The Weather Here Will Make You Crazy

The other day, Alan and I decided we needed some beef stir-fry. Personally, I'm trying to cut down on my meat intake, but even I can't resist a little steak every once in a great while. We decided to take ourselves over to the Fred Meyers only a few blocks away. It had been drizzling steadily since that morning, and we decided to don our rain gear. It was definitely a smart idea.

Not ten feet down the block and the heavens opened. Within seconds, the gutters had become wild, brown rivers thick with sticks and leaves, and the hollows of the sidewalks gathered into unfordable lakes. Each corner required a run and a leap, and cars on Lombard sent huge waves splashing over us.

Dripping and bedraggled, we reached the store, and prepared for a meal to warm away the wet.

Ingredients:

1/2 lb of beef, cut into thin strips
1 crown of broccoli, chopped up
1/2 yellow onion, diced
1 carrot, peeled and julienned
1/2 lb mushrooms, sliced
3 cloves of garlic, finely chopped

Garnish:

Bean sprouts
Crunchy Chow Mein noodles
Chopped tomato

Marinade:

1/2 cup soy sauce or tamari
1 cup chili sauce
dash of chili oil
tblsp fish sauce
2 tsp crushed pineapple
1/4 teriyaki sauce
1 thai chili, pan roasted, seeded, chopped

Pour over beef and let sit for thirty minutes

Carrots take the longest, so throw those in. Let them soften for a few minutes, then add your beef. (If you substitute tofu for this, you really only need ten or fifteen minutes of marinading, and it doesn't have to go in until after the onions.) Add the onions, and let them cook down. Lower your heat, add the garlic, mushrooms, and broccoli, and the reserved marinade, cover, and let it simmer until your veggies are soft and your beef is cooked all the way through. Remove the ingredients with tongs, and check your leftover sauce. If it's thick and velvety, pour it on over, but if it is thin and watery take a tablespoon of cornstarch and mix it in a cup with water until it's all dissolved, then add a splash to the sauce and whisk it up to thicken it.

Serve it over Asian noodles or rice. A nice salad compose goes well with this dish, especially in a rice wine vinaigrette.