Stir-fried beef in black bean sauce
Serves 2
Tender beef strips and vegetables
in a rich black bean sauce. Stir-frying is a great way to make a
little red meat stretch a long way.
1 cup long-grain rice
3 tablespoons black bean sauce
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon Chinese rice wine (or dry sherry)
2 teaspoons brown sugar
½ teaspoon black pepper
2 tablespoons canola or peanut oil
12 oz (340 g) lean beef — cut into thin strips
12 green beans — ends trimmed and cut in ½ on the diagonal
1 red pepper — cut into thin strips
1 onion — cut into 8 wedges and separated into pieces
3 cloves garlic — minced (crushed)
2 teaspoons finely grated ginger
1½ cups beef stock
1½ tablespoons cornstarch mixed to a paste with 1½ tablespoons water
COOK the rice. MIX together the black
bean and soy sauces, Chinese rice wine, sugar and pepper in a bowl.
HEAT a wok or large frying pan over a high heat, add 1 tablespoon of
the oil and stir-fry the beef for 5 minutes. REMOVE the beef from
the wok and set aside on a plate. HEAT the remaining oil in the wok
and stir-fry the greens beans, red pepper and onion for 7 minutes.
ADD the garlic and ginger and stir-fry for another minute, then
return the beef to the wok. ADD the sauce mixture and stock, then
add the cornstarch paste and cook, stirring continuously, until
thickened. SERVE on a bed of rice.
Variation: This black bean sauce also goes well with chicken,
lean pork, squid, shrimp or bite-sized pieces of firm white fish.
© MediterrAsian.com