Vietnamese Beef and Green Bean Stir-fry

What a month it has been! Between teaching, launching Plate & Pencil, spending the holidays in Boston, getting the flu during the holidays in Boston, I've been a little behind on blogging. Little by little, I'm getting back into the swing of things though. Today I decided to update this simple but delicious Vietnamese beef stir-fry I first did almost two years ago. Its ingredients are minimal but the flavor is outstanding. 

I was at my favorite butcher shop last week to buy some flank steak for dinner when I noticed some very nice-looking flat iron steaks in the display case. The last time I worked with flat iron steak was maybe in culinary school, but because it was about $4 a pound cheaper than the flank steak, I was curious how it would turn out in a stir-fry.

"I can just tenderize it here for you and you're good to go," said the butcher on duty, who then proceeded to pound the steak with a meat mallet before I could second-guess my choice.

Flat iron steak, also called top blade steak, is usually found only in specialty butcher shops because of its scarcity. It seems to be a relatively new cut of beef, developed by researchers from the University of Florida and University of Nebraska in the early 2000s when they were trying to find a way to use the meat from the top shoulder of the cow, which before had just gone to waste. With a good amount of marbling and deep flavor, flat iron steak is usually grilled when you find it in restaurants. But as I learned last week, it also takes to the wok like a charm.

I made a Vietnamese beef and green bean stir-fry, marinating it in my usual soy sauce/rice wine/cornstarch mixture. My friends Barb and Max came over for dinner, and I'm pretty certain they weren't just being polite when they said they really, really liked the dish. I think we all kept trying to scoop up more sauce with our forks even when the beef and green beans were all scarfed down. Oh yes, speaking of the sauce, it's a simple blend of fish sauce, soy sauce, and freshly ground black pepper. Yet the remarkable, slightly earthy flavor makes it taste like it's composed of 10 ingredients instead of just 3.

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Spicy Chicken Stir-Fry (Ayam Paprik)

My college years in Kuala Lumpur (commonly known as “KL”), right after my high school and A-levels in Penang were one of the best times of my life. It was during those years in KL that I met Mr. Rasa Malaysia, and formed precious and lasting friendships with some of my best friends. Lots of beautiful memories, laughter, admirers (yep, I had lots of admirers in the college back then), and scrumptious foods.

At least once a week, after the tedious and boring lectures at the college, Mr. Rasa Malaysia and our best friends would descend to the Malay warung (Malay food stall) right outside of our college. We would always order our favorite ayam paprik—a mouthwatering spicy chicken stir-fry, tom yum, and telur dadar (omelet), to go with the warm and fluffy steamed rice. It was then that I fell in love with Malay cooking, or in this case, Thai-style Malay food.

There are many Malay warung dotting the streets of Malaysia—a simple set up with gas stoves, fresh ingredients, and 2-3 people manning the stall. These Malay warung make everything fresh, or on orders placed by patrons. The menu ranges from nasi goreng (fried rice), tom yum (Thai hot and sour shrimp soup), to various rice plates. One of the most popular rice plates is probably nasi paprik, a rice plate with a serving of ayam paprik or spicy chicken stir-fry. The dishes served at these Malay warung are not “pure” Malay food, but Thai-influenced Malay food. Many of the cooks learned their recipes from northern Malaysia, close to the borders of southern Thailand.

Here is my ayam paprik recipe. The word paprik is derived from Thai words “Pad Prik.” I asked my friend SheSimmers who is a Thai linguist/food blogger and she told me that “pad” means “fry” and “prik” means “chili.” So this is my spicy chicken stir-fry recipe, or ayam paprik, a very popular and well-loved dish in Malaysia. Enjoy!

(Click Page 2 for the Spicy Chicken Stir-Fry (Ayam Paprik) Recipe)

Pages: 1 2

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Lamb and Fava Bean Stir-Fry

What a week this has been.

Friday, like most of the U.S., I woke up to news about all the surreal events that took place overnight in Boston. And that the entire city and surrounding towns were in crisis mode, with streets practically empty. Most of the day was spent messaging my friends and family in MA, some of who lived near or even within the 20 blocks that were sealed off. In general everyone was calm, following updates closely on TV, not once questioning the necessity of the stay-at-home order.  (I can hardly imagine if this were to happen in New York.)

As unprecedented as a citywide lockdown was, there was an underlying feeling that everyone was really united, trusting that it would all be over soon. And in the end, it was over that soon, with relief and applause and cheer spreading across the city by 9:30pm. Everything that the city and state managed to do in such a short period of time was, to put it simply, amazing.

And so, here is a recipe for spring, and new beginnings. Making this lamb and fava bean stir-fry on Saturday was such a calming activity after being on edge the day before.

Any time you prepare fava beans is a reminder that sometimes the best things take a little extra time. Delicious and meaty, fava beans (also called broad beans) are used in widely in Chinese cooking. One of the best dishes I ate in Beijing was a simple dish of fava beans and Yunnan goat cheese that I still remember to this day.

But preparing them is a little tricky; after you shell each pod, you need to quickly boil the beans and plunge  them into ice water to loosen the outer white coating, and then remove the coating from each bean. It requires a little patience, but shelling fava beans was exactly what I wanted to Saturday afternoon.

After that, the stir-fry doesn’t take long. The lamb is lightly coated in a delicious garlicky cumin sauce; having extra rice to serve is highly recommended.

It’s a great dish to serve with your loved ones close by as you look forward to the beginning of a better week.

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Lamb and Fava Bean Stir-fry

Serves 4 as part of a multi-course meal

1 pound fava beans1 pound boneless leg of lamb or lamb loin, cut against the grain to 1/4-inch thick slices2 tablespoons peanut or vegetable oil2 scallions, thinly sliced2 cloves garlic, minced2 teaspoons grated ginger1/2 cup water1/4 teaspoon salt

Marinade

1 tablespoon soy sauce1 tablespoon Chinese rice wine or dry sherry2 teaspoons cornstarch

Sauce

2 tablespoons soy sauce1 tablespoon rice vinegar1 tablespoon sesame oil1 teaspoon ground cumin1/2 teaspoon paprika1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepperPrepare a bowl of ice water and set aside. Extract the fava beans from their pods. Boil one cup of water in a saucepan. Add the fava beans, cover, and steam for 30 to 60 seconds to expand the outer white casing. Drain into a colander and immediately plunge the beans in the ice water. Drain again. Now that the fava beans are cool enough to handle, remove the beans from their white casings.Marinate the lamb: In a small bowl, combine the soy sauce, rice wine, and cornstarch and stir until the cornstarch is dissolved. In a large bowl, combine the lamb and the marinade and stir until the lamb is well-coated. Let sit for 10 to 15 minutes.Heat a wok or large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the oil and swirl to coat the base. Add the lamb and stir-fry for 2 minutes, just until it changes color on both sides. Remove and set aside on a plate.In the same pan, add the scallions, garlic, and ginger and stir-fry for about 1 minute. Add the fava beans. Add the water and salt, cover with a lid, and allow the fava beans to steam for about 3 minutes, until tender and cooked through. Uncover and add the sauce mixture. Return the lamb to the wok and quickly stir to coat with the sauce. Transfer to a plate and serve.

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Coconut Bok Choy Stir-Fry

I don’t like to admit it, but vegetable side dishes sometimes get short shrift when it comes to my meal planning. I’ll often get so involved with making an entree that come dinner time, I’ll quickly steam up some greens or just forgo them altogether. Not that anything is wrong with steamed broccoli or spinach, but sometimes they get, well, monotonous.

Lately, I’ve found myself trying to come up with a new vegetable side for  Southeast Asian entrees such as Vietnamese Clay Pot Chicken and Coconut Chicken Adobo. I’m used to steaming or just stir-frying bok choy with a bit of soy sauce or fish sauce, but decided earlier this week to make a fragrant coconut-y version with coconut milk and toasted coconut flakes. It came out so well the first time I made a few other adjustments such as adding sesame oil and sesame seeds. 

It’s a very simple side that looks impressive on the dinner table too. The aromas of coconut and sesame blend really well together, and the sauce is delicious on its own or poured over noodles or rice. In fact, with the leftovers, I made an impromptu noodle soup for a quick lunch by reheating the bok choy and coconut sauce, pouring it over boiled noodles, and adding a bit more salt and pepper.

And if you’re looking for an entree to go with the bok choy, be sure to check out the Vietnamese, Thai, and Filipino dishes in the Recipe Index!

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Coconut Bok Choy

Serves 4 as a side

2 tablespoons coconut flakes2 pounds baby bok choy, hard ends trimmed (should have about 1 1/2 lbs after trimming)1 tablespoon peanut or vegetable oil1/3 cup coconut milk1 1/2 tablespoons soy sauce1 teaspoon sesame oilSalt and pepper to taste1 teaspoon white sesame seedsIn a dry skillet, toast the coconut flakes over medium heat until they start to turn golden around the edges but are not yet brown, about 30 to 60 seconds. Transfer to a plate and set aside.In a wok or large skillet, heat the peanut oil over medium-high heat. Add the bok choy and stir-fry for 1 to 2 minutes, until slightly wilted. (If you’re using larger baby bok choy, tongs may be easier than a spatula.) Add the coconut milk and simmer for another 2 minutes, until the bok choy is mostly tender but the stems still have some crunch. Adjust the flavor with salt and pepper if needed.With tongs, carefully transfer the bok choy to a serving dish and ladle the coconut sauce over the bok choy. Sprinkle the white sesame seeds and toasted coconut flakes on top and serve.

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More delicious vegetable sides:

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 More bok choy recipes from around the web:Tagged as: Bok choy, Recipes, Sides, Vegetarian

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Pork Belly and Kimchi Stir-fry

Along with butter, ketchup, and chili sauce, one of the key items I have in my fridge at all times is a jar of kimchi. This addiction started a few years ago. I had been a casual fan for a while, eating it periodically in Korean restaurants. But after a one-week trip to Seoul in 2008, where kimchi and an assortment of other banchan (side dishes) are given to you with every restaurant entree, I became hooked.

Since then, other than during periods of moving and lengthy traveling, a jar of kimchi has been a kitchen staple. I top off noodle dishes with it. Serve it on the side with Korean braised short ribs and other beef dishes. Top off fried eggs with it. Or just eat it straight from the jar as a (very healthy!) snack. 

Another favorite dish I like to use kimchi in is a stir-fry with pork belly or thickly-cut bacon. (My version is very similar to the Korean buta kimchi but uses regular chili sauce instead of gochujang, or sweetened Korean chili sauce.)  To make it, you simply stir-fry the pork until it’s nice and crispy, then cook the onions, garlic, scallions, and kimchi before adding the spicy sesame-scented sauce. It’s easy to prepare but will look very impressive when you set it on the dinner table. It also tastes incredible, like the pork, kimchi, and sauce were just meant to go together.

What is your favorite way to use kimchi?

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Pork Belly and Kimchi Stir-fry

Serves 4

12 ounces pork belly or thickly-cut bacon1 tablespoon peanut or vegetable oil1 medium onion, diced2 cloves garlic, minced1 scallion, white and green parts separated and thinly sliced1/3 cup kimchi1 tablespoon soy sauce1 tablespoon Chinese rice wine or dry sherry2 teaspoons sesame oil1 teaspoon chili sauce1 teaspoon white sesame seedsIf using whole pork belly instead of bacon, place the pork belly in the freezer for 20 minutes to tighten it up for easier slicing. Slice the pork belly into 1/4-inch-thick slices, then into small bite-sized pieces about 1-inch in diameter. (For the bacon, just cut into small bite-sized pieces about 1-inch in diameter.)Heat a wok or large skillet over medium-high heat. Stir-fry the pork belly for 3 to 4 minutes, until crispy, then turn off the heat. Remove the pork belly and set aside. Drain all but 1 tablespoon of the oil from the pan. Turn the heat to medium. Add the onion and cook until softened, about 2 minutes. Add the garlic, scallion whites, and kimchi and cook for another minute, until the kimchi is heated through. Return the pork belly to the pan. Add the soy sauce, rice wine, sesame oil, and chili sauce and stir to coat. Transfer to a plate, sprinkle the scallion greens and white sesame seeds on top, and serve.Tagged as: Bacon, Kimchi, Korean, Pork, Recipes, Spicy

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Black Pepper Beef Stir-fry

Everyone loves a quick and easy beef stir-fry, especially Chinese beef stir-fry. This quick and easy pepper steak is from my cookbook Easy Chinese Recipes. I used black pepper, red, and green bell peppers to stir fry the beef. The seasonings are Chinese: soy sauce, oyster sauce, and Worcestershire sauce. With a tint of Chinese rice wine and sesame oil, this pepper steak stir-fry is delicious and goes extremely well with steamed rice.

If you love the taste and texture of caramelized onion, stir-fry it a little long so the beef (steak) soaks up all the flavors. Be generous with the black pepper like I do, as it completes the flavor of this popular beef stir-fry and delivers the ultimate pepper steak that everyone loves.

(Click Page 2 for the Beef Stir-Fry Recipe)

Pages: 1 2

Do you love black pepper? I do. Think black pepper crab, black pepper beef (served on a sizzling hot plate!), and black pepper in the many concoctions that ultimately add depth and awesomeness to the dish. Don’t you just love black pepper? I made black pepper chicken for dinner last night. It was a very spontaneous recipe. I had a…

I admire people who can write beautifully, especially about food, and that’s one of the reasons why I admire Carolyn Jung, A.K.A. Food Gal, a food and wine writer extraordinaire. Food Gal is an award-winning food blog about recipes, restaurants, celeb chefs, and everything food and wine related. I love great food writing and that’s why I am often glued…

A fellow Malaysian at Ohio Wagyu sent me some of his farm-raised wagyu beef. He flew the beef overnight to me, and when I received them, they were still ice cold and frozen. My favorite of all was the flank steak, which I used to make the ponzu and miso butter steak, and the leftover, I made them into Chinese…

This Cantonese beef stew is inspired by the lamb stew that I had a couple of years ago in Hong Kong. Whenever it’s winter time or the weather is cold, lamb stew is a popular dish for the denizens in Hong Kong as lamb is a “heaty” meat and the clay pot stew complement it to give warmth to the…

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Orange Beef and Broccoli Stir-fry

It’s tempting to make only salads for lunch and dinner during the summer. When the temperatures are so high that the mere thought of turning on the stove makes you break out into a sweat, salads just sound so darn easy. Wash some salad greens, toss in some nuts and olives and cheese, whisk together some vinaigrette, and you’re good to go. Add some bread and cold cuts to the side and you’ve got a complete meal.

Of course, there’s that monotony thing. As much as I like routine, it’s hard to go months or even weeks eating the same things at home. So that’s why I also have a list of quick stir-fry dishes in my summer cooking arsenal too. All these main dishes require minimal prep time and less than 10 minutes in front of the stove. 

And what are some of these dishes? Shellfish, which takes mere minutes to cook, is always a winner. One of the easiest and fastest dishes I like to make is Shrimp with Spicy Garlic Sauce, which takes about 5 minutes. If you’re not into spicy dishes, there’s also Sake-Steamed Clams and Shrimp Lo Mein. In the chicken category there’s Kung Pao Chicken, Almond Chicken, and Vinegar-Glazed Chicken.

And I can add this Orange Beef and Broccoli Stir-fry to the list too, which clocks in at about 6 or 7 minutes of cooking time. It’s flavorful but light, and the citrus makes it perfect for this kind of weather. It’s also rich in iron, something I could always use more of.

You can use flank, skirt, hangar, or flatiron steak, which all have a good amount of marbling and are very tender when cooked quickly. Just slice the beef thinly against the grain; if you have some extra prep time,  tossing the meat in the freezer for 20 minutes beforehand makes the meat a lot easier to slice.

Do you have a quick stir-fry dish in your repertoire for hot summer days?

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Orange Beef and Broccoli Stir-fry

Serves 4

1 pound flank, skirt, hangar, or flatiron steak, cut against the grain into 1/4-inch thick slices1 tablespoon soy sauce1 tablespoon Chinese rice wine or dry sherry1 teaspoon cornstarch1 1/2 tablespoons peanut or vegetable oil1 clove garlic, minced1 teaspoon minced or grated ginger1 shallot, finely chopped2 cups broccoli floretsFreshly ground black pepper2 teaspoons grated orange zest1/4 cup orange juice, preferably freshly squeezed1 1/2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce1 tablespoon soy sauce1 teaspoon sesame oil¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional for more of a kick!)1 teaspoon cornstarchMarinate the beef: In a medium bowl, stir together the soy sauce, rice wine, and cornstarch until the cornstarch is dissolved. Add the beef and toss to coat. Let stand at room temperature for 10 minutes.Prepare the sauce: In a small bowl, combine the orange zest, orange juice, Worcestershire sauce, soy sauce, sesame oil, optional cayenne pepper, and cornstarch. Stir until the cornstarch is dissolved and set aside.Heat a wok or large skillet over high heat until a bead of water sizzles and evaporates on contact. Add 1 tablespoon of the oil and swirl to coat the bottom. Add the beef and spread it around the wok in a single layer. Allow the beef to sear undisturbed for 1 to 2 minutes so it gets a nice browning on the surface. Stir-fry for another 1 to 2 minutes, just until the beef is no longer pink. Transfer to a plate and set aside.Swirl the remaining 1/2 tablespoon of oil into the wok. Add the garlic, ginger, and shallot to the wok and cook for about 30 seconds, until aromatic. Add the broccoli and stir-fry for another 1 minute. Pour in the sauce mixture. Continue to cook while stirring for another 1 to 2 minutes, until the broccoli is tender-crisp.Return the beef to the wok. Stir to coat the beef with the sauce. Season to taste with black pepper. Transfer everything to a large plate and serve.________________________________Tagged as: Beef, Chinese, Recipes

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Smart Ways to Stir-Fry Tofu

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May 31, 2012Smart Ways to Stir-Fry Tofu

As I’ve been going around talking to people about cooking tofu, one of the common concerns is: How do I stir-fry tofu without it falling apart? My instant response is, “Don’t worry so much about it.”

But people do because they’re primarily treating tofu like a meat substitute. They expect it to behave like meat during the cooking process. And when it doesn’t, there’s an onslaught of performance anxiety.

As a workaround, many people buy the firmest tofu possible for stir-frying. They often reach for super-firm tofu, usually sold in vacuum sealed packaging. That stuff is so dense that a few minutes in the wok is not going to do much to it. The result is tofu that tastes like pieces of rubber eraser with sauce on it. Yuck. That’s not delicious tofu. It’s torturous tofu.

You can stir-fry tofu in smart ways to yield big flavor and terrific textures. Here are options and things to consider:

Use tender tofu and be gentle. For example, the dish at the top of this post is the ubiquitous mapo tofu, a spicy tofu with beef and Sichuan peppercorn preparation that’s ubiquitous on Chinese menus; see Asian Tofu, page 101, for the recipe.

In that classic, medium or medium-firm tofu (stuff that feels like the flesh between your thumb and index fingers; I often buy Trader Joe's regular organic tofu in the 20-ounce tubs but a firm tofu, such as Whole Foods' is fine) is cut into cubes, then soaked or blanched in hot water and drained. Exposure to hot water facilitates draining and helps the tofu to better hold its shape during the stir-frying.

You add the tofu to the pan and gently shake or stir it. You don’t vigorously move it around the wok with a spatula, lest it fall apart. There’s a fair amount of liquid and seasoning too so the tofu takes on the other ingredients. This is delicate stir-frying with some simmering involved. The results are creamy cubes of tofu with incredible flavor.

For non-spicy alternative, try the tofu with shrimp and peas (page 100). This is a dish that many Asian Tofu recipe testers made without being assigned to it:

In preparations such as Japanese tofu with pork and bitter melon (page 106), the tofu is purposefully broken up during the stir-frying process to yield a scramble-like finish. Sometimes it’s good for the tofu to break apart!

Go for sturdier seasoned, pressed tofu. If you’re set on stir-frying super-firm tofu, try using seasoned pressed tofu that’s been simmered with seasonings (often times five spice and soy sauce), marinated, then baked. It’s called dou gan in Mandarin.

Based on a dish prepared for me by a Chinese family in Chengdu (Sichuan, China) this is a  deliciously simple stir-fry of tea-smoked tofu with pepper (page 104):

I make the smoked tofu from storebought super-firm tofu (page 38) because I like to dial in the seasonings and use organic tofu. Plus it costs less to make it myself. However, you can prepare the stir-fry with five-spice baked tofu sold at Asian markets and health food markets. Look for the brown squares or rectangles in vacuum-sealed packages in the refrigerated sections.

Regardless of  how you obtain the seasoned pressed tofu, you don’t have to drain it before cooking. The stuff is extremely compact. Cut it, then cook it. It’s sturdy tofu that you can confidently move around the wok. It’s been seasoned already so there’s some flavor built in. You won't end up with torturous tofu.

Fry the tofu first. Yep, it’s like double cooking. You can panfry, shallow-fry or deep-fry pieces of tofu beforehand – like up to 5 days in advance. Seriously.  

Frying tofu adds a rich fattiness and creates a lovely golden color. It also makes tofu that holds its shape during cooking. You can push, toss and move it around with ease.

For the bean sprouts with tofu on page 143, the tofu is cut into small pieces and then panfried to a delicate crisp. The tofu has character and stands out in the stir-fry, a popular side dish at Singaporean street hawker stalls.

With bigger pieces of tofu, deep-fry them. The dish above is Vietnamese in origin. It’s the lemongrass tofu with chiles from page 108. I first had it on Phu Quoc island (a place famous for fish sauce) and fell in love with it, not just because I was sitting on the beach with a cold beer in my hand. Dau phu xao xa ot is an amazing Viet tofu dish.

In Vietnam as with other Asian countries, you can buy deep-fried tofu from vendors. Here at home, the fried tofu is sold in plastic bags at Asian markets. It’s a convenience tofu. I like to fry my own because I know the quality of the tofu and oil. Plus I season the tofu a bit with a soak in salted water before the deep-frying.

Is deep-frying tofu a nasty thing to do? No. It’s actually pretty undramatic and fast. I owe Phuong a post on how to fry tofu well so stay tuned. Or check the recipes in Asian Tofu and you’ll see how easy it is.

Can you use panfried tofu instead of deep-fried tofu for a stir-fry? Yes, but slabs of panfried tofu are not as sturdy or tasty and deep-fried. Be gentle with your stir-frying motions.  

If stir-frying tofu challenges you, I hope these strategies and suggestions set you on the path to delicious and stress-free tofu stir-fries! If you’re a pro at stir-frying tofu, add your tips below please. Feel free to pose questions too.

Related posts:

Tofu, Kimchi and Bacon Taco RecipeChinese Fermented Black Bean Magic (plus recipes)Fried Tofu and Egg Pancake Recipe (Tahu Telur)Tasty Tofu recipes in March issue of SunsetPanfried Egg Tofu "Scallops"Is Tofu Healthy or Harmful?Guide to Tofu Textures - a sample video from Asian Tofu ebook; keep the info in your back pocket when shopping

 

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Comments Smart Ways to Stir-Fry Tofu

As I’ve been going around talking to people about cooking tofu, one of the common concerns is: How do I stir-fry tofu without it falling apart? My instant response is, “Don’t worry so much about it.”

But people do because they’re primarily treating tofu like a meat substitute. They expect it to behave like meat during the cooking process. And when it doesn’t, there’s an onslaught of performance anxiety.

As a workaround, many people buy the firmest tofu possible for stir-frying. They often reach for super-firm tofu, usually sold in vacuum sealed packaging. That stuff is so dense that a few minutes in the wok is not going to do much to it. The result is tofu that tastes like pieces of rubber eraser with sauce on it. Yuck. That’s not delicious tofu. It’s torturous tofu.

You can stir-fry tofu in smart ways to yield big flavor and terrific textures. Here are options and things to consider:

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Vietnamese Beef and Green Bean Stir-fry

I was at my favorite butcher shop last week to buy some flank steak for dinner when I noticed some very nice-looking flat iron steaks in the display case. The last time I worked with flat iron steak was maybe in culinary school, but because it was about $4 a pound cheaper than the flank steak, I was curious how it would turn out in a stir-fry.

“I can just tenderize it here for you and you’re good to go,” said the butcher on duty, who then proceeded to pound the steak with a meat mallet before I could second-guess my choice.

Flat iron steak, also called top blade steak, is usually found only in specialty butcher shops because of its scarcity. It seems to be a relatively new cut of beef, developed by researchers from the University of Florida and University of Nebraska in the early 2000s when they were trying to find a way to use the meat from the top shoulder of the cow, which before had just gone to waste. With a good amount of marbling and deep flavor, flat iron steak is usually grilled when you find it in restaurants. But as I learned last week, it also takes to the wok like a charm.

I made a Vietnamese beef and green bean stir-fry, marinating it in my usual soy sauce/rice wine/cornstarch mixture. My friends Barb and Max came over for dinner, and I’m pretty certain they weren’t just being polite when they said they really, really liked the dish. I think we all kept trying to scoop up more sauce with our forks even when the beef and green beans were all scarfed down. Oh yes, speaking of the sauce, it’s a simple blend of fish sauce, soy sauce, and freshly ground black pepper. Yet the remarkable, slightly earthy flavor makes it taste like it’s composed of 10 ingredients instead of just 3.

So try this out and let me know what you think, regardless of whether you can find flat iron steak. Flank steak and skirt steak work just as well and don’t need to be tenderized before marinating. Just remember to slice the beef against the grain, or else you’ll end up with a very tough texture. Tossing the beef in the freezer for 20 minutes beforehand will make the slicing much easier.

If you have any leftover sauce, you can save it for another quick meal the next day – it’s fantastic as a seasoning for fried rice, with nothing else needed except maybe some scallions and egg.

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Vietnamese Beef and Green Bean Stir-fry

Serves 4

1 pound flank or flatiron steak (the latter tenderized), cut into 1/4-inch thick slices1 tablespoon soy sauce1 tablespoon Chinese rice wine or dry sherry2 teaspoons cornstarch1 tablespoon peanut or vegetable oil2 cloves garlic, minced1/2 pound green beans, cut into 3-inch lengths1/2 cup water1 1/2 tablespoons fish sauce1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper**Special equipment – wok or large skillet with a lidMarinate the beef: In a medium bowl, stir together the cornstarch, 1/2 tablespoon of the soy sauce, and the rice wine until the cornstarch is dissolved. Add the beef and toss to coat. Let stand for 10 minutes.Heat a wok or large skillet over high heat until a bead of water sizzles and evaporates on contact. Add the oil and swirl to coat the bottom. Add the beef and spread it out in a single layer. Allow it to sear untouched for 1 minute, then stir-fry for another 1 to 2 minutes until the pink is mostly gone. Transfer to a plate and set aside.In the same wok, add the garlic and stir-fry very briefly (about 20 seconds), just until aromatic. Add the green beans and stir-fry for another 1 minute. Add the water and immediately cover with a lid. Allow the green beans to steam for 3 to 4 minutes, or until they are crisp-tender and the water has evaporated.Return the beef to the pan and add the fish sauce, the remaining 1/2 tablespoon of soy sauce, and the black pepper. Stir so that everything is well coated, then turn off the heat. Transfer to a plate and serve hot.

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More beef dishes to try:

Cantonese Tomato Beef

Mongolian Beef

Korean Braised Short Ribs (Kalbi Jjim)

Spicy Hunan Beef with Cumin

Black Pepper Beef Stir-fry

Japanese Beef and Rice Bowl

Sichuan Boiled Beef in Fiery Sauce (Shuizhu niurou)

Tagged as: Beef, Recipes, Vietnamese

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Black Pepper Beef Stir-fry

Back when I made black pepper beef in Beijing,  flank steak was surprisingly difficult to find. Sure, black pepper beef is more of a Cantonese stir-fry, and the Chinese eat pork way more than beef, but somehow I just didn’t expect to have to buy all my flank steak at a gourmet market for expats. Luckily, now I’m back in Brooklyn and living within walking distance of at least five big grocery stores, all of which have flank steak in abundance.

Over the years I’ve altered my recipe (first published July 27, 2008) to include ground black pepper in the sauce instead of the marinade, so the flavor is now more pronounced. The proportions of the sauce ingredients have also been updated; this sauce has less sodium, less sugar, less oil, but still maintains plenty of flavor. Try it out and let me know what you think!

Flank steak is something I hardly ever cook in China, mostly because I am almost never in the vicinity of a good butcher. But last weekend, I decided to treat myself to a massage to help with a sore back. Walking out blissful and somewhat painfree, I realized I was near Boucherie Michel, the only place in town where I could find quality cuts of meat and imported cheeses and wine and pricey organic food. (How I miss the days when I could pop down to the Fairway in West Harlem for all my grocery needs.)

I bought 200 grams of flank steak and made a stir-fry with peppers and onions. The sauce is relatively easy: soy sauce, oyster sauce, sugar, sesame oil, and most importantly, a copious amount of freshly ground black pepper. In fact, the only thing tricky about this dish in slicing the beef thin enough, which is made easier if you pop the meat in the freezer for about 15 to 20 minutes beforehand. Then just slice at an angle, perpendicular to the grain; doing so shortens the muscle fibers and makes the meat less chewy when cooked.

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Black Pepper Beef Stir-fry

Serves 4 as part of a multi-course meal

1/2 pound flank steak, cut against the grain into 1/4-inch-thick slices
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 medium onion, thinly sliced
1 bell pepper, thinly sliced
1 tablespoon peanut or vegetable oil

Marinade:
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon Chinese rice wine
1 teaspoon cornstarch

Sauce:
1 tablespoon oyster sauce
1/2 tablespoon soy sauce
1/2 tablespoon Shaoxing wine
1/2 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon sesame oil
1/2 teaspoon of freshly ground black pepper

Marinate the beef: In a large bowl, combine the flank steak with the soy sauce, rice wine, and cornstarch. Let stand for 10 to 15 minutes.Prepare the sauce: In a small bowl, combine the oyster sauce, soy sauce, rice wine, sugar, sesame oil, and black pepper. Stir until the sugar is dissolved and set aside.Heat oil in a wok or large skillet over high heat until a drop of water sizzles and evaporates on contact. Swirl in the oil. Add the beef in one layer and allow it to sear on one side for 1 minute. Stir-fry for another 2 minutes, until the outside is no longer red but the beef is not yet cooked through. Remove from the wok and set aside.In the same wok, add the garlic, onions, and peppers and stir-fry until the aromatic and the edges of the onions begin to caramelize, about 1 to 2 minutes. Return the beef to the wok. Add the sauce and stir well to coat. Transfer to a large plate and serve.Tagged as: Beef, Cantonese, Chinese, Recipes

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