Beef Stir-Fry

 Beef Stir-Fry

Ingredients

    12-ounces boneless beef sirloin steak
    6 dried mushrooms (1 cup), such as shitake or wood ear mushrooms
    1/4 cup hot bean sauce or hot bean paste
    1/4 cup dry sherry
    2 tablespoons soy sauce
    3/4 teaspoon whole black pepper, crushed
    1/2 teaspoon cornstarch
    1/2 to 1 teaspoon chili oil
    1 tablespoon cooking oil
    2 medium carrots, bias-sliced (1 cup)
    1 clove garlic, minced
    1-1/2 cups broccoli flowerets or one 10-ounce package frozen cut broccoli, thawed
    1 8-ounce can bamboo shoots, drained
    2 cups hot cooked rice
    2 green onions, cut into slivers (1/4 cup)

Methods:

1.    Trim fat from beef. Partially freeze beef. Thinly slice across grain into bite-size strips. Set aside.

2.  In a small bowl cover mushrooms with warm water. Let soak for 30 minutes. Rinse and squeeze mushrooms to drain thoroughly. Discard stems. Thinly slice mushrooms. Set aside.

3.   For sauce, in a small bowl stir together bean sauce or paste, sherry, soy sauce, crushed black pepper, cornstarch, and chili oil. Set aside.

4.    Pour cooking oil into a wok or large skillet. (Add more oil as necessary during cooking.) Preheat over medium-high heat. Stir-fry carrots and garlic in hot oil for 2 minutes. Add broccoli; stir-fry for 2 minutes. Add bamboo shoots and mushrooms; stir-fry for 1 to 2 minutes more or until vegetables are crisp-tender. Remove vegetables from wok.

5.    Add beef to the hot wok. Stir-fry for 2 to 3 minutes or to desired doneness. Push beef from the center of the wok.

6.    Stir sauce. Add sauce to the center of the wok. Cook and stir until thickened and bubbly. Return cooked vegetables to the wok. Stir all ingredients together to coat with sauce. Cook and stir for 1 minute more or until heated through. Serve immediately with hot cooked rice. Garnish with slivered green onions. Makes 4 servings.

7.    Make-ahead tip: Prepare vegetables; cover and chill up to 4 hours.