Beef with String Beans

Dana and I love Chinese Takeout.  However, the last time we ordered from our favorite joint we got sick.  So we have halted on our orders.  So I decided to try to make one of our favorite dishes at home.  Beef with String Beans is simple, delicious and could not be that hard to replicate.  I was half right and half wrong.  It was simple, it was not that hard to make, but replicating took a little bit of work.

Beef with String Beans

• Beef with Marinade
  • 1 pound, flank steak or flat iron steak
  • 2 tbs rice wine
  • 1 tbs cornstarch
  • 2 tbs vegetable oil
• String beans with Sauce
  • 16 oz string beans
  • 3 cloves garlic
  • 2 tsp ginger
  • 1/2 cup chicken stock
  • 2 tbs soy sauce
  • 2 tsp brown sugar
  • 1 tbs cornstarch
  • pinch pepper

Rinse the beef and then thinly slice it against the grain.

In a zip top bag add the marinade ingredients and mix around.  Then add the beef slices and mix.  Let sit for 30-45 minutes.

Bring a large pan of salted water to a boil and then blanch the string beans for 2 minutes.  Remove from the pan and run under cold water or place into a bath of ice water.  Strain the beans and set aside.

Heat a wok or large skillet over high heat.  Add 2 tbs of vegetable oil to the pan and let sit for 30 seconds.  When the oil starts to lightly smoke add the garlic.

Stir for 10 seconds or so and then add the beef.    Stir-fry for a couple minutes or until the beef is cooked.

Remove the beef from the pan.  Add 1/4 cup of water to the hot pan and using a wooden spatula scrape the dark bits from the pan.  Pour out the water and place the pan back on the stove over high heat.

In a medium bowl, combine the sauce ingredients.  Stir well to make sure that the cornstarch is mixed into the sauce.

Add 2 tbs of oil and then wait for about 30 seconds for the oil to heat up.  Then add the string beans.

Stir-fry for a minute or two and then push the beans up to the sides of the pan.  Add the sauce to the center of the pan.   Allow the sauce to boil and thicken and then stir the string beans into it.

Add the cooked beef and stir.  Allow the beef to heat back up and incorporate into the sauce.

Serve hot over steamed rice.

This was excellent.  Dana gave it two thumbs up.  She is a hard critic so this was quite the endorsement.