This delicious beef stir-fry dish is everything I was hoping it would be! You get great flavor from the peanuts, soy sauce, fish sauce and lime juice, and a nice kick from the chiles. Yumm!  

Changes I made to the recipe: I doubled the cilantro and omitted the basil, substituted red onion for the shallot, and substituted flatiron steak for the flank steak. Cut back on the chile if you don’t like spicy food.

Serve the stir-fry with an Asian-inspired salad and steamed rice and you’ve got a great dinner in a flash!

Spicy Beef with Peanuts & Chiles
-recipe from Fine Cooking Magazine

Serves four. 

1 lb. flank steak, thinly sliced on the diagonal against the grain
2 Tbs. soy sauce
2 tsp. fish sauce
1/4 tsp. kosher salt; more to taste
2 Tbs. fresh lime juice
1 Tbs. light brown sugar
1/4 cup salted peanuts
2 large shallots, coarsely chopped
2 Thai or serrano chiles, stemmed and coarsely chopped (don’t seed)
3 Tbs. canola or peanut oil
1/3 cup coarsely chopped fresh cilantro
3 Tbs. chopped fresh basil

Toss the steak with 1 Tbs. of the soy sauce, 1 tsp. of the fish sauce, and the salt. Combine the remaining 1 Tbs. soy sauce and 1 tsp. fish sauce with 1 Tbs. of the lime juice and the brown sugar and set aside.

Pulse the peanuts, shallots, and chiles in a food processor until finely chopped. Transfer to a small bowl.

Set a 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat until hot, about 1 minute. Add 1-1/2 Tbs. of the oil and once it’s shimmering, add the beef. Cook, stirring, until the beef just loses its raw appearance, about 2 minutes. Transfer to a plate.

Reduce the heat to medium, add the remaining 1-1/2 Tbs. oil and the shallot mixture, sprinkle with salt, and cook, stirring, until the shallots are soft, about 2 minutes.

Return the beef to the pan. Stir the soy mixture and add it, along with half of the cilantro and basil, and cook, stirring to let the flavors meld, 2 minutes. Season to taste with salt and serve sprinkled with the remaining lime juice, cilantro, and basil.

From Fine Cooking, September 18, 2007
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Tags: Asian, basil, Beef, cilantro, fish sauce, flank steak, lime juice, peanuts, serrano chiles, soy sauce, stir-fry

I love Japanese food so I was intrigued when I saw this recipe for Japanese Beef Bowl. It’s a tasty stir-fry that only takes a few minutes to make — perfect for a weeknight meal.

For beef stir-fry, I usually use a flatiron steak because it stays tender. For easy slicing, let the meat freeze for 20-30 minutes (it’s a great tip!). After the beef finished cooking in the sauce, I added a teaspoon or so of freshly grated ginger (just because I had it out for another recipe). Serve the stir-fry with steamed rice and veggies for a complete meal.

For more recipes, check out Tasty Tuesdayand Tempt My Tummy Tuesday.

Japanese Beef Bowl
-recipe from Sunset Magazine

A simple weeknight dinner full of flavor. To slice beef thinly, wrap and place in freezer for 30 minutes before cutting. Makes 4 servings

2 cups short- or medium-grain rice
1 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup soy sauce
2 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons sake
1 small onion, thinly sliced
1 tablespoon oil
1 pound  beef sirloin, thinly sliced
2 tablespoons chopped cilantro
Pickled ginger slices (optional)

In a 4-quart pan, bring 3 cups water to a boil. Add rice and salt. Cover and reduce heat to simmer, then cook until almost tender, 15 minutes. Turn off heat and let stand, covered, for 5 minutes before fluffing with a fork.

In a small pan, bring soy sauce, sugar, sake, and 3/4 cup water to a boil. Remove from heat and reserve.

In a 10-inch frying pan over high heat, cook onion in oil until it begins to brown, 3 to 5 minutes. Add beef and continue stirring for 2 minutes, then add 1/2 cup of soy-sake sauce and stir until beef is cooked, 2 minutes longer.

Divide rice among 4 bowls. Top with beef, remaining sauce, and cilantro. Serve with ginger, if desired.

Tags: Beef, cilantry, Japanese, onion, sake, soy sauce, sugar

I love stir-fry dishes! They’re quick, easy to make, and a great way to eat more veggies.  My family is always thrilled to see beef on the menu so this meal was a hit (even with my Young Picky Eater). I particularly liked the sauce, which is flavored with hoisin sauce and sesame oil.

To get thin slices of beef, I froze the flank steak for 20 minutes or so then sliced it as thinly as possible. I used less garlic because I got side-tracked and forgot to put the remaining 4 cloves into the stir-fry (whoops!). It was still really good but the forgotten garlic would’ve added even more flavor. A rib-eye or flatiron steak would be a good substitute for the flank steak (use about a pound of meat). I sprinkled the stir-fry with toasted sesame seeds and served it with steamed jasmine rice.

Beef and Broccoli Stir-fry
-recipe from America’s Test Kitchen 30-Minute Suppers (Winter 2010)

Cooking the steak in two batches ensures maximum browning and flavor development. Serves 4.

1/2 cup water
1/4 cup hoisin sauce
1/4 cup dry sherry
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil
2 teaspoons cornstarch
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 small flank steak (about 1 pound), halved lengthwise and sliced thin
1 (16-ounce) bag broccoli florets
1 red bell pepper, seeded and sliced thin
6 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger

Whisk water, hoisin, sherry, soy sauce, sesame oil, and cornstarch in bowl. Heat 1 tablespoon vegetable oil in large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until just smoking. Cook half of steak until browned, 1 to 2 minutes per side. Transfer to bowl and repeat with additional 1 tablespoon oil and remaining steak.

Add broccoli, bell pepper, and remaining oil to empty pan and cook, covered and stirring occasionally, until vegetables are nearly tender, 3 to 5 minutes. Add garlic and ginger and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Return steak and any accumulated juices to pan. Stir in hoisin mixture and cook until thickened, about 2 minutes. Serve.

Test Kitchen Note:To spice up this simple stir-fry, add a seeded, minced jalapeno chile (or two) along with the bell pepper.

Tags: Asian, Beef, broccoli, flank steak, garlic, ginger, red pepper, stir-fry

Every party needs a few meaty appetizers to keep the festivities rolling. That’s why I brought these Sweet & Sour Cocktail Meatballs to a party recently. Sure, you can buy store-bought meatballs but I thought these were delicious and worth the effort to make (they are firmer in texture than some spongy, store-bought types). Plus, you can make the meatballs and sauce ahead of time and freeze them for up to a month…a bonus when it comes to preparing for a party!

I was getting lazy towards the end of the meatball rolling process so I started making them a bit bigger. Because of that, I only got 74 meatballs instead of 80 (no big deal, though). I used a regular-sized jar of Smucker’s Apricot-Pineapple Preserves (about 2 cups) and added a splash of cider vinegar to make the sauce a bit more tangy. The smaller you mince the onions, the better because you don’t want chunks of onion the size of the meatballs. And remember to buy the toothpicks to spear them with. 

Make-Ahead Sweet and Sour Cocktail Meatballs
-recipe from Cook’s Country Magazine (December 2009)

We wanted to do as much advance preparation as possible so the meatballs could come together in a hurry the night of a party. We needed a sweet, tangy sauce without any hints of artificial candy flavor and meatballs that wouldn’t dry out in the freezer. Here’s what we discovered:
•Browning the meatballs in a skillet was a pain. Baking them in the oven was much faster and ensured the meatballs browned evenly.
•We found that all of the most common binders—bread crumbs, cracker crumbs, and even cornflake crumbs—dried out the meatballs. We settled on a panade, a paste made from bread softened in milk, to protect our meatballs from the dry cold of the freezer.
•Too much seasoning will overpower the meatballs, but too little will be lost in the sauce. The right balance of salt, pepper, garlic, and parsley complimented the sweet and sour flavor of the sauce perfectly.
•Tomato sauce doctored up with red pepper flakes, Dijon mustard, and a few other key ingredients took care of the sour portion of the sauce. For the sweet, we tested every type of jam and jelly we could think of and settled on one standout.
•Freezing the meatballs and sauce in separate containers eliminates almost all of the last-minute prep work. When it’s time to serve, simply reheat the sauce, dump in the frozen meatballs, and you’re done.
•Use a 1 1/4-inch melon baller or a 1 tablespoon measuring spoon to form the meatballs.

Serves 20.
 
Meatballs
4 slices hearty white sandwich bread , torn into pieces 
1/2 cup whole milk  
2 large egg yolks  
1/2 pound ground pork  
1/2 cup finely chopped fresh parsley  
2 garlic cloves , minced 
1 teaspoon salt  
2 teaspoons pepper  
2 1/2 pounds 85 percent lean ground beef  

Sauce 
1 tablespoon vegetable oil  
1 onion , minced 
1 (28-ounce) can tomato sauce  
2 1/2 cups apricot preserves  
1/4 cup packed dark brown sugar  
3 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce  
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard  
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes  

MAKE MEATBALLS: Adjust oven racks to upper-middle and lower-middle positions and heat oven to 450 degrees. Using fork, mash bread, milk, and egg yolks in large bowl until smooth. Add pork, parsley, garlic, salt, and pepper and mix until incorporated. Add beef and knead gently until combined.

BAKE MEATBALLS: Form mixture into 1¼-inch meatballs (you should have about 80). Bake meatballs on 2 rimmed baking sheets until cooked through and beginning to brown, 12 to 15 minutes, switching and rotating sheets halfway through cooking. Let cool to room temperature, then refrigerate until firm, about 30 minutes. Transfer to large zipper-lock freezer bag and freeze for up to 1 month.

MAKE SAUCE: Heat oil in Dutch oven over medium-high heat until shimmering. Cook onion until softened, about 5 minutes. Whisk in tomato sauce, preserves, sugar, Worcestershire, mustard, and pepper flakes and bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until sauce is thickened, about 15 minutes. Let cool to room temperature. Transfer to airtight container and freeze for up to 1 month.

TO SERVE: Reheat sauce, covered and stirring occasionally, in Dutch oven over medium-low heat. Once sauce reaches simmer, stir in frozen meatballs and cook until heated through, 10 to 15 minutes. Serve.

STEP BY STEP: Make-Ahead Magic
1. Bake the meatballs, cool them on the counter, and refrigerate.
2. Place the chilled meatballs in zipper-lock bags and freeze. 
3. To reheat, dump the frozen meatballs directly into the simmering sauce.

Tags: Beef, make ahead, meatballs, onions, pork, sweet and sour, tomato sauce

These smoky-flavored beef tacos are extremely easy and sooo good! I’ve made this recipe several times and no matter how much beef I cook up, we always wish I’d made more. The beef simmers for two hours in a chipotle-tomato sauce and emerges from the oven tender and delicious. Once you shred the meat, mix in some of the sauce it baked in (to keep the meat moist). The garnishes are easy to make and really compliment the beef so I suggest making all of them. The shredded beef would also be great in enchiladas.

Smoky Beef Tacos
-recipe from marthastewart.com

These slow-simmered beef tacos have just the right amount of spice. Serves 8.

2 to 3 tablespoons chopped canned chipotle chiles in adobo
1/2 cup ketchup
8 garlic cloves, chopped
2 teaspoons dried oregano
Coarse salt and ground pepper
1 boneless beef chuck roast (about 3 pounds), excess fat trimmed
16 corn tortillas (6-inch), lightly toasted

To garnish (recipes below):
Avocado-Red Onion Relish
Corn-and-Tomato Salsa
Cilantro-Lime Crema

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a heavy pot with a tight-fitting lid, stir together chiles, ketchup, 1 cup water, garlic, oregano, 2 teaspoons salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper.

Cut beef into 4 equal pieces. Add to pot, and turn to coat. Cover, and bring to a boil; transfer pot to oven. Bake, covered, until beef is fork-tender, about 2 1/2 hours.

Transfer beef to a bowl. With a large spoon, skim off and discard fat from cooking liquid. Shred beef with two forks; moisten with cooking liquid as needed. Season with salt and pepper. Serve beef with tortillas and desired toppings.

Avocado-Red Onion Relish
Top off our Smoky Beef Tacos with this relish. Makes 3 cups

2 diced avocados
1 finely chopped medium red onion
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
Salt and pepper

Combine avocados, red onion, and lime juice. Season with salt and pepper.

Corn-and-Tomato Salsa
Makes 3 cups.

1 10-ounce box thawed frozen corn
1 cup quartered grape tomatoes
2 teaspoons vegetable oil
2 teaspoons red-wine vinegar
Salt and pepper

Combine corn, grape tomatoes, vegetable oil, and red-wine vinegar. Season with salt and pepper.

Cilantro-Lime Crema
Makes 2 cups.

16 ounces reduced-fat sour cream
1/4 cup fresh lime juice
1/2 cup chopped cilantro
Salt and pepper

Stir together sour cream, lime juice, and cilantro. Season with salt and pepper.

Tags: Beef, chipotle peppers, smoky beef tacos

I wish meatloaf had a better name. I don’t know what that would be since it is a loaf of meat, but there’s got to be something else we can call it. Any ideas??? I’ll be pondering a new name for this tasty dish but for now we’re stuck with the name meat loaf.

The other day I had a few pounds of ground beef that I wanted to use so I did a quick recipe search and came up with this recipe for Individual Meat Loaves. The individual loaves were delicious, juicy, and easy to make. I can’t wait to make them for my dad, a meat loaf connoisseur. He’s going to love them. For a classic comfort food dinner, serve with mashed potatoes and steamed veggies.

Individual Meat Loaves
-Ina Garten recipe from foodnetwork.com

Serves: 6 servings

1 tablespoon good olive oil
3 cups chopped yellow onions
1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme leaves
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
3 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1/3 cup canned chicken stock or broth
1 tablespoon tomato paste
2 1/2 pounds ground chuck (81 percent lean)
1/2 cup plain dry bread crumbs (recommended: Progresso)
2 extra-large eggs, beaten
1/2 cup ketchup (recommended: Heinz)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Heat the olive oil in a medium saute pan. Add the onions, thyme, salt, and pepper and cook over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, for 8 to 10 minutes, until the onions are translucent but not brown. Off the heat, add the Worcestershire sauce, chicken stock, and tomato paste. Allow to cool slightly. In a large bowl, combine the ground chuck, onion mixture, bread crumbs, and eggs, and mix lightly with a fork. Don’t mash or the meatloaf will be dense. Divide the mixture into 6 (10 to 11-ounce) portions and shape each portion into a small loaf on a sheet pan. Spread about a tablespoon of ketchup on the top of each portion. Bake for 40 to 45 minutes, until the internal temperature is 155 to 160 degrees F and the meat loaves are cooked through. Serve hot.

Tags: Beef, Comfort Food, meat loaf, meatloaf

Here’s another great take-out favorite that can be whipped up in a flash: thin slices of beef with crisp-tender green beans, crunchy water chesnuts and a garlic and ginger flavored sauce. It’s delicious!

Don’t let the oyster sauce frighten you. It doesn’t smell fishy or taste anything like oysters…it just forms the base of the sauce along with the beef broth. Look for oyster sauce in the Asian section of your grocery store (by the soy sauce). You need to have everything prepped and ready to go before starting to cook the stir fry. When I say everything, I mean everything (your table set, your rice cooked, etc.). You don’t want your stir fry getting cold while you wait for your rice to cook. I used flatiron steak instead of flank steak because that’s what I had in the fridge. Also, I only used 1/4 teaspoon of red pepper flakes because I wanted my kids to enjoy the dish, although I think it would be better with the full amount of spice. Serve with steamed rice.

Stir-Fried Beef with Green Beans and Water Chestnuts
-recipe from Cook’s Country Magazine

To prepare the flank steak, slice the meat with the grain into 3 long strips, then cut each strip across the grain into 1/8-inch-thick slices. A stir-fry is a welcome weeknight meal because it takes just minutes to cook. Our version includes crunchy green beans and water chestnuts, which pair perfectly with tender flank steak. Here’s what we discovered:

Test Kitchen Discoveries

•Stir-frying is very quick and demands a cook’s complete attention for the best results. Have all the ingredients properly prepared and near the stovetop before beginning cooking.
•Freeze the beef for 15 minutes—the meat will firm up enough to slice thinly.
•Skip the wok. We use a nonstick skillet here, which puts more surface area in direct contact with the burner for faster cooking and more even heating than a traditional wok.
•Be sure the pan is properly preheated (the pan is ready when the oil is just smoking) and that the ingredients are spread evenly across the pan. The food should cook quickly, not steam.

Serves 4

1/3 cup oyster sauce  
1/3 cup low-sodium beef broth  
2 teaspoons rice vinegar  
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes  
2 tablespoons vegetable oil  
1 flank steak (about 1 1/2 pounds), cut into thin slices  
1 pound green beans , trimmed and cut into 2-inch pieces 
2 (8-ounce) cans sliced water chestnuts , drained 
8 garlic cloves , minced 
2 tablespoons grated fresh ginger  

Whisk oyster sauce, broth, vinegar, and pepper flakes in bowl. Heat 2 teaspoons oil in large nonstick skillet over high heat until just smoking. Cook half of steak until browned, about 1 minute per side. Transfer to bowl and repeat with additional 2 teaspoons oil and remaining steak.

Heat remaining 2 teaspoons oil in empty skillet until just smoking. Cook beans and water chestnuts, covered, stirring occasionally, until beans are bright green and just tender, about 3 minutes. Add garlic and ginger and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Return steak and any accumulated juices to pan. Add oyster sauce mixture and cook until thickened, about 1 minute. Serve.

Tags: Asian, Beef, green beans, oyster sauce, stir-fry, water chesnuts

This recipe rocks! The whole meal can even be cooked on the grill (meaning no kitchen mess…always a bonus). The tacos call for skirt steak which is a long, thin cut of beef. Flank steak or rib-eyes would work great, too, if you can’t find the skirt steak (you will need to alter the cooking time if you use a thicker cut). The skirt steak I bought was folded in half for packaging. After unfolding the meat, I cut the skirt steak into shorter pieces for grilling (adjusting the cooking time for smaller pieces of meat). After cooking, I let the steak rest then I sliced it thinly against the grain (the meat will be very chewy if you slice it with the grain). You can substitute corn tortillas for the flour tortillas if you prefer.

Although the steak tacos were good, the Grilled Tomato Salsa is the real star of this recipe. The salsa was quite spicy so I recommend using 1 serrano or substituting a jalapeno chile which has less heat (you can always add more chile if you want it hotter). The recipe calls for sautéing the chiles with the onions and garlic. However, I decided to grill everything (chiles, onions, garlic) on my gas grill since I was already using the grill for the tomatoes and steak. Grilling all the veggies worked great and I didn’t have a pan to wash afterward. I left the tomatoes and chiles whole but I cut the onion into big slices. For the garlic, I removed several cloves from a whole head, leaving at least six cloves intact to the root and rubbed the whole thing with oil. I then rubbed all the other veggies with oil and then I put everything on the grill at high heat. The garlic took the longest to cook so next time I’d start it first. I removed the veggies when they had softened and had a nice char.  Once the veggies were cool enough to handle, I removed the skin from each clove of garlic and cut the stem ends off the chiles and tomatoes. I then put all the veggies into the food processor to blend. Remember to use less chile to start with if you want a milder salsa. As a final touch, I added 1/4-1/2 teaspoon of liquid smoke to add just a hint of smokiness to the salsa. Olé!

Skirt Steak Tacos with Grilled Tomato Salsa
- Recipe courtesy Bobby Flay – foodnetwork.com

Makes 4 servings

8 (6-inch) flour tortillas
1 1/2 pounds skirt steak
2 tablespoons canola oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/2 head romaine lettuce, thinly shredded
1 medium red onion, thinly sliced
1 ripe avocado, peeled, pitted, halved and diced
Grilled Tomato Salsa, recipe follows
8 ounces sour cream

Directions:
Heat grill to high.

Wrap tortillas in aluminum foil and on the top rack of the grill while the steak is grilling.

Heat grill pan over high heat. Brush steak with oil and season with salt and pepper on both sides. Grill on one side until golden brown and slightly charred, about 3 to 4 minutes. Turn the steak over and cook to medium-rare doneness, about 3 to 4 minutes longer. Let rest 5 minutes then slice against the grain into 1/4-inch thick slices.

Fill each tortilla with some lettuce, 3 to 4 pieces of meat, onion, grilled tomato salsa, sour cream, and avocado.

Grilled Tomato Salsa:
2 tablespoons canola oil, plus more for brushing tomatoes
2 serrano chiles
1 small red onion, coarsely chopped
4 cloves garlic, peeled
6 plum tomatoes, halved and seeded
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 limes, juiced
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves
Heat grill to high.

Heat oil in a small saute pan and saute the chiles, onion, and garlic until soft.

Brush tomatoes with oil and season with salt and pepper. Grill on both sides until slightly charred and soft.

Transfer tomatoes and serrano mixture to a food processor; add the lime juice and salt and pepper and process until smooth. Add the cilantro and pulse a few times (there should be flecks of cilantro in the salsa.) Transfer to a bowl.

Tags: Beef, grilled tomato salsa, Grilling, Mexican, Quick Cooking, skirt steak, tacos

Here’s a good, quick springtime recipe if you’re hankering for a steak. The colors and flavors of the tomato salsa are vibrant and fresh, and it adds an Italian flare to the pan-seared rib-eyes. This is an easy recipe to cut in half if you’re only cooking for two (or even one). I served the steak with crusty bread and sauteed zucchini.

Pan-Seared Rib-Eye Steak with Balsamic Onion & Tomato Salsa
-recipe from Fine Cooking Magazine

1 Tbs. extra-virgin olive oil
1 medium onion, cut into medium dice (to yield about 1-1/2  cups)
2 tsp. granulated sugar
1 Tbs. balsamic vinegar
1 pint grape tomatoes, halved
1/4 cup thinly sliced fresh basil leaves
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 Tbs. unsalted butter
4 boneless rib-eye steaks, 3/4 to 1 inch thick (6 to 8 oz. each)

Heat the oil in a 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat until hot; add the onion and sugar. Cook the onion, stirring occasionally, until it begins to soften but not brown, 4 to 5 min. Add the vinegar and cook until the onions are soft, 2 to 3  min. Add the tomatoes and cook, stirring, until they just begin to soften, 1 to 2 min. Remove the skillet from the heat, stir in the basil, and season the mixture to taste with salt and pepper. Transfer the mixture to a bowl and keep warm.

Season the steaks generously on both sides with salt and pepper. Wipe out the skillet and melt the butter in the skillet over high heat. Cook two of the steaks until nicely browned on both sides and cooked to your liking, about 3 min. per side for medium rare. Transfer the steaks to plates or a platter and keep warm while you cook the remaining two steaks. Serve the steaks topped with the onion and tomato salsa.

Serving suggestions: Serve alongside a mixed salad of Bibb lettuce, spinach, and torn basil.

Tags: balsamic vinegar, basil, Beef, onions, Quick Cooking, rib-eye, steak, tomato salsa, tomatoes

This dish is super tasty, super quick and super easy. The caramelized onions add a nice richness to the stir-fry, and the grated ginger gives the sauce a bright, fresh taste without overpowering it. Chilling the beef in the freezer for 20-30 minutes makes it easier to slice it into thin strips.  I used a few rib-eye steaks (instead of the tenderloin or sirloin) because that’s what I had in the fridge. Serve with steamed rice and stir-fried veggies or salad and you’ve got yourself a quick and delicious meal.

Beef with Ginger & Caramelized Onions
-recipe from Williams-Sonoma: Asian Food Made Fast Cookbook

1 1/2 lb beef tenderloin or sirloin, cut across the grain into thin strips
5 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons rice wine or dry sherry
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
2 teaspoons Asian sesame oil
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon cornstarch
freshly ground pepper
2 tablespoons corn or peanut oil
1 large yellow onion, thinly sliced
1 orange or yellow bell pepper, seed and sliced (optional)
1 tablespoon grated ginger
red pepper flakes (optional)
Steamed rice, for serving

Marinate the beef: In a large bowl, combine the beef, 1 tablespoon of the soy sauce, and the wine and mix to coat the beef evenly. Set aside for 10 minutes.

Make the sauce: In a small bowl, combine 4 tablespoons water, the remaining 4 tablespoons soy sauce, and the Worcestershire sauce, sesame oil, sugar, cornstarch, and 1 teaspoon of pepper and stir to dissolve the sugar and cornstarch.

Stir-fry the vegetables: Heat a wok or large frying pan over high heat until very hot and add 1 tablespoon of the corn oil. Add the onion and bell pepper, if using, and stir-fry until caramelized, about 10 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the onion mixture to a plate. Return the pan to high heat and add the remaining 1 tablespoon oil. Add the ginger and stir-fry until fragrant, about 10 seconds. Add the beef and stir-fry just until it begins to brown and is still rare in the center, about 1 minute. Return the onion mixture to the pan. Give the sauce a quick stir, add to the pan, and stir until the sauce thickens slightly, about 10 seconds. Sprinkle with red pepper flakes to taste, if desired. Serve with the rice.

Cooks tip: Look for fresh ginger that feels firm and heavy for its size and has smooth, shiny, pale skin. Use a vegetable peeler or the edge of a spoon to remove the thin skin before cutting as directed in a recipe. You may use a variety of tools to grate ginger, including a rasp-style grater; a specialized flat ceramic grater with tiny, sharp rasps; or the finest holes on a box grater-shredder.

Tags: Asian, Beef, caramelized onions, ginger, quick, stir-fry