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Ginger Beef Stir Fry

June 18th, 2011

Actually it was Ginger Venison Stir Fry. Our beef recipes become venison recipes since Mr Chiots is a hunter and we are lucky enough to have 3 deer in the freezer. During the winter we enjoy rich hearty venison stews and warming bowls of venison chili. In the summer I’m much happier eating a venison burger or stir fry. The great thing about stir fry is that you can use whatever vegetables you have in the garden. In the spring we’ll use sugar snap peas and garlic scapes, later in the summer it’ll be zucchini, carrots and onions. It’s quick and easy to whip up a stir fry.

Currently we’re harvesting those golden peas, green onions, kale and garlic scapes, so that’s what I’ve been using as vegetables in my stir fry. I was also lucky enough to find some lovely oyster mushrooms at the farmer’s market and I’m always happy to add those to just about anything.

GINGER BEEF STIR FRY
(adapted from Simply Recipes)

Sauce:
2 Tbsp apple cider vinegar or coconut water vinegar
5 Tbsp tamari or soy sauce (naturally fermented is best)
1 Tbsp honey
1 Tbsp peeled, grated fresh ginger
1 tsp red pepper flakes (less if you’re of delicate palate)
1 tsp freshly ground cumin (feel free to omit or substitute other spice)
(if you want a thicker sauce add a Tablespoon of corn starch as well)

Stir-fry:
3 Tbsp coconut oil or lard
1 – 1 1/2 lb steak cut into strips
2-3 cups mixed chopped vegetables of your choice: green onions, onions, mushrooms, asparagus, garlic scapes, sugar snap peas, carrots, zucchini, etc.
chopped fresh cilantro if desired
cooked rice or noodles for serving

Mix ingredients for sauce in a bowl and set aside.

Heat the oil in a large skillet (cast iron works best) over high heat. Working in batches, sauté beef until just brown outside but rare inside, about 1 minute, transfer to plate.

When all of the beef is cooked, add more oil to pan if necessary and stir fry the vegetables for a minute or two – until vegetables reach your preferred level of doneness. I usually add longer cooking vegetables first, and throw in green onions for the last 30 seconds or so. Return beef to pan. Add sauce and mix everything together. Cook for 1 minute. Mix in cilantro if desired.

Serve over freshly cooked rice or noodles. Should serve four people unless you’re super hungry. (rice is especially good if made with some virgin coconut oil so it has a slight coconut taste)

Nothing beats a quick stir fry with freshly harvested vegetables for a summer evening meal. The great thing about this dish is that you can substitute in other spices if you’d like. Things like coconut milk, ground coriander seeds, orange zest, various chiles and other spices would pair well with different kinds of vegetables and make the dish taste differently each time.

Do you have a go-to quick recipe for using fresh summer vegetables?

14 Comments to “Ginger Beef Stir Fry”
  1. Barefeet In The Kitchen on June 18, 2011 at 8:52 am

    I make a lot of stir frys and quick pasta dishes using sauteed veggies, specifially pattypan squash these days. We are rolling in squash here right now. I can hardly wait for my tomatoes!

    My go to dish when I have a lot fo veggies to use up is a penne with sauteed veggies in a light cream sauce.

    Reply to Barefeet In The Kitchen's comment

    • Barefeet In The Kitchen on June 18, 2011 at 8:53 am

      Ack. Apparently, it’s too early for me to be posting anything. The typos in that last post are making me cringe.

      Reply to Barefeet In The Kitchen's comment

      • Susy on June 18, 2011 at 9:14 am

        I always hate that too – I should see if Mr Chiots can do an “edit” button for comments in the the next version of Chiot’s Run. Sometimes I’ll fix them if I have time!

        to Susy's comment

  2. kristin @ going country on June 18, 2011 at 9:05 am

    Yeah, the thing about stir-fry? The cooking is quick but the prep of all those vegetables takes FOREVER. I find it sort of irritating. Which is too bad, because I do love stir-fry.

    Reply to kristin @ going country's comment

    • Susy on June 18, 2011 at 9:15 am

      That’s one nice thing about sugar snap peas – all you have to do is snap off the ends & string and they’re ready. Although I do have some good knife skills so it doesn’t take long to prepare all the veg. I do like to make up a big batch at once so we can eat on it for a few days – which helps with prep time!

      Reply to Susy's comment

  3. KimH on June 18, 2011 at 9:11 am

    Looks yummy!

    Reply to KimH's comment

  4. goatpod2 on June 18, 2011 at 11:46 am

    We use fresh veggies a lot here when they’re in season since becoming vegetarians. We do eat fish every once in awhile but no beef anymore though.

    Amy

    Reply to goatpod2's comment

  5. Kathi on June 18, 2011 at 2:55 pm

    When veggie harvest is at its peak,I like to oven roast tomatoes,eggplant, zucchini etc. in large batches andserve them on pasta, on sandwiches,in soups etc.That’s my summer go to recipe.

    Reply to Kathi's comment

  6. MAYBELLINE on June 18, 2011 at 5:10 pm

    Stuffed bell peppers
    While someone is harvesting, someone else is preparing the stuffing.
    I must go eat now.

    Reply to MAYBELLINE's comment

  7. Lindsey@NW Backyard Veggies on June 18, 2011 at 9:30 pm

    We make a mean fritata around here.

    Start with beaten eggs (usually 4-5 for one 8 inch cast iron skillet) from the chickens add a little milk, little salt and pepper, and put on the stove on medium heat.

    Wait a couple minutes then add whatever you have on hand – right now it’s spinach and leeks and cheese.

    Wait until it jiggles only slightly when moved, then transfer to an oven set to broil and put cheese on top so that in a few minutes it’s toasted and bubbly on top and ready to go.

    So stinkin’ good.

    Reply to Lindsey@NW Backyard Veggies's comment

    • Susy on June 19, 2011 at 8:57 am

      That sounds great – we love omelets for fresh veg.

      Reply to Susy's comment

  8. Sheryl at Providence Acres Farm on June 19, 2011 at 9:27 am

    That stir fry sounds delicious, so does the fritata!!

    Reply to Sheryl at Providence Acres Farm's comment

  9. Boni on June 20, 2011 at 1:49 am

    Sounds delicious – Should try this soon. I am a bit surprised to see that you used coconut oil. I am a Keralite, the ‘Kera’ part of Keralite is Conconut in Malayalam, our language, my mother tongue. The name of the state is of course Keralam. In an aerial photo of Kerala all one could see is only coconut tree tops – so it all makes sense :). We cook everything in Coconut oil and the people in my state lives longest in whole of India. There are very conflicting theories on the health coefficient of cooking with coconut oil. Taste is yummy though – especially for spicy fish fries.

    Reply to Boni's comment

    • Susy on June 20, 2011 at 8:12 am

      Oh yes we LOVE coconut oil – both fragrant and expeller pressed. We eat it for it’s health benefits and it’s quite delicious as well!

      Reply to Susy's comment

About

This is a daily journal of my efforts to cultivate a more simple life, through local eating, gardening and so many other things. We used to live in a small suburban neighborhood Ohio but moved to 153 acres in Liberty, Maine in 2012.

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