Where's the Beef?

We love steak so much in this house that I sometimes forget that there are other ways to prepare beef. I tried this recipe the other night, and it was a huge hit.

With an eye toward leftovers for lunch the next day, I doubled all the quantities except for the red pepper flakes, garlic, and ginger, which I just barely increased, and it was still plenty zingy for my kids' palates. You'll want to serve this on top of steamed white rice to soak up the delicious juices. Nom Nom Nom.

Stir-Fried Beef with Snow Peas and Cashews

1¼ pound flank steak, sliced as thinly as possible against the grain
2 Tbsp low-sodium soy sauce
⅓ cup hoisin sauce
⅓ cup water
½ tsp red pepper flakes
2 Tbsp vegetable oil
½ lb. snow peas, trimmed
4 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
1 Tbsp minced fresh ginger
½ cup unsalted roasted cashews, chopped

Toss steak slices and soy sauce together in medium bowl, cover, and refrigerate while preparing other ingredients. Whisk hoisin sauce, water, and pepper flakes together in small bowl; set aside.

Heat 2 teaspoons oil in large nonstick skillet or wok over high heat until just smoking. Add half of steak and stir-fry until browned, about 1-2 minutes. Transfer to clean bowl. Heat 2 more teaspoons oil until just smoking and repeat with remaining beef.

To now-empty skillet, add remaining 2 teaspoons oil and heat until just smoking. Add snow peas and stir-fry for 2 minutes. Clear center of pan and add garlic and ginger. Cook, mashing garlic and ginger with back of spatula, until fragrant, about 45 seconds. (Mine looked like it was going to burn well before 45 seconds, so I proceeded more quickly.) Stir garlic and ginger into snow peas, then toss in steak. Whisk hoisin sauce mixture to recombine, pour into pan, and cook until thickened, about 1 minute. Stir in cashews and transfer to platter. (I just used the same bowl I had put the batches of cooked steak in.)

Comments

[404]

Great!

[James]

Looks great!

When I make stir-fry, I always add some corn starch at the end to thicken up the liquid. I don't measure it, but it's maybe 1/2 tsp in 1Tbsp of cold water, and when it's dissolved I toss it into the pan and mix it in for a slight thickening. It also makes the meat and veggies glisten, which is nice, and makes it easier to get all that yummy sauce with the rice.

[Sharon]

I made this tonight and it was delicious. Thanks!

[Liz]

We're celebrating the Korean New Year tomorrow night (a little early) with friends. I'll make this for the kids. I'm making Korean fish dishes the kids won't like - Twice cooked spicy sea bass (whole) and oyster soap.

[Liz]

The kids loved it. I substituted broccoli for the snow peas. Yum, yum.

[Liz]

I omitted the red pepper - I knew they wouldn't go for it otherwise.

[Tonya]

I cooked this up tonight and it was super! The only thing different I did was add some mushrooms. (We love mushrooms in just about anything). YUM!!

[Sandy]

I finally made this tonight. "Best dinner you've ever made," said my 7-year-old. Thanks, Karen.