Asian Beef with Snow Peas

I can hardly believe that it is August already and summer is quickly coming to an end.  Last week, we had a little bit of a cool down - we were wearing sweatshirts!  With the summer quickly closing though, things have been so busy around here.  We got back from vacation three weeks ago, and leave for New York next Friday.  Add to that all the house hunting we've been doing - we've hardly been home.

This week's recipe I want to share with you is so quick and easy - it's perfect for those families always on the go.  E and I had it all prepared in under 20 minutes.  And we got to use our wok.  I don't get to pull the wok out too often, and I forgot how much I love cooking with it - even though I had to listen to all of E's wok jokes (this dish Wok's!).  :)

Prep/Total Time: ~20 minutes     Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients

• 3 tablespoons soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons rice wine
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon cornstarch
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger root
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic
• 1 lb beef round steak, cut into thin strips
• 8 oz snow peas
• cooked rice

Directions

1. In a small bowl, combine the soy sauce, rice wine, brown sugar, and cornstarch.  Set aside.
2. Heat oil in a wok or skillet over medium heat.
3. Stir-fry ginger and garlic for 30 seconds.
4. Add the steak and stir-fry for 2 minutes, or until evenly browned.
5. Add the snow peas and stir-fry for an additional 3 minutes.
6. Add the soy sauce mixture; bring to a boil, stirring constantly.
7. Lower heat and simmer until the sauce thickens, about 1 minute.
8. Serve immediately with cooked rice and enjoy!

Adapted from AllRecipes.com

Suggestions and/or differences:

• I used rice vinegar instead of rice wine.
• Learned something new: if you don't have brown sugar, mix regular sugar (1 cup) with molasses (1 tablespoon) to make your own homemade brown sugar!
• I would definitely double the cornstarch to 1 teaspoon - my sauce did not thicken very much.

What are some ways you have found to use your wok more often?

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