Stir-Fried Beef with Black Beans, Chinese Greens and Bamboo Shoots
From Rick Stein, this stir-fried beef with black beans, Chinese greens and bamboo shoots takes inspiration from Malaysia. Enjoy with simple rice or noodles.
Introduction
On the face of it, this might appear to be a classic Chinese stir-fry, but it has some very Malaysian features, namely lemongrass and shrimp paste. With its use of salted black beans and bamboo shoots, it tastes marvellously exotic, yet, like most stir-fries, it is simple to prepare and cook.
Ingredients
| 500g | slice of rump steak, trimmed of all fat |
| 4 tbsp | Chinese fermented salted black beans |
| 4 tsp | palm sugar |
| 2 tbsp | sesame oil |
| ½ tsp | shrimp paste |
| 2 tsp | cornflour |
| 6 tbsp | chicken stock |
| 2 tbsp | vegetable oil |
| 50g | peeled ginger, finely shredded |
| 15g | garlic, finely chopped |
| 2 | medium-hot red chillies, halved lengthways, seeded and sliced |
| 4 | fat lemongrass stalks, core finely chopped |
| 2 tbsp | Chinese rice wine |
| 225g | bok choi, cut across into 2.5cm-wide strips |
| 225g | bamboo shoots, drained, rinsed and sliced |
| 2 tbsp | kecap manis |
Essential kit
You will need a wok.
Method
Finely cut the steak across the grain into strips 5mm thick. Put the black beans, sugar, sesame oil and shrimp paste into a small bowl and crush with the back of a spoon into a coarse paste. Mix the cornflour with the stock and set aside.
Heat a wok over a high heat until just smoking, then add the oil and swirl it around. Add the ginger, garlic and chilli, and as soon as the ginger and garlic start to colour, add the black bean paste and stir to mix. Add the beef and lemongrass and stir-fry until it has all changed colour.
Add the Chinese rice wine, reduce the heat slightly and add the bok choi and bamboo shoots. Stir-fry for a few seconds more until the bok choi has wilted.
Add the kecap manis and the cornflour and stock mixture to the wok and toss together until the sauce has thickened. Adjust the seasoning to taste – it should be salty and sweet – also adding a little more stock if the mixture looks a little dry. Spoon onto a plate and serve.
