Country Fried Steak

My mother is my biggest inspiration in the kitchen. I love the way she cooks and believe me when I say that she is an outstanding cook by all gourmet means. Once you know how good a combination of certain ingredients can taste, you always strive to create something that tastes at least equally as good.

For the past week, we are in the kitchen with my mom, who is yet again teaching me new cooking techniques and inspiring me to extend my repertoire in the cooking department. The recipe I am presenting is from my mother’s recipe book. Growing up, “Bifshteks”, as we call it, was one of my favorite meat dishes. It is very close to it’s American counterpart – Country Fried Steak. To make it easier for everyone, I decided to present it under the latter. Behold! It is delicious and amazingly easy to make :)

Ingredients:

• 1 lb meat (I mostly use top round roast)
• salt
• ground cumin
• freshly ground black pepper
• ground coriander
• 1-2 eggs
• 1/2 cup all purpose flour
• 1/2 cup of canola oil
• 2 Tbsp of water

Directions:

Slice the meat across the grain, creating 1 cm thick steaks. Place ready steaks on top of the board and using a meat tenderizer, beat the meat starting from one point until the end without missing a single spot. Turn over the meat to make sure you tenderize the meat from both sides.

Using a meat tenderizer is advised to have evenly tender meat, turning even the chewier meat into something really juicy. If you do not have a meat tenderizer, use the opposite side of the knife blade to achieve a similar result. You will need to beat the meat a little longer with this method.

Liberally sprinkle salt, cumin, black pepper and coriander on both sides of the steaks. I usually add a little extra ground coriander, since it is the main spice which adds the most flavor to the dish.

Whisk 1-2 eggs in a small bowl, place flour on a plate. Put both the eggs and the flour near the stove top to make it easier to work with. Heat the skillet in medium-high heat. Pour the oil. Once the oil is heated, the first step is to soak each steak in the egg from both sides. The second step is to coat both sides of the steak with flour. Preheat oven at 350F.

Place the steaks on the skillet, fry them until golden from the bottom. Turn over once they reached the desired color.

Once golden from both sides, place the steaks into the oven-safe baking dish. Pour 2 Tbp of oil from the skillet on top of the steaks evenly. Also pour 2 Tbsp of water over the steaks. Wrap the baking dish with a foil to ensure even cooking. This will also prevent burning of the steak crust.

Take the steak out in about 20 minutes. Serve with the side you desire. We opt for a salad and some mashed potatoes (some people like to add gravy). You can always create something new to please your family :)

Bon Appetit!