3/4 pound flank or flap steak - cut diagonal in thin slices and fry in sesame seed oil at high heat for a short time (keeps it tender) - about 3 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.
onions (I use whatever I have on hand - yellow, red, 1/2, whole - whatev. Tonight I used green onions instead)
garlic (I love garlic so I use at least three cloves)
chili peppers (I like to mash them with garlic in the mortar; I use the super hot beautiful little Thai chilis when I can find them - it's a little masochistic but they add a great flavor)
Saute until aromatic.
Add a bunch of vegetables. This is a great dish to throw in whatever is seasonal/on sale.
Suggestions include:
green beans (but they need longer to cook if they're fresh - or blanch/steam first)
various greens
cabbage, especially Chinese types
broccoli
cauliflower
zucchini
bell peppers
carrots
(I just empty my fridge and have even used cucumbers and tomatoes)
Saute, add more oil and water or stock until tender.
Stir in chopped basil leaves:
approximately 40 leaves of Thai basil and/or holy basil
Add sauce:
about 1 tsp to 1 T each (depends on how much vegetable mass)
fish sauce
oyster sauce
soy sauce (um, no, this isn't salty at all)
sweet chili garlic sauce (or a chili garlic sauce with a little honey or sugar - just a little sweet to emphasize the flavors if nothing else sweet added; can omit this altogether if you use enough garlic & chilis)
Stir through, add meat to reheat and enjoy! I like with freshly steamed rice. We tried once with noodles and I was underimpressed (but I also omitted chilis for a tender-mouth and in general I thought that was icky - the spice is great)
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Notes - I really, really like this with holy basil. But I picked up some beautiful cheap Thai basil from the Asian market and it's good.
The meat is easier to cut if slightly frozen. I also chop shorter so it's not long strips. The secret really is to cook on high heat alone for a short time - it's so tender and flavorful.
Every time I make this I love it - a great way to get lots of vegs with such great flavor and protein. But by the fourth day of eating it I'm long tired of it - so I'm going to try freezing half of it and see how that works. I should have under cooked everything and pulled that portion out first. Hm.
Loosely based on this. I'm getting super frustrated because I can't find any of my regular recipes on my regular blog. So I'll post the ones I use most here.
Yum! Can't wait to make this! (And to post a recipe, thoughts on food, etc.)
ReplyDeleteThe deconstruction of our kitchen begins in 6 days, so I will try and post some creative alternatives to eating at home with no access to a functioning kitchen.