In the bad old days when red meat was regularly left out in the cold by the health-conscious, I remember a meal I had cooked for a younger friend.

She took one look at the table and asked: Where is the beef?

Of course, it was not there. I had taken it off my list of safe foods, simply because I had thought, wrongly, that red meat is to be avoided at all costs.

As it turns out, red meat has been unfairly maligned.

Few know that beef, for example, can be included in a low fat diet and that it gives more nutrition, calorie for calorie, than a similar piece of chicken.

Indeed, it has eight times more vitamin B12, six times more zinc and three times more iron than a similar-size piece of chicken breast.

Even fewer realise that it can play a role in a cholesterol-lowering diet. It has only 1.2g of fat more than a skinless chicken breast and indeed less fat than a skinless chicken leg, for those of you who like dark meat.

And the way to continue to enjoy eating red meat is to choose your cut properly.

In fact, I now enjoy beef and lamb at least once a week. And I can do this, because I choose only lean cuts like the fillet, flank or the eye round to cook. Their saturated fat content ranges from 1.4 to 2.7g for every 85g serving.

While I love marbled meat such as the rib eye, onglet and prime rib as the marbling delivers the taste, I have now learnt to add flavour to lean meat by marinating it first and then eating it with a piquant sauce.

And there is an array of such dips that will add flavour to lean meat.

If you are doing a Vietnamese roasted meat, serve a chilli and lime-spiked fish sauce or if Italian, a salsa verde - a green sauce made from fresh herbs, garlic and lemon juice - to bring that piece of roasted meat to flavour heaven.

Today, I chose Mexican spices to rub into the fillet simply because I like the fresh tomato salsa that is a traditional match. I then added browned onions (sliced onions fried in olive oil and seasoned with a pinch of salt) to ensure even more zing. For extra fragrance, I placed the meat on some lime leaves while it was being cooked.

These are valuable taste tips indeed now that we know that healthy eating does not mean eschewing red meat from the diet.

Sylvia Tan is a freelance writer

Spice-rubbed roasted beef fillet (For four)

450g beef fillet
1 tsp red chilli powder
1 tsp cumin powder
1 tsp paprika powder
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
2 tbs extra virgin olive oil

Method

Pat dry whole piece of beef fillet with paper towels and rub powdered spices well into the meat. Add salt and pepper to taste.  

Drizzle with olive oil and leave covered with cling film in the fridge, for a couple of hours to allow the seasoning to penetrate. 

When ready to cook, place rack in the middle and pre-heat oven (fan-assisted) to 200 deg C. Heat a  pan over a medium fire until hot and sear seasoned fillet, a couple of minutes on each side to seal the meat.

Place browned meat on top of a few lime leaves (optional) in the middle of an oven pan and roast 10 minutes, for medium rare meat. Remove from the oven to rest for five minutes, then slice into eight steaks, about 2-3cm thick.

Place two steaks on a plate and keeping to the Mexican theme, serve with tomato salsa and browned onions on the side.

Tomato salsa

(Makes one large bowl)

4 ripe tomatoes, chopped
1/2 cup chopped onions
1/2 cup chopped coriander leaves
4 green chillies, chopped
Juice from half a lemon or to taste
1 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp salt

Method

Place chopped vegetables in a bowl and season with salt, sugar and lemon juice. Stir well to amalgamate and leave chilled in the fridge for flavours to meld together. You can do this a couple of hours in advance.

» Healthy, hearty cooking