Feel like take-out without going out? Something ethnic to put a spin in your week? A fresh spicy sauce is key to this! Building up your pantry of ‘Asian-type’ condiments can be easily done from any well-stocked supermarket. And once you have them in your pantry they keep very well and can be mixed, matched and used in a variety of different ways to add zip to any dish.
Try sesame oil and soy sauce together with a little maple syrup to marinate chicken. Or an oyster sauce rubbed on steak before grilling. We’ve tossed the steak slices in cornstarch prior to cooking, as opposed to adding the cornstarch in later to make a thick sauce. This will give the beef a nice crispiness against the smooth sauce.
The beef was enjoyed alongside a big pan of stir-fried veggies: mushrooms, peppers, onions and broccoli. Another option is to roast your broccoli, to get similar results from a quick stir-fry: toss broccoli in a little oil and salt; spread on a baking sheet and roast in a hot (425°F) oven for 5-10 minutes, until edges begin to brown. The whole dish would be great with steamed rice, of course, or even egg noodles.
Stir-Fried Beef with Black Bean Sauce
Ingredients
- 1 can of black beans, rinsed and drained; divided
- 4 cloves garlic, peeled
- 2 inch piece of ginger, peeled and chopped
- 1-2 red chili, or red chili paste, seeded and chopped
- 2 tsp sesame oil
- 4 tbsp soy sauce
- 2 tsp sugar
- 2 tbsp rice wine vinegar or dry sherry
- 2 tbsp oyster sauce
- 1/2 cup water
- 1 lb top sirloin steak, thinly sliced
- 2 tbsp cornstarch
- About 2 tbsp grapeseed oil
To make sauce: place 4 tbsp of the beans in the bottom of a small food processor, or use a hand blender; Add remaining sauce ingredients and blend until the sauce is smooth;Slice steak into thin strips: a trick to doing this is to freeze the beef for about 30 minutes; Just before frying, toss the beef in the cornstarch. If you do this too far in advance, the meat will become sticky and gummy; Heat a very large frying pan or wok over high heat; add oil and then quickly add all of the beef at once; Using tongs or a wooden spoon, quickly cook beef until desired doneness (medium is nice). Then add all of the sauce and cook for one final minute.
