Garlic Steak Stir-Fry

This stir-fry works beautifully with beef round steak or venison, both lean cuts that benefit from the soy-sherry-ginger marinade and the long simmer that follows the initial sear.

Garlic plays a double role. Two cloves go into the marinade (mashed, for deep flavor) and two more get chopped and fried in peanut oil until golden before the meat hits the wok. That fried garlic oil becomes the cooking fat, and it perfumes every piece of beef from the outside while the marinade works from within.

After browning, the meat simmers in the reserved marinade and boiling water until tender, anywhere from 20 to 45 minutes depending on how you like it. Then the green peppers and water chestnuts get a quick stir-fry in the wok, everything comes back together with a cornstarch-thickened gravy, and a final dash of sesame oil ties it all together.

Pro Tips

• Partially freeze the meat before slicing. Firm, cold steak cuts into clean, thin strips against the grain without shredding.
• Dry the marinated meat thoroughly with paper towels before searing. Wet meat steams instead of browning, and you lose that caramelized crust.
• Stir-fry the vegetables separately and add them at the end to keep them crisp. Cooking them with the meat turns them limp.
• Use a real wok if you have one. The high sides and concentrated heat give you better browning than a flat skillet.

Variations

• Add broccoli florets and sliced carrots for a more colorful vegetable mix.
• Swap the sherry for rice wine (mirin) for a sweeter, more authentically Chinese marinade.
• Serve over lo mein noodles instead of rice for a noodle stir-fry variation.