Quick & Easy Chinese (17 page)
Read Quick & Easy Chinese Online
Authors: Nancie McDermott
A Chinese American restaurant standard, this combination of sweet bell peppers and tender beef is justifiably famous. Usually prepared with green bell peppers, it looks beautiful with a mix of red, yellow, orange, and green peppers and tastes great either way. I add freshly ground pepper to my basic version and toss in a teaspoon of chopped hot chile peppers, fresh or dried, if we’re hungry for a little heat. You can use any tender beef sliced thinly, but I especially love rib eye or tri-tip for this dish.
1 tablespoon dry sherry or Shaoxing rice wine
1 tablespoon water
2 teaspoons cornstarch
½ pound thinly sliced beef
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon chicken broth or water
1 teaspoon dark soy sauce or molasses (optional)
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon granulated sugar
½ teaspoon freshly ground pepper
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 tablespoon chopped garlic
2 teaspoons chopped fresh ginger
2 cups thinly sliced green bell pepper strips (or red, yellow, or mixed colors)
SERVES
4
Combine the sherry, water, and cornstarch in a medium bowl, and stir well to dissolve the cornstarch. Add the beef and stir to season it evenly with the sauce. Set aside for 15 minutes.
In a small bowl, combine the soy sauce, chicken broth, dark soy sauce, if using, salt, sugar, and pepper, and stir to mix well. Place a medium bowl by the stove to hold the bell peppers after their initial cooking.
Heat a wok or large, deep skillet over high heat. Add 1 tablespoon of the oil, and swirl to coat the pan. Add the garlic and ginger and toss well.
Scatter in the bell peppers and toss again. Spread them out into a single layer and cook undisturbed for 15 seconds. Then, cook, tossing often, until they are shiny and just beginning to wilt, about 30 seconds more. Scoop them out into the bowl and set aside.
Let the pan heat up again briefly, and then add the remaining 2 tablespoons oil, swirling to coat the pan again.
Add the beef and its marinade, spreading the beef out into a single layer. Cook undisturbed for 30 seconds, and then toss well. Cook, tossing often, until most of the meat is no longer pink, about 1 minute.
Return the bell pepper and any juices in the bowl back to the pan, and toss well.
Add the soy sauce mixture, pouring it in around the edges of the pan. Cook, tossing often, until the peppers are tender but not limp and the beef is cooked through, about 1 minute more. Transfer to a serving plate and serve hot or warm.
This hearty stir-fry delivers the wintry flavors of China’s northern and western provinces, where hoisin sauce, sesame oil, and other intensely flavored seasonings abound. You’ll need about a cup of chopped green onions, making them more like a vegetable than an accent. This recipe works wonderfully with lamb and provides enough sauce to be tossed with pasta. For a little heat, stir in
Toasted Szechuan Peppercorns
(page 176) along with the green onions.
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 teaspoon cornstarch
¾ pound thinly sliced beef
1 tablespoon hoisin sauce
1 tablespoon dry sherry or Shaoxing rice wine
½ teaspoon dark soy sauce
1 teaspoon sugar
½ teaspoon salt
10 green onions
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 tablespoon chopped garlic
½ teaspoon Asian sesame oil
SERVES
4
In a medium bowl, combine the soy sauce and cornstarch and stir well, until you have a smooth, caramel-brown sauce. Add the thinly sliced beef and toss to coat evenly. Set aside for 10 minutes.
In a small bowl, combine the hoisin sauce, sherry, soy sauce, sugar, and salt, and stir to mix well and dissolve the sugar and salt.
Trim the green onions and halve them crosswise, separating green portions from white ones. Quarter white portions lengthwise, and then chop them crosswise into 1-inch lengths. Chop the green tops crosswise into 1-inch lengths. If the green tops are thick and sturdy, halve them lengthwise before cutting them crosswise.
Heat the vegetable oil in a wok or a large, deep skillet over high heat. Add the garlic and toss well. Add the beef and its marinade, spreading the beef out into a single layer and letting it cook for 30 seconds undisturbed. Toss well, and then add the green onions. Cook, tossing often, until the beef has changed color and the green onions are shiny, fragrant, and beginning to wilt.
Add the hoisin sauce mixture, pouring it in around the sides of the pan. Toss well, then add the sesame oil. Toss once more and transfer to a serving platter. Serve hot or warm.