Mongolian Beef with Greens & Rice

Cook Rice & Prepare Ingredients:

In a medium pot, bring 1⅓ cups water to a boil. Stir in the rice; cover with a lid and reduce the heat to low. Simmer for 15 minutes until all of the water is absorbed. Taste the rice; if it is still too firm, add a few more tablespoons of water. Cover the pot and let the rice absorb the water off of the heat. Fluff the finished rice with a fork. Peel and mince the garlic and ginger. Thinly slice the spring onion.

Prepare Sauce:

Heat 2 tsp of vegetable oil in a small pan (or pot) over low to medium heat. Note: You don't want to get the oil too hot. Add half of both the ginger and garlic to the pan and quickly add the soy sauce and ½ cup water before the garlic scorches. Dissolve the brown sugar in the sauce, then raise the heat to about medium. Boil the sauce for 2-3 minutes. Remove from heat. (TIP: there is a fair bit of sugar in this sauce, so feel free to add sugar to taste, as some of us are more of a sweet tooth than others ;) )

Prepare Steak & Greens:

Add cornflour to a bowl. Pat dry the steak with paper towel. Slice the steak against the grain into ½ cm thick bite-size slices (Tilt the blade of your knife at about a 45° angle to the top of the steak so that you get wider cuts). Dip the steak into the cornflour to apply a very thin dusting to both sides of each piece of beef. Let the beef sit for about 5 minutes so that the cornflour sticks. In the meantime, cut the Chinese broccoli stems into ½-1 cm slices; cut the leaves into 2 cm pieces. De-string sugar snap peas and cut in half.

Cook Beef:

Heat 3 tablespoons of oil in a wok, high sided pan or pot. Heat the oil over medium heat until hot, but not smoking. Add the beef to the oil and sauté for 2 minutes, or until the beef just begins to darken on the edges; stirring the meat so that it cooks evenly. Note: You don't need to completely cook the beef as it's going to go back on the heat later. Set aside the cooked beef.

Cook Greens:

Put the pan back over the heat, add the Chinese broccoli stems, cook for 1 minute. Add remaining ginger, garlic, sugar snap peas and spring onion, cook until stems are bright green, about 2 minutes more. Add Chinese broccoli leaves and cook until wilted, 2-3 minutes. Set aside on a serving plate.

You Plate It:

Add back the beef and cook for 1 minute more. Add the sauce, cook for 1 to 2 minutes while stirring. Remove beef and greens with slotted spoon, leave the excess sauce behind in the pan. Serve with rice alongside. Enjoy!