A Lil' Bit of Stir-Fry In My Life.

Was in an international-y mood last night (or something like that) and felt like whipping up some kind of fabulous stir-fry - decided to go with beef, and named my dish "Asian Marinated Beef Stir Fry With Carrots and Broccoli Over Beef Flavored Rice". I like to be literal, concise, and to the point when I name my dishes, what can I say.

I basically took like, three beef stir fry recipes, mashed them all together and created one, great supernova-like recipe. I used flat iron steak for this, but you can use flank steak (which in my opinion, is the best option), or top sirloin, or heck, whatever your little hearts desire. I just used flat iron because it was on sale....I swear it wasn't because the super cute meat dude said it was his favorite beef to use for stir-fry's.

Anyways, I marinated that huge slab o' beef in The World's Best Marinade. That, is no lie. This truly is The World's Best Marinade. I actually got it from my boyfriend's Mother's recipe files - one day I went over there and stole (I mean, copied) as many of her recipes as I possibly could - I know that N dearly loves lots of her recipes, and since he tends to be a rather.... finicky eater when it comes to some of the foods I make (aka: Food Snob), I will continue to steal (copy) as many of her recipes as I can - they are surefire, fall-back-on recipes that I know will always be eaten with gusto.

So, I marinated the meat for about 2 hours - you can do more, you can do less. The flavor of the marinade is super concentrated which is awesome - you don't have to marinate overnight, which is great if you're a 'spur of the moment' cook like I am, and only decide 2 hours before dinner what you're actually going to cook.

After the marination (what a great word, is it real?!), I sliced it up into thin strips (against the grain, remember!), cooked it up with carrots and broccoli, and a yummy hoisin-laden sauce. I threw it (okay, gently placed) it over some beef-flavored rice, and topped it all with chopped peanuts. Man, was it good! So, so, much better then your local Pings or Chengs - at least this way, you know what kind of meat you're eating, as well as every other ingredient that went into your stir-fry.

(See my work station? And yes, thats all the counter space I have to work with in my entire kitchen. How I survive...I truly don't know).

Yummy, finished dish!

So, if you're looking for a super stellar stir fry recipe... I present to you...

Asian Marinated Beef Stir Fry With Carrots and Broccoli Over Beef Flavored Rice!!!!

Beef

1 1/2	lb marinated beef flank steak, or flat iron steak, or top sirloin, cut into thin slices against the grain

The World's Best Marinade

1/2 c. Soy Sauce

1 tsp. Dry Sherry (or Red Wine Vinegar)

1 Tbsp. Brown Sugar

1 Tbsp. Vegetable Oil

2 Cloves Garlic, crushed or minced

Sauce

1/3	cup hoisin sauce
1/3	cup water
1	tablespoon cornstarch
1/2	teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

Stir-Fry

2	tablespoons vegetable oil
1	small head broccoli, chopped into small pieces
4	carrots, peeled and cut into long, thin strips
2	tablespoons water 1) In bowl, mix marinade ingredients together, pour into large bag - marinate beef in bag for 1 - 3 hours, or overnight, cut beef into thin strips, set aside. 2) With wire whisk, mix sauce ingredients together in bowl, set aside. 3) Heat 2 Tbsp. oil in large skillet or wok for 1 minute, add beef. Stir fry beef for 2 - 4 minutes, until almost all pink is gone, transfer beef to clean bowl. 4) To the empty skillet/wok, add 1 - 2 Tbsp. oil, add vegetables - stir fry for 2 minutes, stirring frequently. Add 2 Tbsp. water to skillet, cover, cook for 3 - 4 minutes, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are crisp-tender. 5) Return beef to skillet, add sauce. Stir to coat mixture with sauce. Cook for 2 - 3 minutes until sauce thickens and mixture is combined. Serve over hot rice and top w/ chopped peanuts.