Accounting for Taste

We love stir-fries with lots of veggies and this one was everything it claimed to be—easy, fast and incredibly good. And is par for the course, we often make a few tweaks based on our own preferences or comments from other reviewers. In this case, we reduced the mirin (by half) which lends a sweet taste; instead we added chili garlic sauce for a more spicy note.

Several other alterations included increasing the amount of sirloin steak to 1.75 pounds (we wanted leftovers), adding a red bell pepper (great way to add a pop of color and more nutrients), increasing the snap peas to 12 ounces, and using a wok instead of a skillet. However, the recipe below is the Bon Appétit original.

You bet this was a keeper, and we totally enjoyed leftovers for lunch the next couple of days.

Steak, Snap Pea and Asparagus Stir-Fry

Servings: 4
Time: 25 Min
Difficulty: easy
Print

Ingredients

1 lb. sirloin steak
1 Tbsp. cornstarch
2 Tbsp. soy sauce, divided
4 Tbsp. vegetable oil, divided
8 oz. sugar snap peas
1 bunch asparagus
6 scallions
1 2″ piece ginger
3 Tbsp. mirin (Japanese rice wine); or 50-50 mix of mirin and chili garlic sauce
¼ cup oyster sauce
2 Tbsp. unseasoned rice vinegar
Kos

Directions

Place 1 lb. sirloin steak on a cutting board and pat dry with paper towels. Slice meat crosswise as thinly as possible.
Transfer steak to a medium bowl and add 1 Tbsp. cornstarch, 1 Tbsp. soy sauce, and 1 Tbsp. vegetable oil. Toss with tongs until meat is evenly coated.
Prep the rest of your ingredients: Trim ends of 8 oz. snap peas and remove any strings; transfer to another medium bowl. Snap woody ends off of 1 bunch asparagus and discard. Cut asparagus crosswise into 1″ pieces; transfer to bowl with snap peas.
Trim both ends of 6 scallions and set aside 2 scallions for serving. Cut 4 remaining scallions crosswise into 1″ pieces and add to bowl with asparagus and snap peas.
Scrub 2″ piece ginger under running water, then slice crosswise as thinly as possible; add to bowl with the other veggies.
Combine 3 Tbsp. mirin, ¼ cup oyster sauce, 2 Tbsp. rice vinegar, and remaining 1 Tbsp. soy sauce in a glass measuring cup and stir with a spoon to incorporate.
Heat 2 Tbsp. vegetable oil in a large skillet, preferably stainless steel, over medium-high. When oil shimmers across surface of skillet, add vegetable mixture. Cook, shaking skillet often, just until asparagus are tender but still retain a hint of crunch, about 3 minutes. Return vegetables to original bowl.
Heat remaining 1 Tbsp. vegetable oil in skillet over medium-high. Add steak, arranging slices in a single layer. Cook, undisturbed, until juices start to pool on surface of meat and underside is browned, about 3 minutes. Using a thin metal spatula, scrape bottom of skillet and loosen meat.

We had to sear the meat in two batches, putting the first batch in with the bowl with the cooked veggies.
Immediately add cooked vegetables and sauce to skillet and cook, tossing constantly, until meat is fully cooked and sauce is thick and bubbling, 1–2 minutes more.
Remove from heat and let cool for a minute or two. Season stir-fry lightly with salt. Divide 2 cups cooked rice among plates. Spoon stir-fry over. Thinly slice reserved 2 scallions and scatter over.