Minced beef with kachin "shalap" leaves

Ingredients

• 700 g rump, round or topside steak
• 1 bunch shalap leaves
• 3 tsp coriander seeds
• 10 dried chillies
• 2½ tsp peppercorn (Szechuan pepper)
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tbsp ginger, chopped
• 3–4 garlic cloves, sliced
• 2 tbsp chopped coriander
• 4–6 saw leaf (thorny coriander)
• 6 tbsp olive oil
• 1–2 lemongrass
• 5 fresh chillies (medium hot to taste)
• 150 g chopped mixed herbs (spearmint, false mint, cilantro, basil)
• 1 fresh lemon or lime
• salt and ground pepper, to taste
• rice wine

Instructions

Slice the shalap leaves finely. In a mortar and pestle, place the pepper seeds, coriander seeds, dried chilli and salt and begin to pound. Add the ginger, garlic, chopped saw leaf and fresh coriander and continue to pound until it begins to look like paste.

Chop the beef into very small pieces and place in a deep saucepan. Add chopped shalap leaves and the paste. Add olive oil and 1 small glass of rice wine and mix together thoroughly.  

Cover with lid and cook until it becomes a bit dry (stir often during cooking). Serve hot.