Beef with Snow Peas

I could probably eat asian food every day of the week if I got to mix up what I was eating. It is just so good, the flavors are always so big. Salty, spicy, sweet. So I had a craving for something and I decided while looking through my recipes that I did indeed want some beef and that if Pioneer Woman can put beef with snow peas on her list of favorite things ever, I might want to try it.

And try it I did. You know something is a success when someone who doesn't usually like food or just doesn't really care about it devours his entire bowl in a matter of minutes.

I feel like I should be writing more in these posts, being more clever, having more things to talk about. But my life is kind of boring right now, and I've had a lot on my mind lately.

Aaanyway, this is a great little stirfry recipe, you can change the beef up for chicken, or add whatever veggies you'd like to the mix. I have discovered though, why having a wok is so important. When you're working with oil over high heat, that stuff splatters like mad. Not only does it make a mess of your stovetop, but it can pop and get you good. I think I'll stick to medium high for next time, all Sean could hear while I was cooking was violent sizzling and me going EEEK!

Flank steak, snow peas, green onions, soy sauce, sherry or cooking sherry, corn starch, garlic, ginger and brown sugar. And rice. Noodles would have been good too. The garlic cloves weren't in the main recipe and I did wind up adding half of a tablespoon of that amazing chili garlic paste to it too.

Slice your flank steak nice and thin, against the grain. Flank steak is so amazing, the fat that's marbled throughout it feels so hard and firm as you slice it raw but it is so amazingly tender when you cook it. So good for stir fries.

Next, mix your soy sauce, sherry, corn starch, brown sugar, minced ginger and garlic, and chili garlic paste in a bowl. I got the lumps of cornstarch out in the soy sauce and sherry first. Just mix them up good with a fork, don't be shy.

You really could do a lot with this sauce. It's a little salty, because of the soy sauce, but I imagine you could add a little of this, or a little of that.. But then again, that's almost every stir fry sauce.

Toss your meat and your marinade in a bowl or a plastic bag, and let it sit for an hour or so.

When it's time to begin dinner, start your rice. Mmmm. Rice.

While your water is coming to a boil (or before you even start dinner) take your snow peas and either snap the ends off, or take the quicker route and line them or stack them up and cut the ends off. Also slice your green onions. I did mine nice and thin because I like them to be an undertone but you can cut them bigger if you want to!

Now comes the PAIN. Also the mess. Heat your oil (you always need oil, you're stirfrying!) in your skillet or wok on high heat. When it is nice and hot, add your snow peas and cook for about a minute. Your goal is to get as much color on your food as possible while cooking it in a short amount of time. I left mine on a little long so mine were softer in the finished product but I didn't really care.

Remove your peas and set aside.

Ooh so nice and green.

Next, while dodging flying oil as it pops and freaks out because nothing is in the pan with it, add about half of your meat in there. The recipe says not to overcrowd the pan but half of my meat kind of did. Maybe I should have done it in 3 batches instead of 2, but I was already not enjoying my oil dodging.

Cook it quickly for about a good minute, then try to flip the pieces over and cook for another 30 seconds. Remove to a plate.

Oh, you can also add your green onions in with the first bunch of meat. I forgot and added mine near the end of the second batch and they cooked up just fine.

Then you cook the other meat like you did before!

Add in the meat and all the yummy juices from the plate, your snow peas and whatever marinade is left in the bag or bowl.

Ooh look at dat sauce. Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm.

Rice! Fluffy rice!

Gasp! Look at that.

That's something, that's for sure. It was delicious.

Yes. Eat the snow peas. Love the snow peas. The beef was soooo tender. I probably would have added more chili garlic paste next time but I didn't want it to be too spicy for Sean.

Easy and yummy!

Beef with Snow peas (adapted from Pioneer Woman)

• 1-½ pound Flank Steak, Trimmed Of Fat And Sliced Very Thin Against The Grain
• ½ cups Low Sodium Soy Sauce
• 3 Tablespoons Sherry Or Cooking Sherry
• 1 Tablespoons Brown Sugar
• 2 Tablespoons Cornstarch
• 1 Tablespoon Minced Fresh Ginger
• 2 cloves of garlic, minced 
• Chili Garlic Paste to taste
• 8 ounces, weight Fresh Snow Peas, Ends Trimmed
• 3 whole Scallions, sliced thin
• 3 Tablespoons Peanut Or Olive Oil
• Jasmine Or Long Grain Rice, Cooked According To Package

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 heavy skillet (iron is best) or wok over high heat. Add snow peas and stir for 45 seconds. Remove to a separate plate. 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. Check seasonings and add salt only if it needs it. Mixture will thicken as it sits.

Serve immediately over rice.