Thai Red Chili Beef

This recipe is adapted from a Cook's Illustrated recipe. I like this recipe because you can marinate the meat for just 15 minutes if you're in a hurry, or you can marinate it for up to 2 hours if you have more time. I recommend using blade steak or flank steak because they are less fatty than some cuts and turn out really well when stir-fried.

I like using snow peas, green beans, or broccoli as the vegetable in this dish for some nice green color. If you use green beans or broccoli, I recommend blanching them so that they don't take long to cook when you stir-fry them right before serving. The snow peas don't need to be blanched because they are thin enough to cook quite quickly when stir-fried. If you don't have a green vegetable like broccoli, green beans, or snow peas to add to the stir fry, you can just sprinkle chopped green onions and cilantro on the top and then serve Asian-style coleslaw on the side.

Thai Red Chili Beef
serves 3 to 4 adults

Ingredients:

• jasmine rice or another long-grain rice
• 1 lb. blade steak or flank steak
• a green vegetable: either 1 lb. green beans, 1/2 to 1 lb. snow peas, or 5 to 6 cups broccoli florets (about 2 brown crowns, depending on their size)
  
• 1/2 Tbsp. gluten-free fish sauce. I use Thai Kitchen premium fish sauce.
  
• 1/4 tsp. and 1/8 tsp. ground coriander
• 1/8 tsp. ground white pepper
• 1/2 tsp. light brown sugar

• 2 Tbsp. gluten-free fish sauce
• 2 Tbsp. rice vinegar
• 2 Tbsp. water
• 1 Tbsp. brown sugar
• 1 Tbsp. gluten-free Asian red chili paste. I used Thai Kitchen brand.
  
• 2 garlic cloves, minced (about 1 tsp.)
• optional: chopped green onions and cilantro
  

Instructions:

If you want to serve the meal within 45 minutes of starting to prepare it, then start by putting the rice in the rice cooker and a large pot of water on the stove over high heat.

Between 15 minutes and 2 hours before cooking, slice the beef into thin strips. In a medium bowl combine the 1/2 Tbsp. fish sauce, ground coriander, ground white pepper, and 1/2 tsp. brown sugar. Add the beef to the bowl and stir so that all of the beef gets covered with the marinade. Place the bowl in the refrigerator if you want to marinate the beef longer than 15 minutes.

If you would like to have snow peas, rinse them and cut the ends off. If you would like to have blanched green beans or broccoli florets, put a large pot of water on the stove (if you haven't already) and bring the water to a boil over high heat. Rinse the green beans or broccoli, and cut the ends off of the green beans or cut the broccoli into bite-size pieces. When the water has come to a boil, add the vegetables and let them blanch in the water for exactly 2 minutes. Then transfer them to a colander and rinse them in cold water to stop the cooking process. You can put the blanched vegetables in a bowl in the refrigerator while the meat is marinating.

To make the sauce, stir together the 2 Tbsp. fish sauce, rice vinegar, water, brown sugar, red chili paste, and minced garlic.

About 5 to 10 minutes before you want to stir-fry the beef, take it out of the refrigerator. Place a large non-stick pan over medium-high heat and let the pan heat up for several minutes. Add 1 tablespoon of canola oil to the pan. Then add the beef to the pan and cook for 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Transfer the beef to a new bowl.

If using snow peas, add 1 more tablespoon of canola oil to the pan and then add the snow peas. Cook them for 1 to 2 minutes, until they have gotten hot and turned a darker green. Then add the sauce and the beef to the pan and let everything simmer for a couple of minutes, stirring occasionally, until the sauce had gotten hot and thickened slightly.

If using green beans or broccoli, after you have removed the beef from the pan, add the green beans or broccoli and the sauce. Let them cook, stirring occasionally, until the sauce and vegetables have gotten hot and the sauce has thickened slightly. Then return the beef to the pan and let everything simmer for a minute to reheat the beef.

Serve the Thai red chili beef and vegetables over rice with a garnish of chopped cilantro and green onions, if you have them available.