Beef with Yuchoy and Peppers

Who needs a wok when you have a trusty cast iron skillet?

 I usually get the cheapest cuts of meat for stir frying. Though most serious recipes specify leaner cuts I like to use beef with some light to moderate marbling of fat just because it seems to me to have more flavor and, when it’s sliced very thinly, it’s not going to be tough to chew. For this recipe I used some chuck steak.

Chuck steak sliced across the grain as thin as you can get it without injury

1 med./lg. onion (I like Vidalias) cut in half lengthwise and sliced thinly

1 bell pepper sliced into whatever shapes you like

As much chopped garlic as you like (I like lots of garlic)

About 2 bunches of yu choy, stems and leaves, chopped

1 Korean long hot pepper or other hot pepper sliced on the diagonal (optional)

Soy sauce

Sesame oil

Nampla (Asian fish sauce, optional)

Freshly ground pepper (I use a combo of black peppercorns, Sichuan peppercorns and red pepper flakes) to taste

Heat a skillet to the smoking point with about 1 or 2 tbls. of oil then add the beef, garlic and onion and cook, stirring a lot, until the beef is browned. Add a splash of soy sauce and nam pla. Add the bell peppers, hot peppers (if you like) and yuchoy and cook until yuchoy is slightly wilted but still bright green. Add a little sesame oil and ground pepper and mix it up a little. Done. Serve with hot rice

This recipe also works well with pork, chicken and reconstituted Xiang-gu (dried shiitake mushrooms).