This recipe is derived from the original I enjoyed at Yah Toh Heen (the former Lai Ching Heen), the marvellous Chinese restaurant in Hong Kong’s InterContinental (formerly the Regent Hotel). I regard it as exemplary of the innovative New Hong Kong Cuisine, in which new ingredients and techniques are being employed to transform traditional recipes. A mouth-watering combination of tastes and textures, it is remarkably easy to prepare and is highly appropriate for a dinner party or any special meal. You can, if you wish, prepare the meat, vegetables and fruit in advance and store them, well wrapped, in the refrigerator until you are ready to cook.
| Easy entertaining |
| Preparation time 30 minutes |
| Serves 4–6 |
450 g (1 lb) lean beef steak
225 g (8 oz) (4–6 thick slices) fresh pineapple
2 tablespoons groundnut (peanut) oil
2 tablespoons finely shredded fresh root ginger
2 red peppers (bell peppers), cut into wedges
2 spring onions (scallions), cut into 7.5-cm (3-inch) lengths
1 tablespoon water
2 teaspoons Shaoxing rice wine or dry sherry
1 teaspoon light soy sauce
2 teaspoons sesame oil
FOR THE MARINADE:
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons Shaoxing rice wine or dry sherry
2 teaspoons sesame oil
1½ teaspoons cornflour (cornstarch)
1 Cut the beef into slices 5 cm (2 inches) long and 5 mm (¼ inch) thick and put them in a bowl. Add all the marinade ingredients, mix well and leave to marinate for 10 minutes.
2 Peel the pineapple and cut it into thick slices, discarding the tough core, then set aside.
3 Heat a wok or large frying pan, then pour in the groundnut oil. Add the beef and stir-fry for 3–5 minutes, until browned. Remove the beef with a slotted spoon and set aside.
4 Add the ginger, red peppers, and spring onions to the wok and stir-fry for 1 minute. Pour in the water, the rice wine or sherry and the soy sauce and cook for 3 minutes.
5 Drain the juices from the beef into the wok and add the pineapple. Return the beef to the wok and cook until it and the pineapple are heated through. Add the sesame oil and give the mixture one or two final stirs. Serve at once.