Beef With Snow Peas and Baby Corn

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Today I was thinking of Jesse all.day.long. Wondering what the weather was like, how his jet lag was, and of course, what he was eating. I started thinking of all the different kinds of foods he tried the last two times he was in China. I was really proud of him because he really stepped out of his food comfort zone and tried things I had never imagined he would try. And he even liked a lot of them. Another great thing about the food in China is that they use a lot of vegetables, so he started to like a much wider variety.

While all of that was swimming around my head I also started thinking of vegetables, and ginger, and soy sauce. Side note, ironically they don’t use much soy sauce in Shanghai, at least they don’t put it out in restaurants and use it as a condiment like we are so used to in American Chinese restaurants. Jesse says they associate that with being a bad cook or having bad ingredients. Anyways, I then started to crave those things.

I remember seeing this recipe a while back on one of my favorite blogs, the Pioneer Woman. It sounded really good at the time but for whatever reason I didn’t get around to trying it. Finally, after my round about thinking session earlier today, I remembered and decided I had to make this. So really, in a very complicated web of my every day thought process, this meal is all about Jesse and his trip to China. I only wish he were here to enjoy it with me, especially since it was so tasty!

Beef with Snow Peas and Baby Corn
(Adapted from The Pioneer Woman Cooks)

Ingredients

1-½ pound Flank Steak, Trimmed Of Fat And Sliced Very Thin Against The Grain
½ cups Low Sodium Soy Sauce
3 Tablespoons Rice Wine Vinegar (or if you forget to buy this at the store, apple cider vinegar and a splash of white wine)
2 Tablespoons Brown Sugar
2 Tablespoons Cornstarch
1 Tablespoon Minced Fresh Ginger
8 ounce package of Snow Peas and Baby Corn
5 whole Scallions, Cut Into Half-inch Pieces On The Diagonal
3 Tablespoons Vegetable Oil
Crushed Red Pepper, For Sprinkling
Jasmine Or Long Grain Rice, Cooked According To Package

Directions

In a bowl, mix together soy sauce, sherry, brown sugar, cornstarch, and ginger. Add sliced meat to bowl and toss with hands. Set aside.

Heat oil in a wok over high heat. Add snow peas and baby corn and stir for 45 seconds. Remove to a separate plate lined with paper towels to absorb excess oil. Set aside.

Allow pan to get very hot again. With tongs, add half the meat mixture, leaving most of the marinade still in the bowl. Add half the scallions. Spread out meat as you add it to pan, but do not stir for a good minute. (You want the meat to get as brown as possible in as short amount a time as possible.) Turn meat to the other side and cook for another 30 seconds. Remove to a clean plate.

Repeat with other half of meat, allowing pan to get very hot again first. After turning it, add the first plateful of meat, the rest of the marinade, and the snow peas. Stir over high heat for 30 seconds, then turn off heat.

Serve immediately over rice. Sprinkle crushed red pepper over the top to give it some spice.