spicy sesame ginger beef

many of you know i have cut sugar and grains out of my diet for a temporary cleanse. i am using the opportunity to explore new dishes that i might otherwise avoid because they have ingredients that i am not accustomed to using.  one of my first adventures was tonight's spicy sesame ginger beef, a variation on a chinese dish, which was delicious! i compared a number of recipes (as i normally do) and put together a variation that i thought would be the best.  Feel free to adjust the ingredients below but i found this was just the right blend of spice, flavor and crunch.  


there were two ingredients in this dish that I have either never used (chili oil) or very rarely use (red meat).  I cannot give you much guidance as to the cut of meat you should use, but i would advocate for a very lean sirloin steak or stir fry strips.  consider this my plug for buying organic, grass fed beef - i know it is more expensive and there are plenty of moral arguments that i could appeal to, but from an utterly hedonistic and self-interested perspective, it simply tastes better. for a full exposition of the more compelling arguments around eating meat there are heaps of books on the market but for a funny foray into the sustainable meat industry i'd recommend the butcher and the vegetarian: one woman's romp through a world of men, meat and moral crisis. in any case, i digress....


the chili oil is something that can easily go awry.  it is difficult to predict just how much flavor and heat there is in a single teaspoon of this oil, without either eating one (ouch!) or cooking with it and tasting incrementally. i suppose with time and experience one gets better at understanding the impact of this oil on the total composition and flavor of the dish. so, a word to those like me who cannot handle excessive heat - be careful with the chili oil and wash your hands after you add it - rubbing your eyes, for example, with chili oil on them is incredibly painful! (I am, uh, not speaking from experience here, or anything....) finally, be mindful not to overcook the green beans or peppers - mushy vegetables are not appealing!


15 oz lean sirloin steak (cut into 2 inch strips) or stir fry strips
3 tbl sesame oil
1 1/2 tbl sesame seeds
3 cloves of garlic, smashed and minced
1/8 c shredded fresh ginger or ginger powder, if you don't have fresh ginger
1 tsp salt
1 red pepper, julienned into 2 inch strips
8 oz of fresh string green beans (french green beans)
2 tsp red chili oil


heat a large frying pan over medium-high heat and add the sesame oil and garlic. Toss in the sesame seeds and brown for 2 minutes. add in the steak strips and ginger, being careful not to overcrowd the meat (it should be able to spread out throughout the pan), and brown 5-6 minutes, stirring. add salt. goss in red pepper, continuing to stir and saute for 3-4 minutes, until pepper begins to soften. add green beans and stir, coating the beans with oil, then cover the pan. lower the heat and saute for 7-8 minutes. be sure the sesame seeds are not burning at the bottom of the pan; stir frequently. add in red chili oil and stir, thoroughly coating the meat, peppers and green beans. cover and continue to cook for 3-4 minutes more, or until the green beans are cooked al dente and red peppers are soft. 


Serve immediately and enjoy!