Jeff's Ginger Beef

Lunch in the Park, a novel about love and family, is available for sale in multiple electronic formats at Smashwords, for the Kindle at Amazon.com and for the Nook at BN.com Wherever you buy it, it is DRM-free. The delicious recipes that Kate and Jeff cook up are right here on my blog.

I hope you'll read Lunch in the Park, you'll love it, and you'll feel the overwhelming urge to write a review on one or more of the sites above. And of course I'd love to hear from you here on the blog, too.

 
When my husband read the Dinner chapter of Lunch in the Park his response was “It made me hungry.” He tried to tell me it was because I had written the scene of Jeff cooking so well, but the fact is it doesn't take much skill to use words like “ginger” and “garlic” to make someone hungry. When I announced on Google+ that I was thinking of put Kate and Jeff's recipes here the response was “ooo, ginger beef?” So here is Jeff's ginger beef recipe, a big hit in Jeff's home, and mine.

A note about oyster sauce. You shouldn't be afraid. Oyster sauce is not at all fishy tasting. If you're feeding someone who can't eat shellfish you can look for a vegetarian version or you can substitute plum sauce which will have a different but still delicious flavor.

When you're slicing the beef thinly it's helpful if it's a bit frozen. If you have frozen beef don't thaw it completely, and if you have fresh beef, toss it in the freezer for half an hour or so before you start slicing.

Ginger Beef

Ingredients:

3/4 pound flank or sirloin

3/4 pound broccoli florets

1 red bell pepper

2 tablespoons high-heat cooking oil (safflower, sunflower or peanut)

2 cloves garlic

1 inch piece fresh ginger

1 teaspoon cornstarch, dissolved in 1 tablespoon water

marinade

1 teaspoon soy sauce

1 teaspoon Chinese rice wine

1/2 teaspoon cornstarch

a few grinds of black pepper

sauce

2 tablespoons oyster sauce

1 teaspoon Chinese rice wine

1 tablespoon soy sauce

1/4cup water

Fill a medium sauce pan half full with water and bring to a boil.

While the water is heating, slice the beef and place in a small bowl with the marinade ingredients. Mince the garlic and peel and mince the ginger. Seed and thinly slice the red pepper.

When the water comes to a boil, add the broccoli florets and cook for one minute, then remove from heat and drain.

Set a wok or large frying pan over highest heat.

Mix the sauce ingredients and set aside.

Mix the cornstarch and water and set aside.

When the wok is HOT add the oil and swirl to spread. Add the beef and quickly spread to a single layer. Allow to cook one minute, then flip the beef. Add the garlic, ginger, broccoli and red pepper. 

Add the sauce and stir to coat. Bring sauce to a boil. Add the cornstarch and water. Continue cooking until sauce is thickened.

Serve over rice.