Saturday, September 14, 2013 – So I haven’t cooked for my friends in a while, and Mid-Autumn Festival (aka Mooncake Festival) is coming up. I wonder if there’s a solution that solves both my problems. Nope, can’t think of anything.
On a completely unrelated note, I learned how to make this awesome Beef and Onion Stir Fry recipe, adapted from Sizzleworks. My first thought to stir fry was to just toss the ingredients and flavorings and seasonings and sauces into the pan while I’m stir frying. But Chef Carol had a better idea: marinate the beef in the seasonings, then add the marinade back at the end.
So as per tradition when I try a new recipe, here’s the “cast photo”.
(Not pictures: The secret ingredient: Chinese 5-Spice Powder.)
On my test batch on Friday, it came out too garlicky and too salty. (Yes, there is such a thing.) Probably from the extra salt I used to soften the onions. So I cut down on garlic and soy sauce for the real thing on Saturday. The recipe also calls for adding a bit of oyster sauce and more soy sauce to the reserved marinade, which I substituted with water to make the soy sauce less overpowering.
The onions also gave me a little bit of trouble. I’ve caramelized onions before, but sauteing them, while mostly the same, is a little bit different. As it turns out, it’s easier to saute onions with a lot more oil and a lot of time (like 10+ minutes of time).
I also made a steamed cabbage dish.
Traditional. Simple. Just oil, cabbage, water, and salt.
Saturday night rolls around (Saturday, because even though Mid-Autumn Festival is next Thursday, Saturday is just better for cooking dinner for friends), and I have everything on the table. Plus rice.
I think I nailed it. The only thing I would have done differently is slice the beef even thinner, so it cooks all the way through. But enough of that. Let’s close out with one last awesome pic.
