Stir-Fried Beef With Snow Peas & Red Peppers

Stolen from Cook’s Illustrated Cookbook, pp. 143-144. I doubled the recipe given I had unpacked two packages of T-bone steaks (what I had in the freezer, defrosted under water until stiff but not completely melted). Deboned and defatted (mostly on the latter), it amounted to 1 lb. 6 oz, about double what this calls for.

Sauce

• 1/2 c. low-sodium chicken broth
• 1/4 c. oyster sauce
• 2 tbsp. dry sherry
• 1 tbsp. sugar
• 1 tsp. cornstarch

Beef stir-fry

• 2 tbsp. soy sauce
• 1 tsp. sugar
• 1 (12 oz.) flank steak, trimmed and sliced thin across the grain on a slight bias. (As mentioned above, I used t-bone steak, but I expect this recipe can tolerate considerably cheaper cuts.)
• 3 garlic cloves, minced. Highly dependent on size, and I would recommend assuming smaller cloves. Also, whenever someone says “minced”, I just run it through my Rösle press.
• 1 tbsp. grated fresh ginger. I had none, and so substituted 1/4 tsp. powdered ginger.
• 2 tbsp. vegetable oil
• 12 oz. snap peas (I used whole snow peas)
• 1 red bell pepper, stemmed, seeded, and cut into 1/4” slices
• 2 tbsp. water
• FOR THE SAUCE: Whisk all the ingredients together in a small bowl and set aside.
• FOR THE STIR-FRY: Combine soy sauce and sugar in a mediu bowl. Add beef, toss well, and marinate for at least 10 minutes, or up to one hour, stirring once. (I opted for 30 minutes.) Meanwhile, combine garlic, ginger, and 1 tsp. oil in a small bowl.
• Drain beef and discard liquid. Heat 1 tsp. oil ... HA HA HA, however much you need to coat the wok. Heat until oil is smoking. Lay the beef one layer thick, and allow to cook for 1 minute uninterrupted. Stir and cook another 1-2 minutes until browned.
• Add any remaining oil to the wok and heat until just smoking. Add pea and bell pepper and cook, stirring frequently, until vegetables begin to brown, 3-5 minutes. Add water and continue to cook until vegetables are crisp-tender, 1-2 minutes longer. Clear center of skillet, add garlic-ginger mixture and cook, mashing mixture into pan, until fragrant, 15-20 seconds. Stir mixture into vegetables. Return beef and any juices to skillet and stir to combine. Whisk sauce to recombine, add to skillet and cook, stirring constantly until thickened, about 30 seconds. Serve.