Mongolian Beef and Lettuce Wraps

Both of these dishes were tasty tonight, and I would make both again. 

Mongolian Beef (from Pinterest)

 

1 lb of flank steak, thinly sliced crosswise

1/4 cup of cornstarch

3 teaspoons of canola oil

1/2 teaspoon of grated ginger (about 1/2 inch piece)

1 tablespoon of chopped garlic (about 2 -3 large cloves)

1/2 cup of water

1/2 cup of soy sauce (I use low sodium)

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/2 teaspoon of red pepper flakes

3 large green onions, sliced crosswise into thirds

Prepare the meat:

First, make sure the steak slices are dry (pat them dry) and mix them with the corn starch. Using your hands or a spoon, move them around to make sure all pieces are coated. Place beef slices in a strainer and shake off excess corn starch (see picture bellow).

Make the sauce:

Heat half of the oil in a large wok at medium-high and add the garlic and ginger. Immediately add the soy sauce, water, brown sugar and pepper flakes. Cook the sauce for about 2 minutes and transfer to a bowl. Don't worry if the sauce doesn't look thick enough at this point. The corn starch in the beef will thicken it up later. 

Cook the meat and assemble dish:

Turn the heat up and add the remaining oil to the wok. Add the beef and cook, stirring until it is all browned (this is a quick thing). Pour the sauce back into the wok and let it cook along with the meat. Now you can choose to cook it down and reduce the sauce or leave it thinner. Add the green onions on the last minute so the green parts will stay green and the white parts crunchy.

Serve it hot with rice.

Lettuce Wraps (from pinterest)

Ingredients for pouring sauce:

               1/4 cup sugar

•     1/2 cup warm water
•     2 tablespoons soy sauce
•     2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
•     2 tablespoons ketchup
•     1 tablespoon lemon juice
•     1/8 teaspoon sesame oil
•     1 teaspoon hot water
•     1 tablespoon dijon mustard
•     2 cloves garlic, minced

Ingredients for stir-fry sauce:

•     2 tablespoons soy sauce
•     2 tablespoons brown sugar
•     1/2 teaspoon rice wine vinegar

Ingredients for chicken stir-fry:

•     2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
•     2 tablespoons sesame oil
•     2 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cubed to 1/2?
•     1 – 8oz can sliced water chestnuts, minced to the size of corn kernels
•     1/2 cup mushrooms, minced to the size of corn kernels
•     1/2 onion, chopped fine
•     3 cloves garlic, minced fine
•     6 large leaves of iceberg lettuce or nappa cabbage

To make the pouring sauce:

•     In a large bowl, dissolve sugar in 1/2 cup warm water, then add soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, ketchup, lemon juice and sesame oil. Mix well and throw in the fridge until you’re ready to eat.
•     Just before serving, combine 1 teaspoons hot water with Dijon mustard and garlic and mix in small bowl. Add to the pouring sauce, 1/2 a teaspoon at time to taste.

To make the stir-fry sauce:

Prep the stir fry sauce by mixing soy sauce, brown sugar, and rice vinegar in a small bowl.

To make the chicken stir-fry:

•     Combine oils and add to wok or large frying pan. Heat oil over high heat until it glistens, about one minute. Add chicken and saute until mostly cooked through, about 5 minutes.
•     Turn the heat under the wok down to medium-high. Add another tablespoon of olive oil to the pan, wait one minute, and then add garlic, onions, water chestnuts, mushrooms, and the stir-fry sauce you prepared earlier. Stir-fry everything until the mushrooms have cooked through, about 4 minutes, and remove to a serving dish.
•     Serve stir-fry with iceberg lettuce or nappa cabbage leaf wraps and top with pouring sauce.

  Note:  Mason and I both agreed that the pouring sauce wasn't necessary.  I also omitted the mushrooms (we don't like them) and the onions (ewww during pregnancy) and they still were tasty.