Tag: recipe

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Pepper Steak Stir-Fry

Once a month or so, I’m going to start posting recipes and stuff to correspond with the cooking videos I’m putting on YouTube. This is my version of pepper steak. It’s probably not technically stir fry if you were to ask someone from Asia. But it tastes good.

Here’s the video:

ANNOYING STORY

It seems like everyone on the internet gives an annoying story about why they cooked before the recipe. I decided to give it a shot.

I was hankering for a dish with black bean sauce. I first ran into black bean sauce back when I worked at Learjet, before going to seminary. I went to Lee’s Chinese Restaurant (in Wichita, KS) for lunch with a coworker who grew up in China, and he introduced me to the Chinese menu there. I don’t exactly remember what the dish was, but the black bean sauce was phenomenal. Afterwards, I found some black bean sauce at the store and made some tasty food with it. I tried to find it again, but nobody had the right sauce at the store. Sad days. Instead, I had to “settle” for my version of a Pepper Beef stir fry.

Pepper Steak Stir-Fry
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Pepper Steak Stir-Fry

Recipe by Fr. MattCourse: MainCuisine: AsianDifficulty: Easy
Servings

2

servings
Prep time

5

minutes
Cooking time

20

minutes
Calories

512

kcal

My version of pepper steak. It’s probably not technically stir fry if you were to ask someone from Asia. But it tastes good.

Ingredients

  • Stir Fry

  • a bunch of green onions / scallions (about 6oz by weight)

  • 1 medium sized yellow onion, chopped into 1-in pieces

  • 1 to 1.5lb beef, thinly sliced or shaved

  • 2 tbsp. butter

  • Sauce

  • a dash fish sauce

  • 1 tsp. oyster sauce

  • 1 tbsp. rice wine

  • 2 tbsp. coarsely ground black pepper (less if you are sensitive to spice)

  • 3-5 cloves garlic, minced

  • ginger, minced or ground (don’t know how much, just do what feels right, honestly, the ginger is optional for this recipe)

  • 2 or 3 tbsp. dark soy sauce

  • 1 tbsp. light soy sauce

  • IF YOU DON’T HAVE DARK & LIGHT SOY SAUCE:
    4 tbsp. all-purpose soy sauce (Kikkoman or something like that)

Directions

  • prepare all your ingredients before beginning to cook
  • prepare sauce by mixing all sauce ingredients in a bowl
  • heat the pan on high heat, the highest your stove can go
  • melt the butter in the pan
  • when the butter is bubbling and smells great, add the onion
  • when the onion is just starting to brown on the edges, add the beef
  • double check to make sure the stove is as high as it’ll go
  • stir the items in the pan a lot (It’s a stir fry!!!)
  • when beef is about 2/3 done, add the sauce and stir everything to combine
  • after sauce is stirred in, add the green onions on top and let it all cook for a minute or so before stirring
  • stir everything together
  • keep stirring frequently
  • when the beef is cooked and the sauce is nice and thick, you’re done!

Recipe Video

Notes

  • Makes 4 servings when served with rice or 2 servings when served alone
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spinach and cheese omelet

I normally eat a one egg omelet breakfast during the week. I crack the egg into the pan, pop the yolk and then throw a slice of cheese on top. It’s yummy. On Saturday, however, I usually eat a two egger, and throw some spinach (or arugula) into it for some variety. They’re dead simple to make, but here’s a recipe anyway!

Ingredients:

  • 2 large eggs (I like the brown ones, but use whatever you like)
  • 1 big handful of spinach
  • grated parmesan cheese (or any hard Italian cheese)
  • 1/2 tbsp butter
  • salt, pepper, cumin, Sriracha

Get a nice non-stick pan, throw the butter in and melt it. Once it’s all liquid and foamy, throw the spinach in. While the spinach is cooking, I beat the eggs. I usually put in about a tablespoon of water, some salt, pepper and cumin with the eggs before beating them. I use a fork and try to get a decent amount air in the mix. Make sure the whites and the yolks are completely combined. The omelet won’t come out as nicely otherwise.

When the spinach starts to wilt, I add the eggs and make sure that they get all around the pan. When the eggs start to thicken, I add a bunch of yummy cheese. Once the eggs are mostly hard (e.g., cooked through), I fold the omelet. After I let it brown a little more, I flip it onto the plate, throw some Sriracha on top and chow down!

Sorry—no pictures for this one. I forgot, and I’m out of eggs.

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recipe for “hardcore” lent–koshari

DSCF2095I was watching No Reservations a few weeks back. It was the episode where Bourdain visited Egypt. There were several dishes on that episode that meet the requirements of "my “hardcore” Lent. One of these was a dish called Fül—it consists of mashed up fava beans and several other ingredients. I will post the recipe for it when I get it worked out.

The second dish was a dish called koshari. I based my recipe off of a recipe I found online. I made a few modifications, but kept it mostly the same.

Ingredients

  • 2 medium onions, sliced
  • 3/4 cup uncooked rice (white)
  • 3/4 cup brown lentils
  • 1 cup shell macaroni (elbow macaroni works too)
  • 1 cup cooked chickpeas (at least) dried work too, if you feel like cooking them
  • 4 cloves minced garlic
  • 1 tsp Sambal Oelek
  • 1 tsp cumin
  • 1 can diced tomatoes
  • 1/2 cup white vinegar
  • vegetable oil
  • water (at last 4 cups)

The first day

I cooked the chickpeas the day before everything else. I bought them dry, because dried chickpeas are cheaper. Cooking them is simple. I soaked them in lots of while I was at work and running errands for a total of about 12 hours. I then drained the water. I then simmered the chickpeas in plenty of new and salted water for a little over two hours. When they were finished, I drained them and put them in the fridge.

Cooking the koshari (the second day)

In a saucepan, put the lentils in plenty of water and bring it to a boil. (Make sure it is salted.) Once the water starts boiling, drop the heat to medium-low and simmer the lentils for 25 minutes. Drain the lentils after they’re done cooking.

Add the lentils back to the saucepan, add at least four cups of water and the rice (and a little salt). Bring the water to a boil, drop the heat and simmer again. This time, simmer the rice and lentils for 20 minutes.

At this point, cook the macaroni according to the package directions. You will want to cook it until tender, not al dente.

In a skillet (or a saucepan), heat about 2 tbsp of vegetable oil until it shimmers. Add the garlic to the oil. After a minute or so, add the tomatoes, cumin, sambal and vinegar to the pan. Bring the sauce to a boil. Once it boils, drop the heat and simmer the sauce until everything is ready. Make sure to crush the tomatoes well when stirring the sauce occasionally.

In yet another skillet, heat some more oil. (You’ll want maybe 3 or 4 tbsp this time.) Once it’s ready, add the sliced onions and brown them. Once they are brown add some water and continue cooking the onions. You’ll want to repeat this a few times until the onions are caramelized.

At this point, you should have five separate dishes. These are traditionally layered in the following order: rice/lentil mix, macaroni, spicy tomato sauce, chickpeas and finally onions.

Enjoy!