← Nouns Cooking · Chinese

Ingredients

• 400 g flank or rump steak, thinly sliced across the grain
• 1 tbsp light soy sauce
• 1 tbsp Shaoxing wine
• 1 tbsp Cornflour (cornstarch)
• 1 tsp Vegetable oil
• 2 tbsp Ketchup
• 1 tbsp light soy sauce
• 1 tbsp Oyster sauce
• 1 tsp Sugar
• 1 tsp Cornflour (cornstarch)
• 4 tbsp Water
• 2 tbsp peanut or vegetable oil
• 1 small onion, cut into wedges
• 2 cloves Garlic, sliced
• 3 slices Ginger
• 4 ripe tomatoes (about 450 g), cut into wedges
• 2 Spring onion, cut into 3 cm lengths

Method

1. Mix the beef with the soy sauce, Shaoxing wine and cornflour until every slice is coated, then stir in the teaspoon of oil. In a small bowl, stir together all the sauce ingredients.
2. Heat 1 tbsp of the oil in a wok over high heat until it shimmers. Spread the beef out in one layer and sear for 1 minute, then toss until just browned but still a little pink, about 1 minute more. Tip it onto a plate.
3. Add the remaining oil, the onion, garlic and ginger and stir-fry for 1 minute, until the onion starts to soften.
4. Add the tomatoes and stir-fry for 2–3 min, pressing a few with the spatula, until they slump and release their juice.
5. Stir the sauce, pour it in and let it bubble until it turns glossy and thick, about 1 minute. Return the beef and spring onion and toss for 30 seconds, just to heat through. Serve with rice.

Tips

• Use the ripest tomatoes you can find; if they are pale, add an extra spoon of ketchup for colour and tang.
• Do not overcook the beef in the first sear: it finishes cooking in the sauce.

Sources

Written in our own words after cross-checking these recipes:

Omnivore's Cookbook Taste of Asian Food