Sweet & Spicy Beef

This recipe was my introduction to the "Chinese ketchup", and now that I've used Hoisin sauce I don't know how I did without it. This is a recipe of my 20's that often appears on the menu today by request of my husband.

The building blocks of hoisin sauce, garlic chili sauce (another red combination sauce found in the Asian section of my grocery store), soy sauce and oil can be used for marinades, dipping sauces and more. Fresh garlic (what this recipe calls for), ginger or chinese five spice can be added to round out the flavor.

The soy sauce provides plenty of salt for my tastes, so verify before you add more.

This is a great recipe to stuff lots of vegetables in and I found that my mouth objected to them less if they are cooked instead of left crunchy and partially raw. So, depending on what vegetables I'm using I'll "pre cook" them before assembling the dish. The broccoli pictured in this post was blanched in boiling water for a few minutes. You could also sauté and then add a bit of water to cook further in a separate skillet if you wanted to expend more effort for a little flavor. Honestly the sauce is such a huge part of the taste that blanching works just fine.

I guess a wok would be good but I don't have a wok so I use a large ceramic or stainless steel pot. I really try to practice minimalism in the kitchen and not have my limited cupboard space stuffed with specialized equipment. No, the veggies and meet don't brown quite as well or fast - but the results are still delicious.

What you need

• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons corn starch
• 12 oz flank steak or any other cut that you can slice thin and it's edible.
• ~1/2 to 1 tablespoon Sesame oil (OK to use peanut or vegetable oil, anything that won't smoke at high temps)
• 8 scallions chopped with greens and whites separated
• 4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
• 2 cups mushrooms, sliced
• 4 cups of "suitable" vegetables - green beans with ends snapped, or sugar peas, or broccoli cut into florets. Some combination of carrots, baby bok choy, water chestnuts would probably work and be delicious too.  
• 2 tablespoons hoisin sauce
• 1 or 1 1/2 tablespoon chili garlic sauce

How to get 'er done

Mix the soy sauce and the corn starch together. Toss with the beef in a bowl and let sit for at least 10 minutes. 

Chop and prep EVERYTHING. Put in little cute bowls next to the stove. This is going to go fast. 

Heat the oil blazing hot. But don't actually catch on fire. 

Add garlic and white scallions. Stir briskly ~30 seconds until fragrant but not brown. 

Add mushrooms and veggies and stir fry for 3-4 min, keeping in near constant motion. If you using vegetables that you want more cooked than this, blanch them first in boiling water (or sauté them in a separate pan, add a little water if needed yada yada). Anywho we are getting distracted. 

Add the beef along with the soysauce mixture and stir fry for another 3 min, until the beef is browned. Stir in the hoisin and garlic chili sauce, cook until sauce clings to the meat and vegetables. 

Garnish with scallion greens. 

It's fabulous by itself but if you insist serve with rice, or maybe these scallion pancakes? 

Adapted from Cook This Not That Easy and Awesome 350-calorie meals by David Zinczenko and Matt Goulding