Connie’s notes
How many people can half a pound of beef feed? If you season it well and combine it with mushrooms and vegetables, you can have a main course for three to four people.
No kidding. It’s a technique I picked up from Stephen Yan on his now defunct Wok With Yan. I was a devoted disciple of that show. Every week, on the same day at the same time, I’d sit in front of the TV and watch excitedly to learn something new from him. And I learned a lot. But nothing beats the technique of “multiplying” meat.
It’s really quite simple. Pound the meat (he used the blunt edge of his cleaver), cut on the bias into really thin slices (against the grain, of course), marinate and stir fry with vegetables. He did it with pork, with beef and even with chicken.
These days, I am saved the trouble of pounding and slicing beef by buying it pre-sliced. Sold as sukiyaki cut or yakiniku cut, the beautifully marbled beef comes in slices pretty much like bacon rashers. All I have to do is cut the thin slices into pieces about and inch and a half wide.
And to make sure that the beef acquires that slippery chewy texture that people equate with “restaurant quality”, I velvet the meat. Velveting means soaking the beef in a mixture of starch, liquids and oil prior to cooking. Often, the main liquid is cooking wine (like Shao Xing, sake or mirin) and may include seasonings like soy sauce. It’s a technique you can use with just about any meat, poultry and even seafood.
And to make sure that the beef acquires that slippery chewy texture that people equate with “restaurant quality”, I velvet the meat. Velveting means soaking the beef in a mixture of starch, liquids and oil prior to cooking. Often, the main liquid is cooking wine (like Shao Xing, sake or mirin) and may include seasonings like soy sauce. It’s a technique you can use with just about any meat, poultry and even seafood.Ingredients
Meat
- 250 grams thinly sliced fatty beef
- 1 ½ tablespoons soy sauce
- 1 ½ tablespoons oyster sauce
- 2 tablespoons mirin
- ½ teaspoon sesame seed oil
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- 1 tablespoon potato starch
Mushrooms
- 100 grams shimeji
- 4 to 6 shiitake
Vegetables
- 1 onion
- 2 large bell peppers (any color)
For cooking
- 1 tablespoon cooking oil
- 2 to 3 pinches salt
- 1 to 2 pinches ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon sesame seed oil
Instructions
- Cut the beef into pieces about an inch and a half wide. Add all the ingredients under “meat” and mix well. Set aside.
- Cut off and discard the root ends of the shimeji.
- Pull out the stems of the shiitake and discard. Cut the caps into halves or quarters.
- Peel the onion and thinly slice.
- Core the bell peppers, remove the seeds, cut off the pith and dice.
- Heat the cooking oil in a wok.
- Over high heat, toss the shimeji, shiitake, onion and bell peppers with salt and pepper for a minute.
- Pour in two tablespoons of water, cover the wok and let everything cook the steam for a minute.
- Scoop out the mushrooms and vegetables, transfer to a plate and set aside.
- Wipe the wok.
- Pour in the sesame seed oil and swirl.
- With the heat on HIGH, spread the beef in the hot oil. Cook without disturbing for a minute then toss to break up large clumps. Cook, stirring and tossing often, until a light crust forms on the surface of most pieces.
- Add the mushrooms and vegetables. Cook for about a minute, tossing, until heated through.
- Serve immediately. Best with rice.
Chicken, shiitake and bok choy tips with Vietnamese mixed fish sauce
