On days like this, I really love tucking into some sort of stew for lunch or dinner. And with my new studio/work schedule being as hectic as it is, I really don't have time to cook except once a week. So last of late, everything gets cooked in one go, and I have massive fridge tupperware party all week with lunch and dinner (breakfast is poached eggs, which sadly do not tupperware well. Though I've been tempted by the baked eggs in muffin tin idea...).
One of my shopping mantras is to buy whatever ingredients are on sale, and make something from it rather than go in with a fixed menu and spend extra money on things you may need for just one meal (obviously if you're making a special meal then buying specific ingredients would be a must!). This week, green bell peppers and super fresh looking chuck roast steaks were on sale. That got me thinking of something warm and Asiany for my lunch meals at work. *I like to wolf down my food in the office then dash out for a 30 minute walk every day, rain or shine. Otherwise I turn into a kabocha (Asian pumpkin).
This recipe can be made really quickly using a pressure cooker. If you don't have one, you could use a crock pot by setting it before you leave the house in the morning or several hours ahead. If you don't have either, this dish would take about an hour to tenderize the beef, and it's probably better suited for a lazy weekend rather than a super rushed weekday. You will also need to prepare ahead by marinating the beef the night before or at least 4 hours prior to making the dish. Otherwise make something else!
You will need:
Chuck steak - 2 lbs or size of your two hands (I'm bad at guessing weight), cut into 1 inch cubes
Bell peppers - 4 large ones, cut into 1 inch cubes or rough chop
Black Bean/Black Pepper/ or Oyster sauce - 2 tbsps (technically this recipe is SUPPOSED to use black PEPPER sauce, but I ran out and used black bean and it was still delish)
Soy sauce 1/4 cup - for marinating the steak
Chinese sherry 1/4 cup - or just some regular sherry, red wine, or even rice vinegar will do fine. Do NOT use beer. It will not taste right.
1 thumb sized piece of ginger- sliced
2-3 stalks of green onion - roughly chopped into 2 inch sections (use the whites too but chop off the roots!)
Salt and black pepper to taste
Corn starch - half a cup for marinating the beef and for thickening the sauce
Freshly boiled HOT water - 1 -2 cup depending on type of cooking method for the beef
Directions
To start - marinate the beef by tossing the cubes with a tbsp of corn starch, a half cup of the Chinese sherry and soy sauce. It's best to do this in a tight tupper ware and just store it in the fridge over night or for at least 4 hours.
You will cook the beef separately from the bell peppers, so that the beef is stew tender while the peppers are still lightly crunchy. To cook the beef, you will need to brown the cubes at a high temp, then either pressure cook or slow cook it in in crock pot or traditional pot. For the pressure cooker and crock pot, you will use just a cup of hot water, since too much water will result in a soup. For regular pots, use about 2 cups of water.
Heat a medium sized pan with some oil. Toss in the sliced ginger and scallion to sear and release the flavors. Then add the beef and quickly stir to brown all sides. It will stick so stir this until everything is lightly browned, about 5-7 minutes.
At this point if you have a pressure cooker, add the beef to the pot, add the hot water, and bring to pressure. Cook for about 8 minutes. Release the pressure by placing the pot under running cold water and waiting for the pressure gauge to drop. For the crock pot, you will place the beef in the pot with the hot water and cook it slowly throughout the day for at least 4-6 hours (best when you're gone for the day). For regular pots, you will cook the beef with 2 cups of water instead of 1, and simmer at the lowest setting for 1 hour, until cubes are tender/falling apart.
You will now sautee the bell pepper slices with some oil. No salt at this point so that the peppers scorch a bit under high heat. Stir continuously until peppers start to wilt a bit. The beef from the pressure cooker should be ready in about 10 minutes. You will add the beef and liquids to the bell peppers and cook them together. Mix 2 tbsp of corn starch with equal amount of water to make a slurry. Add the slurry to the pot and cook on high. Count to 10 seconds and then stir (this prevents the sauce from being too cloudy).
At this point, the corn starch will cause the liquids to thicken and bubble. You want the sauce to coat everything nicely. Taste the sauce to gauge the saltiness, and add either 1-2 tbsp of the Chinese black bean/ black pepper/ or oyster sauce. Stir to mix the flavor. Et voila you have a tender and succulent beef dish with crunchy peppers covered in a luscious sauce. Serve over rice/noodles/ or even couscous. I have a side of sauteed cauliflowers with this. Num num num...
