tasty chop suey variation with beef

I found a thin round steak – .89 of a lb, in my freezer. I Not the best cut of meat for anything other than braising, but I wanted a stovetop meal and that’s what needed to get used up!

I marinated it for the afternoon in Newman’s Sesame Ginger salad dressing with the intention of making chop suey. BUT, after looking at a number of chop suey recipes, I remembered that I didn’t really like all that celery and also wanted to make something with more vegetables. And, ginger isn’t a major player in typical chop suey. Well, I created a winner – my husband really liked it even though it didn’t entail a half a pound (or more!) of meat per serving!

I’m hoping I am writing this down in time for me to remember what I did….

First step was to start brown basmati rice. I love basmati rice.

Using my trusty 12 inch Fabarware non-stick (I think I could have used my beloved All-Clad stainless steel 10 inch, but wasn’t sure of the resulting volume), I used a tbsp or so of canola oil and sauteed a few cloves of garlic, chopped just a bit less than a mince, and about an inch or so of fresh ginger – sliced thin. Or maybe also almost minced. Dang. I need to write things down when I do them!

I then added the meat (1/2 inch cubes) and sauted until browned. Then I removed the meat and added afew handfuls of brocolli (small florets) and the same amount of snow peas, maybe a cup of the leftover marinade, and maybe 1/2 cup of beef broth, to start. Covered and simmered for about 5 minutes, then added about two cups of bean sprouts, more broth to make the liquid about 3/4 inch deep, and simmered some more.

Aha – now I know why there are mushrooms in my fridge today – I bought them for the chop suey but apparently forgot to use them…

Anyway, I then added the meat back to the pan, and added about a tbsp of cornstarch dissolved in about 1/4 cup cold water to thicken a bit. THEN I remembered to add some tamari!

Well, this all came out great, except the meat could have been more tender. If using round next time, I’ll cube it before marinating and see if that helps. Although, I don’t hold great hopes. Better to use a more tender cut of meat. Since so little goes a long way (4 average sized servings, or more if you add more veggies.)

It was really good. If I use a better cut of meat and skip the marinating, I’ll use way more ginger and also used toasted sesame oil to add flavor.

Certainly not a gourmet extravaganza, but a quick, tasty, and nutruitous meal with easy clean-up.