Ginger Beef with Stir Fry Vegies

I was feeling very much for Chinese food tonight so I decided to make this dish. I drew inspiration for the beef marinate from a cooking book a friend, Natasha, gave me as a going away/housewarming pressie - The Destitute Gourmet, Delicious by Sophie Gray. It's a great book with yummy, easy to follow recipes. However I never follow recipes and love making it my own, which is exactly what I did with this dish.



I used Lean Beef Schnitzel as I find it easier and tenderer to cook with but you can use most lean beef cuts. For the vegies, you can use any vegetables that are good for stir fry, however ensure you cook them almost completely before adding the end sauce. If you also choose to use eggplant ensure you salt it for about 15 minutes to remove the bitterness.

Ginger Beef With Stir Fried Vegies
Serves 2-3

Ingredients
BEEF MARINATE
- 220G Lean Beef Schnitzel
- 1 teaspoon grated ginger
- 1 teaspoon Chinese Cooking Wine
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce

VEGIES
-1 bunch broccolini
- mixed exotic vegetables - I used Morille, Enoki, Brown Mushrooms
- About 100grams of Eggplant
- Salt

SAUCE
- 1 teaspoon of grated ginger
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 3/4 cup beef stock (I used Campbells Real Stock)
- 2 tablespoons flour
- 1 tablespoon water

Method
1. Slice beef into thin slices. Add all the ingredients for the beef marinate together and ensure all the beef is covered with the marinate. Leave to marinate for at least 20 minutes.

2. Slice the eggplant finely and cover in salt, leave for 15 minutes.

3. Heat olive oil in a very hot pan and add half the beef at a time. Seal on both sides and take off the pan.

4. Add olive oil to the pan (eggplant absorbs a lot of oil so use slightly more than usual) and fry eggplant on both sides until the eggplant is semi-translucent. Remove from pan.

5. Add broccoli and mushroom to pan and add a little bit of water and cover for about 5 minutes.

6. Mix all the sauce ingredients except water and flour.

7. Add eggplant and beef back to the pan and pour sauce. Cook for 10 minutes on high heat. Be sure not to overcook as the beef will no longer be tender.

8. Mix flour and water in a separate bowl (it's important to make sure the flour is completely dissolved to ensure no lumps in the sauce). Add to the pan and stir. Cook for a few minutes until the sauce thickens.

Enjoy :)