Stir-fry beef dish gives even leftover rice a burst

Published 12:00 am Tuesday, April 21, 2015

Peppery, hot flavors mix with a sweet and sour sauce in this quick Szechuan stir-fried beef.

Any type of steak can be used for this recipe. Many markets sell beef already cut into stir-fry pieces. This will save you a few minutes in the kitchen. Another time-saver: The rice is stir-fried in the same wok as the beef.

The wok or skillet should be very hot; otherwise, the ingredients will steam and not become crisp.

After cooking the beef, don’t rinse the wok; the rice will pick up the beef sauce flavor as it cooks.

Fred Tasker’s wine suggestions

A hot and spicy beef dish is actually easier to match than some of the subtler Chinese recipes. Up to about medium hotness, a fruity pinot noir or soft merlot would be a nice match. If the dish makes smoke curl from your ears, you’d better go with cold beer.

Shopping list

Here are the ingredients you’ll need for tonight’s Quick Fix dinner.

To buy: 1⁄2 pound skirt steak, 1 small bunch celery, 1 small piece fresh ginger (or ground ginger), 1 small bunch scallions, 1 package microwaveable brown rice, 1 can tomato paste, 1 small package frozen peas, 1 bottle sesame oil and 1 bottle crushed red pepper.

Staples: Carrots, soy sauce, cornstarch, fat-free, low-salt chicken broth, vegetable oil spray, sugar, salt and black peppercorns.

— Linda Gassenheimer is the author of several cookbooks. Her website is dinnerinminutes.com. Send her an email at linda@dinnerinminutes.com.