They come together so quickly! In this ginger beef stir fry we marinate strips of beef sirloin in a honey soy marinade, then quickly fry them in a hot pan with julienned ginger, red chilis, and sliced garlic. A cornstarch slurry helps keep the beef strips from drying out and helps create a tasty glaze over the meat. Thinly sliced scallions are stirred in at the end, and the whole thing is served over rice. Fast, easy, and tastes great! The trick to a good stir-fry is working with a very hot, relatively stick-free pan. I say relatively stick-free because you don’t want one of those stick-free pans with the coating that peels off, but say more like a well-seasoned wok or a cast iron frying pan. Hard anodized aluminum will work too, as its surface is bonded into the pan and can take high temperature cooking. Cooking on high heat allows you to get a good sear on the meat and vegetables without overcooking them.
2 tablespoons unseasoned rice vinegar
5 tablespoons soy sauce (use gluten-free soy sauce if cooking gluten free)
1 tablespoon honey
1 tablespoon peeled, grated fresh ginger
1 teaspoon chili pepper flakes
1 teaspoon ground cumin
Beef and stir-fry
1 (1 1/4 to 1 1/2 pound) top sirloin steak
1 tablespoon cornstarch
2 tablespoons vegetable oil (preferably peanut)
1 tablespoon dark toasted sesame oil, optional
3 to 4 green onions, cut on a diagonal, 1/2-inch apart, including the greens
2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
2 to 3 hot chilies, preferably red serranos, seeded, sliced
1-inch knob of ginger, peeled, cut lengthwise into matchstick shapes
1/2 cup loosely packed, chopped cilantro
