A Forgotten Recipe...Stir Fried Beef With Snap Peas and Red Peppers

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A couple of weeks ago, I had enough bay scallops left over from the previous night to feed one person but definitely not enough to serve my daughter and me.  What to do, what to do. Why not something Chinese for the scallops and possibly another stir fry with beef and the snap peas in the refrigerator?

Both dishes took less than an hour to chop and prepare while the white rice steamed away.  The sauces were different enough to serve together yet complimented each other very well.  The scallops and beef a great combination....  a kind of Chinese surf and turf!

When you first read the recipe for the beef stir fry you will  think it's too complicated and shy away from it..  It is not.  Read it again.  It really takes no time at all, just a few little steps and you are done. If you cook Chinese, at least occasionally, you should have all the ingredients already in your pantry.  Just chop everything you'll need first, and prepare the sauce.  This is called  mise en place or everything in place (and ready to go) and is key to Chinese cooking. 

Give it a try, you will adore this stir fry. I'm sure you have seen it many  times on the menu of your favorite Chinese takeout. As to the scallop recipe, it is already posted in the country blog.

Serves 4 as a main dish with rice

Ingredients

 2 tablespoons soy sauce

1 tablespoon sugar plus an additional 1 teaspoon

12 ounces flank steak , cut into 2-inch wide strips with grain, then sliced across grain into 1/8-inch-thick slices

2 tablespoons dry sherry

1/2 cup low-sodium chicken broth

1/4 cup oyster sauce

1 teaspoon cornstarch

3 medium cloves garlic , minced or pressed through garlic press (about 1 tablespoon)

1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

12 ounces sugar snap peas , ends trimmed and strings removed (about 4 cups)

1 medium red bell pepper , seeded and cut into 1/4-inch slices

2 tablespoons water


Directions

1. Combine soy sauce and 1 teaspoon sugar in medium bowl. Add beef, toss well, and marinate for at least 10 minutes or up to 1 hour, stirring once. Meanwhile, whisk remaining tablespoon sugar, sherry, broth, oyster sauce, and cornstarch in medium bowl. Combine garlic, ginger, and 1 teaspoon oil in small bowl.

2. Drain beef and discard liquid. Heat 1 teaspoon oil in 12-inch nonstick skillet over high heat until just smoking. Add half of beef in single layer, breaking up clumps. Cook, without stirring, for 1 minute, then stir and cook until browned, 1 to 2 minutes. Transfer beef to clean bowl. Heat 1 teaspoon oil in skillet and repeat with remaining beef. Rinse skillet and dry with paper towels.

3. Add remaining tablespoon oil to now-empty skillet and heat until just smoking. Add snap peas and bell pepper; cook, stirring frequently, until vegetables begin to brown, 3 to 5 minutes. Add water and continue to cook until vegetables are crisp-tender, 1 to 2 minutes longer. Push vegetables to sides of skillet; add garlic-ginger mixture to clearing and cook, mashing with spatula, until fragrant, 15 to 20 seconds. Combine garlic-ginger mixture with vegetables. Return beef and any juices to skillet and stir to combine. Whisk sauce to recombine, then add to skillet; cook, stirring constantly, until thickened, about 30 seconds. Serve.

Photo Emily Sterne

I forgot to post this recipe at the time it was written hence the discrepancy in dates!