Serves 3–4
Preparation time 10 minutes,plus marinating
Cooking time about 5 minutes
500 g (1lb) lean rump or fillet steak, thinly sliced
2 teaspoons light soy sauce
2 tablespoons sesame oil
2.5 cm (1 inch) piece of fresh root ginger, peeled and sliced
2 teaspoons rice vinegar
1 tablespoon water
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cornflour
1 garlic clove, crushed
pinch of five-spice powder
1 red pepper, cored, deseeded and cut into chunks
1 green pepper, cored, deseeded and cut into chunks
slivers of fresh red chilli, to garnish (optional)
Put the slices of steak in a bowl and add the soy sauce, 1 teaspoon of the sesame oil, ginger, vinegar, measurement water, salt and cornflour. Stir well to mix and thoroughly coat the steak slices. Cover and leave to marinate in the refrigerator for at least 20 minutes.
Heat the remaining sesame oil in a wok or frying pan over a high heat. Add the garlic and five-spice powder. Stir-fry for 30 seconds until the garlic is just opaque, then add the marinated steak; reserve any remaining marinade. Stir-fry the beef quickly for a couple of minutes until it is browned on the outside yet pink and tender on the inside, working in batches if necessary to avoid ‘stewing’ the meat. Remove and set aside.
Add the red and green peppers to the wok or frying pan and stir-fry briskly for 2–3 minutes, tossing them in the oil. Return the steak and the reserved marinade to the pan. Stir-fry for 1 minute until the meat is heated through. Transfer to a serving dish and garnish with thin slivers of chilli, if liked. Serve immediately with straight-to-wok noodles or boiled rice.
For gingered tofu with peppers, thickly slice 500 g (1 lb) well-drained chilled tofu and arrange on a foil-lined grill rack. Mix 1 tablespoon sesame oil, 3 tablespoons light soy sauce and a 2.5 cm (1 inch) piece of finely chopped root ginger in a bowl and spoon over the top of the tofu. Leave to marinate for 20 minutes, then grill for 4–5 minutes under a preheated hot grill, turning once. Meanwhile, heat 1 tablespoon sesame oil in a wok, add the garlic, five-spice powder and red and green peppers as above and stir-fry for 2–3 minutes. Add the tofu, toss through and serve hot sprinkled with fresh chilli, if liked.