This is a delicious dish that you can whip up in no time. It's fast, it's easy, it's STEAK! Those are three things that I think most Americans LOVE together. There's something about tender slices of beef flavored with soy sauce, ginger, and garlic that makes someone fall in love. Not really, but it's more sophisticated than your ordinary redneck BBQ found here in the south, sans beer. I'm sure you could add some alcohol in this dish to add even more depth of flavor, (red wine) but here, I kept it simple stupid. I loved it, Michael loved it, YOU will love it! Seriously, give it a try! What do you have to lose? (Maybe a few eyebrows if you throw in your alcohol without removing from heat first).
I'm done, enjoy your meal!
Flank Steak Stir-Fry with Asparagus and Bell Pepper
Yields: 4 servings
2 tbsp. vegetable oil
½ lb. asparagus, trimmed into ½” pieces, parboiled *SEE NOTES*
½ lb. flank steak, sliced thinly, into ¼” strips
½ bell pepper sliced ¼” strips
2 tsp. cornstarch, dissolved into 2 tbsp. water
All-Purpose Stir Fry
Sauce
3 tbsp. soy sauce
1 tsp. grated ginger
1 clove garlic, grated
½ tsp. chili oil (for those who like it spicy)
First, prepare the all-purpose stir fry sauce in a small
container and set aside. This will allow the flavors to combine. Next, stir-fry
the asparagus in 1 tbsp. oil over high heat for 1-2 minutes until lightly
browned.
Remove and set aside. Using the remaining oil (add more if necessary),
stir fry the beef strips just until browned. (The strips should remain pink
inside.)
Add the bell pepper and stir fry for 2 minutes, or until the strips
begin to wilt. The bell pepper adds a great texture to the dish if kept
tender-crisp.
Add the corn starch mixture and the stir fry sauce and stir
quickly (liquids will thicken fast). Return the asparagus to the pan and toss
to coat thoroughly with sauce. Serve over rice.
·
Since the only salt being added here is soy
sauce, make sure you taste for seasoning before serving, as my final dish
needed additional salt.
Asparagus is a great vegetable to add to dishes because it
has a great flavor and keeps a bit of crunch after cooking (provided it’s
cooked properly). To prepare the asparagus and to parboil it, you will first
need to inspect your asparagus to get rid of any of the unwanted spears. Any
spears that have “heads” which are not closely knit should be discarded. Next,
you’ll want to remove the woody ends, as they are tough and fibrous—not pleasing
to the palate. To do so, hold a spear between both hands and bend it, the spear
will snap where it begins to be tender. Repeat this step for all the spears, or
simply use the first spear as a guide and cut the same length off the rest of
the asparagus. Next, cut the spears on the diagonal about ¼” pieces.
To parboil the asparagus, bring a pot of water to a boil,
add the asparagus, and cook for 1 minute, or until the asparagus is a bright
green color. If it cooks until it is an olive green color, the asparagus will
be mushy and the color isn’t very pretty. Next, drain the asparagus and “shock”
it with ice water—this will stop the cooking process, keeping the asparagus
tender-crisp and beautiful.
Nutritional Info
Servings Per Recipe: 4
- Amount Per Serving
- Calories: 138.3
- Total Fat: 7.8 g
- Cholesterol: 28.4 mg
- Sodium: 493.2 mg
- Total Carbs: 4.5 g
- Dietary Fiber: 1.3 g
- Protein: 13.1 g
