil, aromatics, and toasted rice/peanut mixture, served with fried eggplant and bok choy. The chefs emphasize that proper technique, like velveting or long braising, extracts maximum flavor from budget cuts, offering delicious alternatives to expensive steaks.

### Vietnamese Bun Bo Hue (Chef Cô Hoa)

- Steps include filling a pot with boiling water, ginger, salt, and lemongrass (00:38), cleaning beef bones and shank in the water (00:51), toasting aromatics (onion, shallot, ginger) for 5 minutes (01:16), adding them to the broth (01:26), simmering overnight (02:51), creating a sate sauce by frying annatto seeds, gochugaru/chili flakes, adding shrimp paste water, soy sauce, salt, sugar, and mushroom powder (01:47-02:34), and finally assembling the bowl with noodles, meat, and pouring the finished broth (04:06).

### Korean Yukhoe/Beef Tartare (Chef Sol Han)

- Chef uses Prime Angus Strip Steak ($24/lb) or cheaper cuts like eye-round ($7/lb) (07:47), cuts the fat off (07:55), slices the steak into small dice (08:10), prepares a persimmon puree (08:22), toasts pine nuts (09:47), finely chops chives/shallots (09:58), and mixes them with the beef, toasted sesame seeds, olive oil, lemon juice, and garlic (08:18-10:58) to create a final dish garnished with persimmon slices and truffle flowers (11:12).

### Chinese Gan Chao Niu He/Chow Fun (Chef Calvin Eng)

- Beef trim is sliced thinly (12:16), marinated using velveting technique with oyster sauce, shaoxing wine, neutral oil, white pepper, corn starch, and baking soda (12:37-12:58), then par-cooked in water (Water Blanch) or oil (Oil Blanch) for 30 seconds (13:13), followed by cooking Ho Fun noodles (13:42), adding the par-cooked beef (13:57), vegetables (bok choy, bean sprouts, chives) (13:59), and finishing with dark soy sauce (14:18) to achieve a charred result (14:14).

### Filipino Kare-Kare (Chef Eric Valdez)

- Beef cheeks ($4.50/lb) are trimmed of excess fat (15:15), marinated with soy sauce, garlic, ginger, onions, green chili, and stock (15:24-15:34), then braised covered in foil at 350°F (176°C) for 3-4 hours (15:36), and the sauce is created by browning garlic/ginger, adding onions, shrimp paste, annatto oil, light/dark soy sauce, vinegar, peanut/rice mixture, and beef stock, reducing it to a thick consistency (16:00-16:33), before plating with fried eggplant and bok choy (17:42).

### Thai Seua Rong Hai/Crying Tiger Beef (Chef Peter Kannasut)

- Beef is marinated with oyster sauce, mushroom soy sauce, salt, mushroom powder, and sugar (05:37-05:44), grilled until the fat is golden and rendered (06:14), then sliced (07:06) and served with lettuce, cucumber, and a dipping sauce made from toasted rice/peanut mixture, dry chili, cilantro/scallion, red onion, tamarind sauce, and lemon juice (06:38-07:18), accompanied by Thai sticky rice (07:26).

![Screenshot at 00:01: 12:Graph showing the annual average retail value of all fresh beef cuts in the US rising sharply toward $9 USD per lb by 2025.](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/G69ii-fqcuU/00-00-01.jpg)
![Screenshot at 00:06: 40:Ingredients laid out for the Thai Crying Tiger Beef dipping sauce, including dry chili, cilantro & scallion, red onion, rice powder, and tamarind sauce.](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/G69ii-fqcuU/00-00-06.jpg)
![Screenshot at 01:54: 14:Chef Calvin Eng demonstrating the precise dicing of marbled Prime Angus Strip Steak for Korean Beef Tartare.](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/G69ii-fqcuU/00-01-54.jpg)
![Screenshot at 13:13: Comparison tray showing beef after Water Blanch \(left, pale pink\) versus Oil Blanch \(right, browned and crispier\).](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/G69ii-fqcuU/00-13-13.jpg)
![Screenshot at 17:53: The finished Filipino Kare-Kare dish served in a small pot, featuring braised beef, fried eggplant, and bok choy, with a side of shrimp paste dipping sauce.](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/G69ii-fqcuU/00-17-53.jpg)