Mongolian Beef

My two older boys adore Mongolian Beef - it's also one of the things that Ricky craved when he went through chemo. I had to learn how to make it - picking up 4-6 orders a day for a month just wasn't in the budget.

I came up with a pretty good approximation - at least according to my perfect oldest son. ;-)

1 1/2 lbs flank steak

1/2 cup sake or dry white wine, divided

3/4 cup soy sauce, divided

4 Tbl cornstarch, divided

3 Tbl sesame oil

2 Tbl black vinegar

1/3 cup chicken broth

1/2 can bamboo shoots, sliced

1 can water chestnuts, sliced

1 bell pepper, diced

1 large yellow onion, sliced thin

2 Tbl grated ginger

3 cloves garlic, minced

2/3 cup brown sugar

1 Tbl olive oil

Siracha to taste 

2 thinly sliced green onions

2 Tbl minced cilantro

1. Slice beef thinly, making sure to go against the grain. Usually this means starting at the narrower end.
2. Make the marinade for the beef by combining 1/4 cup sake, 1/4 cup soy sauce, and 1 Tbl cornstarch. Pour over sliced beef and toss to coat. Stash beef in the fridge for 1/2 hour.
3. In a small mixing bowl or measuring cup, make the sauce by whisking together remaining sake, soy sauce, cornstarch, sesame oil, black vinegar, remaining broth and brown sugar. Set aside.
4. In a large skillet or wok over medium high heat, stir fry beef in half the olive oil until just barely done, about 5 minutes. Remove from pan and set aside.
   
5. To the hot skillet, add olive oil, and saute pepper and onion for about 3 minutes, or just until they begin to release their fragrance. Add ginger and garlic, and stir fry another 2-3 minutes. Toss in the bamboo shoots and water chestnuts, and saute just until hot through. Return beef to the pan, and again saute just until hot through.
6. Whisk together sauce ingredients again immediately before use, as the cornstarch settles. Pour sauce over beef mixture in pan, and bring just to a simmer. Sauce will thicken and turn glossy. Top with green onion and cilantro. Serve immediately.