Beef Stirfry
Nov. 12th, 2005 07:27 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
muck_a_luckThis is a bastardized version of The Frugal Gourmet's Oyster Beef, published in his excellent cookbook, The Frugal Gourmet Cooks Three Ancient Cuisines. It's the streamlined, I-don't-have-time-for-all-the-details-and-ingredients version.
This looks more complicated than it is, becuase I have given lots of instructions, even for the simple steps. The trick with doing a stirfry quickly and efficiently is to prepare the ingredients in order so that each one is ready when needed.
Beef Stirfry
Shopping list
1/3 to 1/2 pound beef. I recommend a thick piece of top round for value for your money and a good flavor. Of course, the nicer the steak you get, the yummier your stirfry. You could certainly try a sirloin. You want to get something not too marbled, however.
Fresh broccoli. If you are buying strictly for this recipe, you will want the equivalent of two cut up double handfuls. A small amount.
A very small yellow or white onion.
A head of iceberg lettuce.
Oyster sauce. You will find this with the Asian foods.
Soy sauce.
Rice wine or cooking sherry (optional).
Rice. I recommend a white basmati or a jasmine. Fragrant and yummy.
Preparation
Start the rice. If using long grain white, white basmati, or white jasmine, use 1 part rice to 2 parts water. So one cup of rice needs two cups of water. For one person, 1/2 cup of raw rice is probably enough. Salt the water and bring to a boil in a small sauce pan. Add the rice. Cover. Simmer for 20 minutes.
Using a large sharp knife. Slice the beef as thin as you can. If you are using a piece of beef from your freezer, you will be able to get thinner slices if you cut it when it is not quite completely thawed.
Put the beef in a shallow dish. Add 1 to 2 tablespoons each of oyster sauce, soy sauce and rice wine or cooking sherry. Stir to mix with the meat. The mixture should be just moistened. Set aside.
Cut up the broccoli to your taste. I like to cut it very, very small. Put in a saucepan and cover with water. Bring the water to a boil and boil for one to two minutes (longer for large pieces). Remove from heat and drain. Set aside.
Slice the onion very thin. Start by peeling it and cutting off the ends. Then stand it on one end and cut it in half. Lay a half on the flat cut side. Cut the onion paper thin with the large sharp knife you used on the meat.
In a very large skillet, sauté the onions in butter until soft and golden.
On a clean cutting board, using a clean knife, cut a couple of thin slices of lettuce. Cut crosswise into pieces about finger length or so. The lettuce is awesome. Don't leave it out!
Put the meat in the pan with the onions. Cook until brown, adding a little vegetable oil if needed (I usually find the meat is juicy enough that it does not stick to the pan).
When the meat is brown, add the broccoli and lettuce. Cook one or two minutes, until the vegetables are hot, but not overcooked.
Serve over hot rice.
Experiment with other vegetables. I like to add baby corn and bean sprouts. You may prefer green onions to the small kitchen onions.
This looks more complicated than it is, becuase I have given lots of instructions, even for the simple steps. The trick with doing a stirfry quickly and efficiently is to prepare the ingredients in order so that each one is ready when needed.
Shopping list
1/3 to 1/2 pound beef. I recommend a thick piece of top round for value for your money and a good flavor. Of course, the nicer the steak you get, the yummier your stirfry. You could certainly try a sirloin. You want to get something not too marbled, however.
Fresh broccoli. If you are buying strictly for this recipe, you will want the equivalent of two cut up double handfuls. A small amount.
A very small yellow or white onion.
A head of iceberg lettuce.
Oyster sauce. You will find this with the Asian foods.
Soy sauce.
Rice wine or cooking sherry (optional).
Rice. I recommend a white basmati or a jasmine. Fragrant and yummy.
Preparation
Start the rice. If using long grain white, white basmati, or white jasmine, use 1 part rice to 2 parts water. So one cup of rice needs two cups of water. For one person, 1/2 cup of raw rice is probably enough. Salt the water and bring to a boil in a small sauce pan. Add the rice. Cover. Simmer for 20 minutes.
Using a large sharp knife. Slice the beef as thin as you can. If you are using a piece of beef from your freezer, you will be able to get thinner slices if you cut it when it is not quite completely thawed.
Put the beef in a shallow dish. Add 1 to 2 tablespoons each of oyster sauce, soy sauce and rice wine or cooking sherry. Stir to mix with the meat. The mixture should be just moistened. Set aside.
Cut up the broccoli to your taste. I like to cut it very, very small. Put in a saucepan and cover with water. Bring the water to a boil and boil for one to two minutes (longer for large pieces). Remove from heat and drain. Set aside.
Slice the onion very thin. Start by peeling it and cutting off the ends. Then stand it on one end and cut it in half. Lay a half on the flat cut side. Cut the onion paper thin with the large sharp knife you used on the meat.
In a very large skillet, sauté the onions in butter until soft and golden.
On a clean cutting board, using a clean knife, cut a couple of thin slices of lettuce. Cut crosswise into pieces about finger length or so. The lettuce is awesome. Don't leave it out!
Put the meat in the pan with the onions. Cook until brown, adding a little vegetable oil if needed (I usually find the meat is juicy enough that it does not stick to the pan).
When the meat is brown, add the broccoli and lettuce. Cook one or two minutes, until the vegetables are hot, but not overcooked.
Serve over hot rice.
Experiment with other vegetables. I like to add baby corn and bean sprouts. You may prefer green onions to the small kitchen onions.
