Beef with Snow Peas

As I've mentioned before, The Hubble and I really like Asian cuisine. We would pretty much eat it every day of the week if we could. One of my goals for the year is to make my own sushi even!

When we first got married, almost 8 years ago, I made this dish for The Hubble and it's been in our regular rotation ever since. I've made changes to the original recipe over the years. I also seem to change it every time I make it. Sometimes I go spicy, sometimes not; it all depends on my mood really.

This recipe comes from the red Betty Crocker cookbook that I received as a wedding gift so many years ago. Here's how I make it:

Gather together my ingredients.

I start my prep work by cleaning off the snow peas and see that little bugger on the top of this pod? That little string looking guy?? Yeah that one...

Go ahead and just snap him off. Thank you. Continue to do this to all of those little guys.

Now cut your steak into slices. If you don't want them too long, cut them in half also.

Now we are ready to start cooking!

Heat your oil in a wok. I usually use sesame oil but today I only had peanut oil. You can use vegetable or canola oil as well. When your oil is heated, toss in your garlic for about 30 seconds to a minute.

Now we throw in our steak. I do a lot of tossing and throwing in my kitchen, and you can tell from the mess I make, believe me!!

Now, before the meat cooks too much you want to season it a bit with some salt...

And pepper.

Then cook until the meat is pretty much browned, about 3 minutes. I like mine to be extra tender so I leave it slightly pink because it will cook more as we go along.

Now we pour in our beef stock (or broth, whichever you prefer).

And bring all that juice and broth to a nice boil. Once it is boiling, turn the heat down and let it simmer for about 10 to 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, you mix some water and cornstarch together, stir it until you get a nice milky base.

Next you add in the stuff to make your sauce. To the cornstarch and water mixture add your soy sauce and ginger. Mine is super red and delicious because I also added in some chile paste with garlic. But you can omit that step if you aren't into the spicy stuff.

Now pour that sweet (or spicy) nectar right into the wok with the meat and juice.

Let it boil and cook for a minute or two to allow the sauce to start thickening.

Then toss in your snow peas...

Let these cook and simmer about 5 minutes to get the pods a bit tender but still slightly crunchy and fresh.

Now serve it over rice and enjoy!

Beef with Snow Peas
Adapted from Betty Crocker's BigRed Cookbook

Ingredients:
 
2 pounds beef round or flank steak, 3/4 to 1 inch thick
2 Tablespoons oil (sesame, peanut, vegetable, or canola)
1 clove garlic, finely chopped (or a heaping spoonful of pre-chopped)
1/2 teaspoon salt
Dash of pepper
1 can (10.5 ounces) condensed beef broth or beef stock.
2 Tablespoons cornstarch
1/4 cup water
2 Tablespoons soy sauce
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
4 to 6 ounces snow pea pods
1/2 to 1 teaspoon chile paste with garlic (optional)

Directions:

1. Snap tips and strings from pea pods.
2. Remove fat from beef and slice into 2-inch strips.
3. Heat wok over high-heat. Add oil until heated. Add garlic to heated oil. Add beef to oil and garlic.
4. Salt and pepper beef. Cook until almost done, browned on all sides but still slightly pink, about 3 minutes.
5. Stir in broth. Heat to boiling, reduce heat and simmer 10-15 minutes.
6. Mix cornstarch and water together until smooth. Add soy sauce, ginger, and chile paste (if desired). Boil and stir a minute or two until sauce starts to thicken.
7. Add snow peas and cook an additional 5 minutes.
8. Serve over rice and enjoy!