Spicy Beef with Shrimp & Bok Choy

[b-man]

Spicy Beef with Shrimp & Bok Choy

Oct/Nov 2005
Healthy in a Hurry

Active time: 25 minutes | Total: 25 minutes

Like fish sauce or anchovies, pungent oyster sauce mellows brilliantly in sauce, creating a salty back taste that works well with greens (here, bok choy) and especially with beef. If you want to forgo rice, try shredded j’cama, carrots and zucchini as a bed for this easy supper.


1/4 cup Shao Hsing rice wine (see Note)
1 1/2 tablespoons oyster-flavored sauce
2 teaspoons cornstarch
4 teaspoons canola oil, divided
3/4 pound sirloin steak, trimmed of fat, cut in half lengthwise and thinly sliced
1/4-1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
10 raw shrimp (21-25 per pound), peeled, deveined and chopped
1 pound bok choy, preferably baby bok choy, trimmed and sliced into 1-inch pieces

1. Whisk rice wine, oyster sauce and cornstarch in a small bowl until the cornstarch is dissolved.

2. Heat 2 teaspoons oil in a large nonstick skillet or wok over medium-high heat. Add beef and crushed red pepper; cook, stirring, until the beef begins to brown, 1 to 2 minutes. Add shrimp and continue to cook, stirring, until the shrimp is opaque and pink, 1 to 2 minutes. Transfer the beef, shrimp and any juices to a plate.

3. Heat the remaining 2 teaspoons oil over medium-high heat in the same pan. Add bok choy and cook, stirring, until it begins to wilt, 2 to 4 minutes. Stir in the cornstarch mixture. Return the beef-shrimp mixture to the pan and cook, stirring, until heated through and the sauce has thickened slightly, about 1 minute.

Makes 4 servings, about 1 cup each.
Per Serving: 207 calories; 8 g fat (2 g sat, 4 g mono); 58 mg cholesterol; 6 g carbohydrate; 22 g protein; 1 g fiber; 388 mg sodium.

Use a sodium free oyster sauce to reduce sodium content.

Nutrition Bonus: Vitamin A (100% daily value), Vitamin C (50% dv), Zinc (23% dv), Iron (15% dv).

Ingredient note: Shao Hsing (or Shaoxing) is a seasoned rice wine. It is available in most Asian specialty markets and some larger supermarkets in the Asian section. If unavailable, dry sherry is an acceptable substitute.


B-man