Stir Fried Beef with Bell Peppers and Snow Peas

I remember when I was visiting my sister this past Spring and found this recipe in her collection of Fine Cooking Magazines. OK, it's not really a collection, but I had never heard of Fine Cooking Magazine and I decided to go through about 6 months worth of recipes. Even after reading tons of recipes, this one stuck out. Based on the ingredients, I knew I'd love it, but I wasn't so sure about the other people I was cooking for. My grandma tends to prefer basic comfort foods and my sister is not crazy about spicy food, but I made it anyway. As it turns out, everyone loved it.

Ever since making this stir fry, I have been dreaming about it. As usual, I cannot find some of the key ingredients in my little village (nor in the nearby larger town). I'm getting hungry as I am writing this post, and realize that I cannot wait to go back to the States and live off of various homemade Asian dishes during my first week there. This one will definitely be high on the list. The leftovers taste great too, so I may even add a bit more of everything when I make this next. If you don't eat beef, this would taste great with tofu or just a mix of various veggies. The sauce is delicious, so try not to skip those ingredients. If you don't have flank steak, use what you have on hand. I used a pack of sliced rump steak and found that it worked well, though the meat would probably be even more tender from a different cut.

Recipe from Fine Cooking
Serves 4

12 oz. flank steak 
3 Tbs. Shaoxing rice wine or dry sherry 
1 Tbs. minced fresh ginger 
2 tsp. soy sauce 
1-1/2 tsp. cornstarch 
Kosher salt and pepper 
1 tsp. plus 2 Tbs. peanut or vegetable oil 
2 Tbs. hot bean sauce, chili garlic sauce, or Sriracha 
2 Tbs. hoisin sauce
1 Tbs. minced garlic (about 3 medium cloves) 
6 oz. snow peas, strings removed (about 2 cups) 
1 medium red bell pepper, stemmed, seeded, and cut into 1/2 x 2-inch strips 
8 medium scallions, thinly sliced on the diagonal (about 1 cup)

Cut the beef into 2-inch wide strips along the grain. Cut across the grain and slice the strips into 1/4-inch thick slices. Put the meat in a medium bowl. Add 1 tablespoon of the wine/sherry, ginger, soy sauce, cornstarch, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/8 teaspoon pepper to the meat. Mix until cornstarch is no longer visible. Add 1 teaspoon of oil and toss to coat the meat evenly.

In a small bowl mix together the hot sauce, hoisin sauce, and 2 tablespoons of wine/sherry. Heat a 14" wok over high heat until a drop of water vaporizes in 2 seconds. Pour the remaining 1 tablespoon of oil in the wok. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant. Move the garlic to the side of the wok and add the meat to the wok in a single layer. Allow the meat to cook for 1 minute without touching it. Then stir fry the meat with the garlic until the meat is browned but not fully cooked. Transfer the beef and garlic to a plate.

Pour the last tablespoon of oil to the wok. Add the snow peas, bell pepper, and scallion. Sprinkle in1/2 teaspoon salt and stir fry until the peas are bright green, about 1 minute. Add the beef back to the wok along with and juices on the plate. Add the sauce mixture by adding spoonfuls down the side of the wok. Continue to stir fry until the meat is cooked through and the veggies are crisp-tender, about 1 minute. Serve hot.

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