Chinese Beef with Tomatoes

This is a Chinese-inspired dish that is cooked with beef strips and fresh tomatoes together. Filipino cooking is similar to this dish where fresh, seasonal produce is used in stir-fries or stews. The summer months when Jersey tomatoes are sweetest are the best times for me to cook this easy dish. The pan-seared beef strips blended well with slices of juicy, vine-ripened tomatoes stir-fried in a sauce base of soy and rice wine vinegar. This recipe was inspired by Diana Kuan from her cookbook Appetite for China. Serves 2 to 3.

Course: Dinner, Lunch, Main Course

Cuisine: American, Asian, Chinese, Filipino

Keyword: Chinese Beef Tomatoes Stir-fry

Servings: people

Calories: 41kcal

Ingredients

1 pound beef sirloin (or use flank steak; or skirt steak) sliced into 2-inch length strips
2 Tablespoons soy sauce
1 Tablespoon xiao xing rice wine (or use dry sherry) divided; use 1 teaspoon for marinade, the rest for the sauce
1 teaspoon cornstarch
2 Tablespoons Worcestershire sauce for sauce
1/2 Tablespoon toyo (soy sauce) for sauce
1 whole white or yellow onion sliced
2 cloves garlic chopped
4 to 5 large fresh, ripe red tomatoes about 1 pound; use any variety of red, ripe tomatoes
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground black pepper powder
1/2 teaspoon sesame oil
1 to 2 bunches steamed bok choy: for serving
boiled rice for serving

Instructions

Prepare the beef with marinade:

In a small bowl, mix together the soy sauce, rice wine and cornstarch. Blend till constarch is diluted and there are no more lumps. Pour this over the beef strips. Toss well. Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Prepare the sauce:

In a separate small bowl mix together: Worcestershire sauce, soy sauce and rice wine. Set aside.

To cook the beef with tomatoes:

In a large wok or skillet, over medium-high heat, add the cooking oil. Add the onions and garlic. Stir fry for 1 minute till fragrant and onions are translucent.
Add the sliced tomatoes to the skillet. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes till slices are soft, but are still slightly firm.
Pour the sauce into the skillet. Mix well.
Add the marinated beef slices. Stir-fry the beef together with the tomato slices for 2 minutes. Season with salt, black pepper and sesame oil. Cover and continue cooking for 5 to 6 minutes more till beef is cooked and tomatoes are soft.
Serve warm with rice and steamed bok choy on the side.

To steam bok choy

Wash bok choy thoroughly to remove grits especially from the bottom. Slice off heavy bottom part. Place bok choy in a vegetable steamer on top of boiling water. Sprinkle a dash of salt over bok choy. Cover and steam over high heat for 3 to 5 minutes. Drain liquid and add to the Chinese Beef with Tomatoes just before serving.

Cook's comment:

Xiao xing rice wine (also known as Shao-hsing rice wine) is an aromatic wine made by fermenting glutinous rice and often is the standard Chinese cooking spirit used in most stir-fried or braised dishes. Do not confuse it with Chinese rice wine vinegar. (From "The Asian Grandmothers Cookbook" by Patricia Tanumihardja).

Nutrition