SERVES 3 TO 4 AS A MAIN COURSE, 5 TO 6 AS PART OF A MULTICOURSE MEAL
Here is a classic Chinese stir-fry featuring summer’s best produce in a colorful mélange. It’s easy and the recipe can be doubled to serve the larger groups often found around a summertime table. The preparations can be done ahead and the dish cooked off in just minutes.
Given summer’s bounty, feel free to play with the vegetables. Baby zucchini, young snow peas, and tender string beans would all be delicious. Green basil can substitute for purple, though you might use a bit less. Corn can be tossed in as well—just go up and down the garden.
¾ pound trimmed flank steak, all fat and tough sinew removed
MARINADE:
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon mushroom soy sauce
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 tablespoon packed brown sugar
1 tablespoon China Moon Hot Chili Oil (page 10)
1 tablespoon “goop” from China Moon Hot Chili Oil
AROMATICS:
1 tablespoon finely minced fresh ginger
2 tablespoons finely minced garlic
¾ to 1 teaspoon dried red chili flakes
3 tablespoons thinly sliced green and white scallion rings
SAUCE:
1½ cups China Moon Infusion (page 72), China Moon Double Stock (page 72), or unsalted chicken stock
2 tablespoons mushroom soy sauce
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon Chinese rice wine or dry sherry
1 tablespoon sugar
½ cup fresh peas
2 to 3 cups corn or peanut oil, for velveting and stir-frying
1 yellow onion, cut into ½-inch moons
1 red or yellow bell pepper, cut into ¾-inch squares
8 pieces Oven-Dried Plum Tomatoes (page 36), 1 rounded cup halved red and yellow cherry tomatoes, or 1 large, ripe but firm red or yellow tomato, cut into thick wedges
2 teaspoons cornstarch dissolved in 1½ tablespoons cold stock or water
3 tablespoons purple basil julienne
Diagonally sliced green and white scallion rings, for garnish
The traditional Chinese cooking technique of velveting, or bathing in warm oil, gives beef, lamb, and pork a wonderfully lush texture. Were you to simply stir-fry the meat instead, the greater heat of the wok would turn it chewy. The cornstarch in the marinade contributes to the velveting process; it binds the other flavors to the meat and seals in the juices during cooking.
To make the velveting step easy, invest a few dollars in a big Chinese mesh spoon with a diameter of 5 to 6 inches. One swoop into the pan and it scoops up the meat, then, rested on top of a bowl, it allows the meat to drain.
1. Cut the beef lengthwise into several long strips about 2 inches wide. Holding your knife at a sharp angle to the board, cut each strip crosswise into ribbons ⅛ inch thick.
2. Blend the marinade ingredients in a bowl big enough to hold the beef. Add the beef and toss to coat each slice. Seal airtight and marinate at cool room temperature for 3 to 4 hours, or refrigerate overnight. Let come to room temperature before cooking; re-toss to separate the ribbons.
3. Combine the aromatics in a small bowl; cover until ready to use.
4. Combine all of the sauce ingredients through the sugar in a small bowl. Stir to blend, leaving the spoon in the bowl.
5. In a small saucepan filled with rapidly boiling water, blanch the peas until tender-crisp, 10 to 30 seconds. Immerse in ice water to chill; drain well. To this point, all the above, as well as the vegetable cutting, may be done a day ahead. Seal and refrigerate the ingredients; let come to room temperature before cooking.
6. About 20 minutes before serving, velvet the beef: Heat a wok or deep heavy skillet over high heat until hot enough to evaporate a bead of water on contact. Add oil to a depth of 1 inch. Rest a deep-fry thermometer on the rim. Reduce the heat to medium and bring the oil to 350°F, hot enough to bubble a beef ribbon. Gently slide the beef into the oil and swish with chopsticks to separate the shreds. Cook until the meat is 90 percent gray on the outside, about 15 seconds. Immediately scoop the meat from the oil with a large Chinese mesh spoon; rest the spoon on a bowl to drain. The meat will be only half-cooked. Alternatively, you can work with 2 mesh spoons: Hold one above the pot to receive the meat while scooping it in small batches with the other spoon.) Carefully drain all but 2 tablespoons of the oil from the pan.
I almost always use brown sugar with beef. It has a richness and a depth that matches the lustiness of beef, and it seems even to tenderize it in a special way. Light or dark brown sugar work the same in this application; I choose indiscriminately between the two.
Once cool, the oil can be filtered through a fine sieve lined with several layers of dry cheesecloth. Bottle and refrigerate for future frying and stir-frying.
7. Return the pan to high heat. When the oil is hot enough to sizzle a scallion ring, reduce the heat to moderate and add the aromatics. Stir until fully fragrant, 20 to 30 seconds, adjusting the heat so they foam without browning. Add the onion and toss until slightly softened, 2 minutes. Add the bell pepper and toss for 2 minutes, adjusting the heat to maintain a merry sizzle. Add the tomatoes and toss to mix.
8. Stir the sauce and add it to the pan. Raise the heat to high, cover the pan, and bring the sauce to a simmer. When the sauce simmers, stir the cornstarch mixture to recombine, add it to the pan, and stir until the sauce turns glossy and thickens slightly, 10 to 20 seconds. Add the beef, the peas, and half the basil; toss gently to heat through, about 10 seconds.
9. Serve immediately on heated plates of contrasting color. Garnish with the scallion rings and a shower of the remaining basil julienne.
MENU SUGGESTIONS: This stir-fry is an ideal topping for a Pot-Browned Noodle Pillow (page 401). It would also be tasty with a bowl of steamed rice. Ears of steamed corn and/or a sauté of the intriguingly bitter Chinese broccoli would make excellent additions, if you desire extra vegetables.