Recipe: Beef Stir-Fry

Recipe Source: Recipe Source: Samuelsson, Marcus.  Discovery of a Continent.  John Wiley & Sons, Hoboken, 2007 p. 143

My friend has been going through a Kale Phase.  I don't know why, but it's not a bad thing.  Kale is healthy, and it tastes good, and since it has been relegated to the level of garnish people think you're very creative when you use it for actual food.  When I knew my kale-loving friend was coming over for dinner, I found this recipe in a cookbook I was already using and decided to give it a shot.

As always, I made a few changes to the recipe and those changes are reflected in the recipe you see here.  I used olive oil instead of peanut oil to accommodate my allergy.  I doubled the amount of cumin because I really like cumin; I did the same with the garlic.  I used jarred garlic and ginger for ease, and I used red kale because it looked the prettiest.  (Hey, I can be just as frivolous as the next person.)  I substituted beef for the lamb both because it was described as more authentic and because Whole Foods didn't have lamb loin.  Finally, I used two cans of tomatoes because I didn't want part of a can sitting around and because tomatoes are so healthy!  I really enjoyed this dish, as did my husband and guest.  I think that the steak might have been a little better if it had been cooked less, but I tend to enjoy very rare meat so that shouldn't surprise me. 

Beef Stir Fry (serves 4, approx. $4.11/person)

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 red onion, sliced

1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom

1 teaspoon cumin

4 tablespoons minced jarred garlic

About 1 oz grated jarred ginger

1 bunch (8 oz) kale, shredded

1 1/2 lb boneless sirloin steak, sliced into strips about 1/2 inch thick 

Kosher salt to taste

2 cans diced tomatoes, drained

Equipment:

• Large wok
• Tongs

1. Heat the oil in the wok.
2. Add the onion, cardamom, cumin, garlic and ginger.  Cook until the onion is translucent. 
3. Add the kale and saute until wilted, about 4 minutes.
4. Use the tongs to remove as much of the kale as possible and set aside.  This is tricky and you may get a few onions with your kale; this is okay.
5. Add the steak to the pan and cook until brown on all sides.
6. Add salt to taste and the tomatoes.  Simmer 5 minutes.
7. Return the kale to the pan and cook until thoroughly re-heated. 
8. Serve.

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