Beef Stir-fry with Leafy Greens and Rice Sticks
inspired by Fuchsia Dunlop’s Beef Slivers with Water Bamboo, from Revolutionary Chinese Cookbook
Yield: 2-4 servings with rice or rice noodles
high heat-stable peanut, grapeseed, or canola oil, for the wok
1 pound/500 grams flank steak or other lean beef, sliced very thinly
For the marinade:
1 teaspoon dark soy sauce
2 teaspoons light soy sauce (not low sodium)
1 tablespoon potato starch (cornstarch may be substituted)
1 tablespoon Shaoxing rice wine (use dry sherry in a pinch)
1 tablespoon water
For the rest of the stir-fry:
One bunch bok choy, baby bok choy, or other Chinese greens (water spinach, choy sum, chrysanthemum, or your favorite greens), washed and trimmed into small pieces (about 16 ounces/1 pound/500 grams)
2 scallions, trimmed and sliced
four ounces/1/2 cup/100 grams Korean rice sticks (tteokbokki)
Additional Shaoxing rice wine, if necessary, to add during stir-frying
sesame oil and salt, for seasoning the final dish
Note: I found it helpful to use two large cutting boards while prepping: one for slicing the raw beef and the other for the vegetables.
You will need a large wok–ideally 14 inches–or comparable sturdy frying pan to make this stir-fry.
If you are making rice noodles to accompany the stir-fry, cook them now.
Make the marinade:
In a large glass or ceramic bowl, fork together the soy sauces, potato starch, rice wine, and water. Add the sliced steak and mix well; I find my clean hands do the best job, but use a fork if you prefer. Set aside.
If you are making rice, do it now.
Place wok over high heat and add about 3 tablespoons peanut oil; the bottom of the wok should be generously coated. Heat to just under smoking point.
Carefully add bok choy, scallions, and rice sticks to the wok; getting spattered by hot oil is not a pleasant way to start dinner. Turn heat down a bit: you want heat high enough to cook the food but not so high it burns. Stir constantly, keeping food moving rapdily; rice sticks in particular like sticking. Greens will cook down rapidly. If the wok begins going dry, stand back and pour in a little rice wine.
After a minute or two–the greens will be cooked down and reduced in volume–tip in the beef and its marinade (there won’t be much). It will be a tight fit in the wok. That’s okay. Add a bit of wine if necessary. Keep stirring until the beef is cooked through, about four minutes. Taste for salt. Add sesame oil to taste.
Serve with noodles or rice. I like chili oil at the table with this, too.
Beef stir-fry with leafy greens and rice sticks will keep, refrigerated in a covered container, for about four days. While you could freeze this, it’s inadvisable, as flavor and texture will suffer.
Note: Korean rice sticks are increasingly available in well-stocked supermarkets. They are sold in large plastic bags. Look for them in the frozen foods aisles. Asian markets carry huge varieties of rice cakes in a number of shapes and sizes. They keep in the refrigerater about two weeks and freeze indefinitely.