Beef and Greens Stir fry

Meaty, spicy, crunchy and hot from the wok – this is my idea of a delicious meal in minutes. I rarely eat red meat, especially beef, and this is one of my favourite recipes for cooking beef – quick, easy, flavourful.

Adding lots of fresh greens not only makes it healthier but gives freshness, variety and texture to the dish. If you are not really into red meat, you can replace beef with prawns, chicken, mushrooms or tofu.

I use chicken or vegetable stock for flavour because I find beef stock a bit heavy and overpowering. You can also use simply a little water instead of any stock.

To make the dish perfect for weight watchers, choose lean cuts of beef, like Eye Of Round (Protein-To-Fat Ratio: 7:1) Sirloin-Tip Side Steak (Protein-To-Fat Ratio: 7:1) Top Sirloin (Protein-To-Fat Ratio: 5:1).

It’s necessary for a good stir fry that you prepare all the ingredients before starting cooking and keep them handy while cooking. It has to be quick to keep the vegetables from burning or wilting.

For Beef and Greens Stir fry :

2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1/2 kg beef steaks, thinly sliced
1 onion, cut into cubes
I cup cabbage, shredded
2 cups green beans, trimmed
5 green chilli peppers, seeds removed OR 2 green capsicums, sliced
4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1/2 inch piece ginger, finely chopped
1/4 cup chicken or vegetable stock
2 tablespoons dark soy sauce
2 tables spoons white vinegar
1 tablespoon hot sauce
1 tablespoon oyster sauce
1 tablespoon brown sugar
A dash of sesame oil

This Is What You Do :

Heat the oil in a large wok or deep frying pan, make sure to coat the bottom and sides of pan with oil.

Fry the beef strips for 3-4 minutes or until brown. Remove from pan and set aside.

Add ginger, garlic and onions to the pan, fry over high heat for a minute.

Reduce heat to medium, add beans and a splash of chicken stock, continue to fry.

Add cabbage and green chilli peppers or green capsicum.

Add soy sauce, vinegar, hot sauce, brown sugar and sesame oil.

Add beef strips, add another splash of chicken stock if it seems too dry. Mix quickly so that the sauce coats the beef and vegetables.

Serve immediately with rice or noodles or on its own as a complete protein and fibre rich meal.

Makes 4 servings