Ginger Beef

This is a great, very easy-to-make "Asian" dish — not sure where it comes from — that you can literally put together in 20 minutes. I garnish it with red serrano chilies from my balcony but then again I have a steel tongue.

Ingredients:

1/2 onion chopped in square slices as if for stir-fry
1 large chile (serrano, jalapeño, habanero or to taste,) diced
3 cloves garlic
2 tablespoons grated ginger
1/2 pound sliced Boston Steak (what they call it in Montreal), or good-quality sirloin--slice as for Stroganoff
Shiitake mushrooms, sliced (10-15 mushrooms)
1/2C chicken broth
Lemon juice
Mirin
Chinese chili sauce (Kum-kee chili-garlic comes to mind)
Stir-fry powder
Cornstarch (if needed)
Cilantro for garnish

Method:

Sauté steak in canola or peanut oil on high heat, 1 minute each side; set aside (add few shakes pepper + garlic salt while sautéing).

Add a little oil, sauté mushrooms until they lose all their water--they will first get very liquidy and then start to dry up. Set aside.

Add more oil. On high heat add onions, chile, ginger. Stir constantly, turn to medium high, 4-5 minutes. Add garlic, cook one minute.

Add 1/4 cup Mirin (Japanese sweet cooking rice wine), stir well. Add 1/2 cup chicken broth, stir in . Add splash Schezuan sauce (or other Chinese-style hot-pepper sauce) and a few shakes Chinese stir fry powder (or similar powder--thickens the sauce.) Add mushrooms, stir well. Add splash lemon juice. Now add beef, stir in, cover, simmer on low. Serve in 10 minutes.

If not thick enough, add 1 tsp. cornstarch. If too thick add a little chicken broth. Serve on long-grain rice with cilantro garnish.