Derval O'Rourke: How to make my ginger & lemongrass beef skewers

Plus: how to sharpen your kitchen skills for better nutrition

Derval O'Rourke's beef skewers.

It is my favourite cooking time of the year. I absolutely love a good Sunday roast or a big bowl of comforting soup or stew. 

It's a warm and cosy recipe time of year. One of the best decisions I ever made was to go to cookery school. 

I finished racing at the Olympics in 2012 and went to cookery school to complete a certificate. 

Some of the lessons I learned were so simple, yet they are still part of my day-to-day cooking and lessons I try to teach my kids now. 

One of the cornerstones of health and wellbeing is nutrition but this is really hard to achieve if you don’t have some basic kitchen skills. 

When I stepped inside Dublin Cookery School all those years ago I was immediately struck by the simplicity of how amazing chefs approached cooking. 

There seemed to be two parts to the process — the getting ready and the cooking itself. 

Here are 3 tips to remember before you even consider chopping an onion!

Tip 1 - Set up your workspace for success

Always start with a tidy space and keep your preparation area clean and tidy to avoid spills or messes. 

What tools do you need? Find them and organise them in your workspace. 

Stabilise your chopping board to avoid it slipping. 

I like to place a tea towel or a piece of damp kitchen paper under my chopping board to prevent it from sliding around my countertop. 

Select the knives and other tools you will need, these will depend on the recipe. 

The most important aspect of a workspace is where you will put the scraps. I always have a bowl for the waste in my workspace.

Tip 2 - Read the recipe fully

Be honest! How often have you started cooking only to realise you have missed a step in the recipe you are following? 

Take the time to read a recipe through until the end. This will save you in the long run. 

Consider points like preheating an oven and how important that is to the cooking process. 

Also a recipe might need 1 hour but you only have 45 minutes to get it done. 

Reading the recipe and even considering re-reading it is a really important part of cooking if you are trying to improve your recipe repertoire.

Tip 3 - Know your equipment

Have a good knowledge of the equipment you are using and ensure you take safety precautions around appliances like blenders, or mixers. 

Explain this to children and ensure they are aware of how to use equipment safely. 

When using knives, ensure they are properly sharpened! A lot of knife accidents are caused by dull blades. 

If using electric equipment, ensure it is unplugged before attempting to remove the blades or the bowl or to start cleaning it. 

Remember that pot and pan handles need to be turned away from the edge of the hob to avoid knocking into them and spilling their contents or knocking hot pans off the counter!

Now that you are all set up and ready to go, let's talk about 3 simple ways to ensure whatever you are cooking is a success.

Tip 1 - Fail to prepare, prepare to fail

Try to get as much of the food preparation done before you even consider turning on a hob. 

What needs to be rinsed, chopped and measured? 

Have all of the ingredients in your workspace, even the ones that come later in the recipe. 

I like to have a small jug of water with a couple of spoons at my workspace too.

Tip 2 - Taste as you go

Remember baking is a science and cooking is an art! 

Don’t be afraid to taste your cooking as you go and adjust to your preferences. 

When using ingredients like lemons, limes or chillies they can vary in size and their flavour can vary a lot too. 

Don’t be afraid to add more of, or less of anything based on your own taste. 

Practising this and tasting as you go can really help improve your overall confidence in the kitchen. 

I remember an amazing chef telling me ‘If it tastes terrible before it goes into the oven, it’s going to taste terrible when it comes out!’

Tip 3 - Stop and think before you add.

One of the simplest tricks I learned in cookery school that I use every single week when I cook is to stop and think before I add something into a recipe. 

The most important example of this is when you are stir-frying and your pan begins to get a little dry, before you reach for your bottle of oil, simply add a few tablespoons of water. 

This works well in a non-stick pan. It’s helpful to remember that pans need to be large enough that all the ingredients form a single layer if you are stir-frying or sautéing, this prevents the ingredients stewing in their own steam rather than browning.

As mentioned at the start of this column nutrition is a key part of our lives and by being able to cook a few simple recipes you are learning to nourish yourself. 

We are really fortunate in Ireland to have a number of amazing cookery schools. 

I’ve had brilliant experiences in Dublin Cookery School, Ballymaloe, Dingle Cookery School and The Tannery. 

There are also fantastic cookery courses run in the evenings in schools all over the country. Whether it is an evening, a weekend or a month spending any time upskilling on cooking will pay you back tenfold.

Derval O'Rourke. Pic Joleen Cronin

Wellness Tip: Food is a great way to bring people together. Try encouraging your family to spend time together in the kitchen.

Fitness Tip: Try changing up your fitness routine every month or 6 week. This could be just changing an exercise to keep things fresh or changing more. This can help you avoid getting bored with it.

Ginger & Lemongrass Beef Skewers with a Pickled Vegetable Salad

recipe by:Derval O'Rourke

An easy main course with a tangy side-dish!

Preparation Time

 40 mins

Cooking Time

 1 hours 20 mins

Total Time

 2 hours 0 mins

Course

 Main

Ingredients

• For The Skewers:

• 1 inch piece of ginger, peeled and diced

• 3 lemongrass stalks (outer layer removed), finely chopped

• 1 red chilli, seeds removed and finely chopped

• 1 lime, zested and juiced

• 1 shallot, diced

• ½ inch piece of fresh turmeric, sliced

• 1 tsp oyster sauce

• Dash of dark soy sauce

• Pinch of brown sugar

• 800g sirloin steak, cut into large dice

• Dash of Oil

• For the Pickled Vegetables:

• 150ml water

• 100 ml rice wine vinegar

• 50g sugar

• 1 shallot, sliced

• 2 spring onions, sliced

• 1 carrot, peeled and cut into thin strips

• ¼ head of Chinese cabbage, shredded

• Handful of green beans, or mangetout, sliced

Method

1. For the skewers (if using wooden skewers, soak them in water for 30 minutes or so)

2. Add the ginger, lemongrass, chilli, lime juice and zest, shallot and turmeric to a pestle and mortar or a blender. Blend this to a fine paste.

3. Put the paste in a bowl, mix in the oyster sauce, soy sauce and sugar.

4. Add the beef and mix well until the beef is coated. Allow this to marinate for at least 1 hour but if you have time, leave it overnight. Once ready to assemble, place the beef and the marinade generously on the skewers

5. To pickle the vegetables (this can be done the day before if needed): Add the water, vinegar and sugar to a pot, bring all this to a boil. Place all the vegetables in a jar or a bowl, pour the liquid over the vegetables.

6. To cook the beef: Heat a griddle pan or a large pan. Once hot add a little oil and then add the skewers, brown on each side for about a minute or so, cook for about 6-7 minutes. Divide the pickled vegetables between 4 plates, place some of the skewers to the side and serve.