Jac: *sings* “All by myself….”

This is a simple one-dish meal for the singletons dinner that’s quick and easy to prepare.

Recipe for Stir Fry Beef with Chinese Wine

Marinade for 1/2 hr to and hour:
Thin slices of beef strips
Thick Soy Sauce
Light Soy Sauce
Chinese Wine

Crushed garlic
Asparagus peeled and sliced- or substitute with any vegetable of your choice
Cornstarch dissolved in water

1. Heat oil in wok, drain marinated beef (set aside the marinade liquid) and quickly fry till just cooked. This should take about less than a minute for thin slices.
2. Remove and set aside beef. Sautee crushed garlic, add the asparagus and the marinade liquid. stir fry asparagus till cooked.
3. Add the beef back to the wok and stir to heat through. Then add dissolved cornstarch to thicken the sauce and give a glossy effect.
4. Serve on steaming fluffy white rice and I highly recommend a saucer of sambal belacan to give it a little kick!

I’ve been making sambal belacan since I was a kid. Not surprising since I love my chillies. If you’re interested, here’s how to make your own:

Sambal Belacan

Big red chillies (1 or 2 will do)
Cili padi (lots of it!)
Belacan (roast over the stove – tastes better)
salt to taste
Limau nipis

Pound ingredients together with a pestle and mortar. Squeeze in the juice of the limau nipis before serving.
Some people also add shallots but I find it makes the sambal belacan too sweet for my liking. I need mine to make the eyes water and the nose run. Oh, and the sambal belacan in the photo looks green because I didn’t have any big red chillies. So aesthetics wise: zero, taste wise: OMG! NEED-MORE-WATER-IT BURNSSSSS!

PS: Sorry for the poor quality photo, this was taken with my 1.3 Megapixel cameraphone. The digital camera has gone overseas for a holiday. Heh.