Mongolian Beef with Steak - Easy

Stuck with a couple of extra steaks from last night's dinner, but sick of everyone complaining about eating leftovers?  Boy, do I have a recipe for you!
Mongolian Beef ... an easy Chinese-style dish that tastes like take-out.  But in less time.  Start up the rice. Dinner will be ready just about the time that the rice needs fluffing.

I prefer cooking the broccoli in the sauce, smooshing it around a little to pick up the flavors. But there are two very important reasons why I cook it separately:

1. The broccoli photographs better if added just before serving.
2. TheHubby hates broccoli and will spend way too much time picking out the broccoli ... and anything else it might have touched.

Chili paste can be way too hot if you are the type who think ketchup is spicy; consider reducing the chili paste by half or sub with a pinch of black pepper.


Mongolian Beef
Lightly adapted from:  Closet Cooking
Yield: 2 Servings
3 Tbl.soy sauce

1 Tbl. black bean sauce with garlic
1 Tbl. brown sugar
1 tsp. chili paste (such as Sambal Oelek)
1 clove garlic, finely chopped (bottled okay)
1 tsp. finely chopped fresh ginger
1 Tbl. cornstarch
1/3 cup water
1 Tbl. vegetable oil
2 small or medium-sized previously broiled or grilled steaks, thinly sliced across the grain
1 tsp. sesame oil
1 cup hot cooked rice
1 cup hot cooked broccoli
1 scallion, green parts thinly sliced, for garnish
2 tsp. sesame seeds, for garnish

Whisk the soy sauce, black bean sauce, sugar, chili paste, garlic, ginger and cornstarch into the water.  Set aside.

Heat  a medium-sized skillet over medium-high heat.  When hot, add vegetable oil, wait 10 seconds then add steak slices in a single layer.  Let sear on one side for 1 minute or so.  You want any pink that was originally there to just start to disappear--it will finish cooking by the time the sauce is added. 

Stir sauce mixture into the pan; the sauce will thicken in seconds. 

Remove skillet  from heat.  Stir in the sesame oil.  Divide rice between two dinner plates.   Arrange steak mixture over rice. Top with broccoli, and green onions and/or sesame seeds (if using).  Serve immediately.