A couple of weeks ago I attended the Craft Brewers Conference - so much fun! But, truth be told, I spent the subsequent week in recovery mode. Oops? Between seminars, lunch breaks spent sightseeing, late nights attending various events around town, and early mornings of ‘catching up on emails’, well, there wasn’t much time for sleep. Worth it? Without a doubt.

This is the first meal I cooked in my own kitchen following a week of all things fried.. a full week after landing back in San Diego. Why does it get later faster on weeknights? Mustering up the energy to cook after a full day of work isn’t always easy. Stir fries are a thing of beauty because they require minimal prep, cook relatively quickly, and use up any aging produce in the crisper drawer. Did I mention it’s also the perfect dish for lunch at work tomorrow? I happened to have broccoli and bell peppers on hand, as well as the last pour from a growler of Imperial Red Rye. Feel free to substitute with anything you may have on hand including, but certainly not limited to, snap peas, carrots, bok choy, cabbage, zucchini, eggplant, or mushrooms. You can even swap out the steak for chicken, shrimp, or tofu.

Ingredients

1. 12 to 16 oz. flank or skirt, thinly sliced against the grain
2. 1/4 cup cornstarch
3. 1 head of broccoli, cut into small florets
4. 1 red bell pepper, sliced in strips
5. 1 or 2 jalapenos (red or green), sliced into rings
6. 4 scallions, sliced
7. 4 tbs. vegetable oil
8. 2 tbs. finely chopped ginger
9. 1 tbs. chili garlic sauce or 1/2 tbs. chopped garlic + 1/2 tbs. siracha (optional)
10. 2 tbs. black soy sauce*
11. 1 tbs. soy sauce
12. 2 tbs. unseasoned rice vinegar
13. 2 tsp. sesame oil
14. 2 tbs. oyster sauce (optional)
15. 1/3 cup Red Rye or other malt forward red ale
16. salt and pepper

*Black (or dark) soy sauce can be found in Asian Supermarkets or on the internet. It’s one of my favorite pantry staples as it combines the umami of soy sauce with rich caramel/molasses notes. While it can be substituted for regular soy sauce, it’s worth seeking out.

Steps

1. In a small bowl, whisk together beer, both varieties of soy sauce, oyster sauce, vinegar, chili garlic sauce, and sesame oil. Set aside.
   
   
   
2. In a medium bowl, season corn starch with salt and pepper. Toss with steak to coat.
3. Heat 2 tbs. vegetable oil in a large skillet (or wok if you have one) over high heat; once oil is hot, add steak in a single layer. Cook until browned, about 2 minutes; turn and cook an additional 30 seconds until rare, but not raw. Remove steak to plate and set aside.
4. Using the same pan, heat additional 2 tbs. vegetable oil over medium heat. Add bell pepper and broccoli florets. Toss occasionally, cooking until they begin to brown and turn are slightly tender. Add ginger and scallions; cook until fragrant.
   
   
5. 
   
   
6. Return steak to pan with sauce. Cook, stirring once in awhile and scraping up any browned bits stuck to the bottom of the pan, until the sauce begins to thicken.
   
   
   
7. Serve over steamed rice and garnish with additional scallions and sesame seeds.