The secret to a great relationship also happens to be the secret to great food - heat.
Think of delicious stir-fries cooked over a flaming 170,000 BTW wok burner and it removes all doubt.
Interestingly enough stir-fries are not indigenous to Thai cuisine but rather introduced by the Chinese but having become so mainstream that it would be impossible to think of a Thai food without this cooking technique - imagine a world without Pad Thai!
Since Thailand is predominantly a Buddhist nation, this permeates into the very core of its cuisine which results is foods using a lot of fresh ingredients, vegetables and green herbs rather than dry spices. Also, the meat is rarely cooked in big chunks but rather sliced into slivers and infused with flavor marinades.
Fusing stir-frying as a cooking technique with fresh ingredients of Thai cooking is a gateway to culinary heaven and a great way to treat oneself to a delicious week night meal.
Most of us don't have access to a 170,000 BTU wok burner and if we do, perhaps stand a risk of burning the house down! But even with the meagre 16,000 BTU stove in our home kitchens, we can still end up with a great stir-fry using these simple but key tips,
- Pre-heat the wok to very hot. When a drop of water sizzles when it hits the wok, the wok is ready to use.
- An inch of oil at the bottom of the wok is a good general rule of thumb to use while stir-frying. If the oil runs low, add more. (I said wok, not a flat pan)
- Keep that heat on high as much as possible but never below medium-high.
- All ingredients must be prepared in advance before hitting the stove. 90% of the time is spent at the cutting board and a mere 10% at the stove.
- 1/8" thick juliennes are the way to go - meat or veggies, keep it all the same thickness so they all cook at the same rate.
- Eat right off the heat. Stir-fries don't keep well so have the rice or noodles ready to go before beginning to stir-fry so you can sit at the table immediately.
I'm using beef sirloin which is a tough cut of meat so it is great cut into thin strips and use in stir-fries otherwise would need overnight marinating to use on the grill. Mind you, chicken thighs could also be used the exact same way and would be delicious.
To this I'm adding ginger, garlic, lemongrass, carrots, red bell peppers and a delicious sauce with Thai Sweet Chilli sauce, soy & sriracha. Off the heat, the stir-fry is tossed with fresh cilantro, mint & crunchy bean sprouts.
Dinner?
Done!
2 lbs Sirloin Steak (or chicken thighs), 5 tbs Vegetable oil, 1 carrot ( to yield 1 cup short thin sticks)
1 red capsicum (to yield 2 cups thin strips), 1 stalk lemongrass (1 tbs chopped lemongrass), 1-1/2" fresh ginger root, 4 garlic cloves, crushed, 2-1/2 cups bean sprouts, 1 cup fresh coriander leaves, 1 cup fresh mint leaves, 3/4 tsp salt, 3/4 tsp black pepper & 1 tsp cornstarch + 1 tsp water
Sauce: 2 tbs soy sauce, 1/3 cup + 2 tbs Thai sweet chilli sauce (Maesri brand), juice of 1 lime & 1 tsp Sriracha chili sauce (more if desired)
To serve: Wide rice noodles softened in boiling water for 6-8 minutes and sieved.
Place the meat in the freezer while preparing the vegetables.
Carrot: Peel, discards ends. Cut into 1/8" thick diagonal and then cut into thin strips.
Lemon grass: Use white part only. Slice into thin strips and finely chop.
Ginger: Cut into thin slices. stack the sliced and then finely slice into thin strips.
Garlic: Crush & finely chop
Cilantro: Separate the leaves from the stalk. Discard the stalks & gather leaves to yield 1 cup.
Mint: Separate the leaves from the stalk. Discard the stalks & gather leaves to yield 1 cup.
Steak: Halve the chilled steak along its length if desired or if you prefer long steak lengths, leave as is. With a very sharp knife, slice into 1/8" thick strips against the grain to shorten the muscle fibers resulting in tender meat when cooked.
Separate the sliced beef into 3 equal portions.
Sauce: In a bowl measure out the sweet chilli sauce, soy sauce, lime juice and Sriracha chili sauce.
Cornstarch: Combine the cornstarch and water. Keep a spoon handy to stir just before using.
Add the beef one batch at a time in somewhat of a single layer (not a pile) & spread out. Sprinkle 1/4 tsp salt & 1/4 tsp ground black pepper. Allow the beef to sear for a minute and then turn over frying the meat on the other side too.
Remove to a plate, add 1 tbs oil and repeat the process with each of the two remaining batches of meat. Empty the wok.
Add 2 tbs oil and add the garlic, ginger and lemon grass and saute for a few seconds till fragrant. Add the carrots & red peppers (not bean sprouts - see In retrospect note below). Saute for about 2 minutes until the carrots and red peppers are crispy tender. Stir the entire time.
In retrospect: The bean sprouts release too much liquid and turn limp it is best to toss at the very end - not with the carrots and peppers.
Return the seared meat to the pan along with the sauce & toss, stir frying rapidly. Quickly give the bowl of cornstarch a stir to release from the bottom of the bowl and add to the wok.
Stir to combine. Taste and adjust seasonings.
Remove from the heat. Add the bean sprouts and half the mint & cilantro. Stir to combine. Sprinkle the remaining cilantro and mint leaves and serve immediately over rice noodles.
Simply delicous & refreshing.
The stir-fry with a slightly sweet and tangy flavor is such a great mix of textuers and colors and a wonderful way to use fresh, healthful ingredients that pack a punch of flavor in every bite.
Recipe for
Thai Style Beef Stir-Fry
Preparation time - 20 minutes
Baking time - 10 minutes
Serves 4
Shopping list
2 lbs Sirloin Steak
5 tbs Vegetable oil
1 carrot ( to yield 1 cup short thin sticks)
1 red capsicum (to yield 2 cups thin strips)
1 stalk lemongrass
1-1/2" fresh ginger root
4 garlic cloves, crushed
2 cups bean sprouts1 cup fresh coriander leaves
1 cup fresh mint leaves
3/4 tsp salt
3/4 tsp black pepper
1 tsp cornstarch + 1 tsp water ( if needed)
Sauce:
2 tbs soy sauce
1/3 cup + 2 tbs Thai sweet chilli sauce (Maesri brand)
juice of 1 lime
1 tsp Sriracha chili sauce (more if desired)
To serve:
Wide rice noodles softened in boiling water for 6-8 minutes and sieved.
Preparation:
Place the steak in the freezer while preparing the vegetables.
Carrot: Peel, discards ends. Cut into 1/8" thick diagonal and then cut into thin strips.
Lemon grass: Use white part only. Slice into thin strips and finely chop.
Ginger: Cut into thin slices. stack the sliced and then finely slice into thin strips.
Garlic: Crush & finely chop
Cilantro: Separate the leaves from the stalk. Discard the stalks & gather leaves to yield 1 cup.
Mint: Separate the leaves from the stalk. Discard the stalks & gather leaves to yield 1 cup.
Steak: Halve the chilled steak along its length if desired or if you prefer long steak lengths, leave as is. With a very sharp knife, slice into 1/8" thick strips against the grain to shorten the muscle fibers resulting in tender meat when cooked.
Separate the sliced beef into 3 portions.
Sauce: In a bowl measure out the sweet chilli sauce, soy sauce, lime juice and Sriracha chili sauce.
Cornstarch: Combine the cornstarch and water. Keep a spoon handy to stir just before using.
Heat a wok or kadhai on medium high heat. Add a drop of water and if it sizzles immediately and evaporates, the pot is hot enough for use.
Add 1 tbs oil.In a heavy bottom pan, add the oil and heat for a few seconds on medium-high heat.
Add the beef one batch at a time in somewhat of a single layer (not a pile) & spread out. Sprinkle 1/4 tsp salt & 1/4 tsp ground black pepper. Allow the beef to sear for a minute and then turn over frying the meat on the other side too.
Remove to a plate, add 1 tbs oil and repeat the process with each of the two remaining batches of meat. Empty the wok.
Add 2 tbs oil and add the garlic, ginger and lemon grass and saute for a few seconds till fragrant.
Add the carrots & red peppers (not bean sprouts - see In retrospect note below). Saute for about 2 minutes until the carrots and red peppers are crispy tender. Stir the entire time.
In retrospect: The bean sprouts release too much liquid and turn limp it is best to toss at the very end - not with the carrots and peppers.
Return the seared meat to the pan along with the sauce & toss, stir frying rapidly. If a thicker sauce is needed, quickly give the bowl of cornstarch a stir to release from the bottom of the bowl and add to the wok.
Stir to combine. Taste and adjust seasonings.
Remove from the heat. Add the bean sprouts and half the mint & cilantro. Stir to combine.
Sprinkle the remaining cilantro and mint leaves and serve immediately over rice noodles.
Enjoy!
