I love a food challenge, so when my producer from The Weather Channel called and said, “Can you put together a segment on foods that cool?” I said, “COOL! Yes, I can!”
One of the most interesting things I found in my research is that surprisingly, hot chili peppers are a cooling food….they make you hot initially, but sweating detoxifies and ultimately cools you down. Cucumber is the most water dense solid food— a whopping 96% water! And mint is soothing and cooling as well. What do you get when you combine all three with some high quality beef? Thai Beef Tenderloin Cucumber Cups. Plus, they’re low carb– no wontons in this recipe! The presentation is gorgeous and the bites are so yummy!
AIR HD 2015-07-31 09 55 41 (5) from Parker Wallace on Vimeo.
- 1 tsp fish sauce
- juice from 1/2 lime
- 1 Tb brown sugar
- 1 tsp chili paste (I use Sambal Oelek)
- 1/2 tsp sesame oil
- 1 Thai Chili chopped
- 1 shallot sliced into thin rings
- handful of Thai Basil and fresh mint chopped up
- 1 piece beef tenderloin
- red bell pepper strips and sesame seeds (for garnish)
- 1 English cucumber sliced 1 inch thick, the insides scooped out for a cup.
- Cucumber
- Combine marinade ingredients.
- Slice and scoop out cucumber.
- Cook tenderloin to medium rare and slice thinly.
- Combine meat with marinade. Chill for 2 hours.
- Stuff marinated meat into cucumber cups.
- Top with sesame seeds and a single strip of red bell pepper.