Hot Pepper Beef, Yum Yum

I love lists!  I make lists for mostly everything.  Menu's, grocery shopping, to-do, etc.  I get off on marking off the items/to-do's that I accomplished on that particular day.  It makes me feel like my day was complete.  I feel fruitful.  Don't you just love that word?  Fruitful.  I wish I could grow an orchard and sell the fruit that I grew in a pick-up truck off of an exit ramp.  Then, when I returned home with all of my money, I could say I was fruitful.  I would be fruitful in more ways than one, so to speak.  What does all of this have to do with the recipe for tonight?  Nothing, absolutely nothing.  It just popped into my head and my fingers went to work.

Hot Pepper Beef

Yields 4 servings

12 ounces lean flank steak
2 teaspoons minced garlic
2 teaspoons soy sauce
2 teaspoons cornstarch
1 teaspoon plus 2 tablespoon Shao Hsing rice wine or dry sherry
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 freshly ground white pepper
1 teaspoon sesame oil (I didn't have, I used vege)
1 Tbsp. ketchup
2 Tbsp. hoisin sauce
2 Tbsp. peanut or vege oil
1/2 cup thinly sliced red onions
3 slices ginger, smashed
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 large green bell pepper, cut into 1/4-inch-wide strips (about 2 cups)

Cut the beef with the grain into 2-inch wide strips.  Cut each strip across the grain into 1/4-inch thick slices.  In a medium bowl combine the beef, garlic, soy sauce, cornstarch, 1 teaspoon of the rice wine, 1/4 teaspoon of the salt, pepper, and 2 teaspoons cold water.  Stir to combine.  Stir in the sesame oil.  In a separate small bowl combine the ketchup, hoisin sauce, and the remaining 1 Tbsp rice wine.  Stir to combine.

Heat a 14-inch flat-bottomed wok or 12-inch skillet over high heat until a bead of water vaporizes within 1 to 2 seconds of contact.  Swirl in 1 Tbsp. of the peanut oil, carefully add the beef, and spread it evenly in one layer in the work.  Cook undisturbed 1 minute, letting the beef begin to sear.  Then, using a metal spatula, stir-fry 1 minute, or until the beef is lightly browned but not cooked through.  Transfer the beef to a plate.

Swirl the remaining 1 Tbsp peanut oil into the wok, add the red onions, ginger slices, and red pepper flakes, and stir-fry 10 seconds or until well combined.  Return the beef with any juices that have accumulated to the wok, sprinkle on the remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt, swirl the ketchup mixture into the wok, and stir-fry about 30 seconds to 1 minute or until the beef is just cooked through.

I served this dish with Jasmine rice.

Source: Stir-Frying to the Sky's Edge

Thank you all for the headache well-wishes!  I feel much better :)

~ Enjoy!