Stir Fry Ginger Beef

Photo courtesy of Simply Recipes

We don't eat a lot of beef here - we're mainly a chicken household - but I decided to try this ginger beef stir fry I found to switch up our meat options. Below is the recipe (courtesy of simplyrecipes.com) with my modifications.

Marinade

• 2 Tbsp unseasoned rice vinegar (I used seasoned because that's what I had on hand)
• 5 Tbsp soy sauce
• 1 Tbsp honey
• 1 Tbsp peeled, grated fresh ginger
• 1 teaspoon chile pepper flakes
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin

Beef and stir-fry

• 1 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 lb top sirloin steak
• 1 Tbsp corn starch
• 2 Tbsp vegetable oil (preferably peanut)
• 1 Tbsp sesame oil (optional)
• 3-4 green onions, cut on a diagonal, 1/2-inch apart, including the greens
• 2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
• 2-3 hot chiles, preferably red serranos, seeded, sliced (I used fresh jalapenos because I couldn't find serranos)
• 1-inch nob of ginger, peeled, cut lengthwise into matchstick shapes (the slices were a little intense - I might grate it next time)
• 1/2 cup loosely packed, chopped cilantro (totally forgot about the cilantro - it's almost like I make it my goal to forget at least one ingredient per recipe)

1  Chill the steak in the freezer for 30 minutes before you slice it, this will make it easier to cut in thin slices. Slice the steak first crosswise in 1/2-inch thick slices. The cut each slice lengthwise into strips.

2  In a medium bowl, whisk together the marinade ingredients; the soy sauce, vinegar, grated ginger, honey, red chile flakes, and cumin. Mix the beef in with the marinade to coat and let it sit for at least 30 minutes, and up to 4 hours, in the fridge.

3  In a small bowl, mix the corn starch with 2 tablespoons of cold water to make a slurry.

4  Heat the oil in a wok, or a large sauté pan, over high heat until it is nearly smoking. As the oil is heating up, pat the beef dry and separate it into small batches no larger than what can fit into the palm of your hand. Working in batches, sauté beef until just brown outside but rare inside, no more than 1 minute. Transfer beef to a bowl.

5  When all of the beef is cooked, put the chiles and garlic into the pan and stir-fry 30-45 seconds. Add the julienned ginger and cook for 30-45 seconds more. Add the beef back to the pan. Add the cornstarch slurry. Add the scallions (I think the author meant the green onions?) and mix everything together. Cook for 1 minute.

Turn the heat off and mix in the cilantro (yeah forgot that). Serve at once with steamed white rice.

Serves 4-6.