1poundlean beef, cut into thin strips across the grain - about 1/8 inch thick
1largered or other colored sweet pepper, cut into strips (instructions below)
1 firm bosc pear, cut thinly into bite size pieces
2-3clovesgarlic, minced
½-1tablespoonsginger, minced
1½tablespoonsoil
½cupcoarsely broken walnuts, pine nuts, water chestnuts (sliced)
Marinade
4teaspoonstapioca flour or corn starch
1teaspoonsugar
2tablespoonscoconut aminos *
1tablespoonoil
Sauce option #1
3tablespoonssherry **
2tablespoonscoconut aminos
2tablespoonssugaror other sweetener
4teaspoonstapioca flour or corn starch
1teaspoontoasted sesame oil ***
drippings from pan with about ½ - ¾ cup water
Sauce option #2
3tablespoonsherry**
2tablespoonsplum sauce ****
2tablespoonscoconut aminos
4teaspoonstapioca flour or corn starch
1teaspoontoasted sesame oil ***
drippings from pan with about ½ - ¾ cup water
Sauce option #3 - no coconut aminos
2tablespoonrice vinegar
2tablespoonsugaror other sweetener
2 tablespoonssake (Chinese / Japanese wine)can use sherry
4teaspoontapioca flour or corn starch
1tespoontoasted sesame oil ***
drippings from pan with about ½ - ¾ cup water
Instructions
Prepare marinade. Mix starch and sugar in small bowl. (easier to mix everything this way.) Add coconut aminos and mix thoroughly. Add oil and whisk to combine. It is ok if the oil does not combine completely. When you add it to the meat and smush it around, it will mix in.
Prepare your meat. Place in a bag or bowl with marinade. Turn several times so all meat is coated with marinade. Let marinate while you prep other ingredients, turning the bag a couple of times to be sure all meat is coated. If your meat has been frozen, use a paper towel to absorb all excess moisture until meat is dry, then marinate.
Mince garlic so the allicin has a chance to develop (for more listen to The Sensitive Kitchen podcast episode ). Mince ginger.
Rinse and core pepper. Cut the pepper from stem end to blossom end into about 6-8 pieces. Cut each piece crosswise into thin strips, about ⅛-¼ inches thick. Strips should be about 1½-2 inches long (& fit in your mouth without cutting).
Prepare the sauce. Stir sugar to dissolve in liquids. Add starch and whisk to combine. Add toasted sesame oil.
Break the walnuts or other nuts. Leave pinenuts whole if you are using them. If using water chestnuts, drain and pat dry.
Cut the pear last so it has less time to turn brown. Working from the stem end, cut off the stem and slice the skinny end in half (about 2 inches up the pear or so.) Cut into thin slices, about ⅛ inch thick. When the pear is thicker, cut into quarters and slice. When the long neck is sliced, cut the remaining pear into quarters and core. Cut each quarter into ⅛ in thick pieces, cutting the thickest ones in half.
Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a stainless steel frying pan***** over medium heat. Do not use non-stick. The fond that develops when cooking the meat will flavor the sauce.
When you put the meat to cook, start some water heating in a tea kettle or small saucepan. When it boils, turn it off until you are ready to use it.
Place the meat in a single layer in the pan, leaving some space around each piece. It will take about 3 batches to cook all the meat. By the time you have washed your hands after handling rqw meat, it is ready to start turning the meat. Start with the meat you put in the frying pan first.
When you turn the meat, it should have developed several dark brown spots on each piece. (Some parts of your frying pan may be hotter than others so every piece does not have to have browned parts, but most should). If none of the pieces have browned spots, but are just light brown, let the meat cook a little longer (too long will make your meat tough!)
Flip the meat with a metal spatula or a fork. I use a spatula on the pieces that stick to the pan. By the time I am through flipping the pieces, it is usually time to remove the pieces that were flipped first. Again, they should have a few dark brown spots on them. Remove them to the serving bowl. Adjust your heat accordingly - the meat should brown, if it is not, turn up the heat. If it is browning too fast - before you can flip the pieces, turn it down a bit.
If your frying pan is domed like mine is, you may need to swirl the oil before placing the second batch of meat in a single layer in the pan. By the time you have finished washing your hands, it is time to start flipping the pieces over.
By now your pan should be starting to develop a dark brown layer in spots - this is fine. It helps your meat brown more quickly and will add flavor. You may not have enough meat to cover the pan bottom the third time, so be sure to cover the browner spots first.
When all your meat is cooked and in the bowl, pour about 1/2 - 3/4 cup of the water that has boiled into the hot pan. It will steam up - be careful you do not burn yourself.
Let the water boil for a minute. Then take your metal spatula and scrape all the brown pieces (fond) from the bottom of the pan. This will take a couple of minutes. If it looks like more than about 1/2 cup of liquid, let some of the water boil away. Pour the brown liquid (it should have small chunks of brown in it - that is normal) into a small heat resistant bowl while you stirfry the other vegetables.
Put 1/2 to 1 tablespoon oil in the pan. Add the peppers and cook for about 2 minutes, stirring occasionally. Make a hole in the middle and add the garlic and ginger. Cook for about 30 seconds until the garlic is fragrant. Place pepper slices, garlic and ginger on top of the meat.
Be sure there is a thin coating of oil in the pan. Add the pear slices to the pan to warm them a little, about 30 seconds.
Add the the reserved water and meat drippings. Stir. Add the sauce and stir.
The sauce will thicken as it comes to a boil. Stir frequently until it is slightly thickened. Add the meat and peppers and stir to coat with sauce and warm. Cook for about 1 minute and add nuts / pinenuts (or you can put them on at the table.
Serve immediately over brown rice. Enjoy!
Notes
* or Chinese / Japanese rice wine, sake
** If you are not using coconut aminos, sprinkle meat with 1/2 to 1 teaspoon salt half an hour before stir fying. (see blog post for more details)
*** omit sesame oil if sensitive
**** can also use jelly, cooked plums (see blog post for more details)
***** Can use saute pan - when I make more than one recipe, I use a 6 quart saute pan. Can also use cast iron.