Culinary Guides

Thin strips of flank steak stir fried with sweet and hot peppers, onion, garlic, and ginger in a quick soy and rice vinegar sauce. It comes together faster than takeout and tastes better.

Ingredients

For the steak

• 1 1/2 pounds flank steak (or skirt steak)

For the marinade

• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
• 1 teaspoon sesame oil (or vegetable oil)

For the vegetables and seasoning

• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 1 tablespoon sesame oil
• 1 large green bell pepper, sliced
• 1 large red bell pepper, sliced
• 1 to 2 jalapeno peppers, sliced (optional)
• 1 medium white onion, sliced
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger

For the sauce

• 1/4 cup soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• 1 teaspoon brown sugar (or honey)
• 1 teaspoon paprika (or cayenne for more heat)
• Ground black pepper to taste

For serving

• Cooked rice
• Chili flakes (optional)
• Scallions, chopped (optional)

Directions

1. Thinly slice the steak against the grain into bite sized pieces.
2. Toss the steak with the soy sauce, rice vinegar, and sesame oil, then cover and marinate in the fridge at least 10 minutes, or overnight for more flavor.
3. Heat the sesame and vegetable oil in a large pan over medium high heat. Add the bell peppers, jalapenos if using, and onion and cook about 5 minutes until softened.
4. Add the garlic and ginger and cook another minute until fragrant, then transfer the vegetables to a bowl, leaving the oil in the pan.
5. Raise the heat to high and cook the marinated steak 1 to 2 minutes per side until done to your liking.
6. Return the vegetables to the pan. Whisk together the soy sauce, rice vinegar, cornstarch, brown sugar, paprika, and black pepper, pour it in, and cook about 1 minute until the sauce thickens and coats everything.
7. Serve hot over rice, garnished with chili flakes and chopped scallions.

Leftovers keep in the fridge for up to 3 days. Add snap peas or carrots with the peppers if you want more vegetables in the pan.

Grower's tip: for stir fries you want peppers with thick, crisp walls, so grow a blocky bell type and pick the fruit firm and glossy. A green pepper picked early gives you that classic pepper steak bite, while one left to turn red adds a sweeter note.

The peppers and onion are the easy part to grow. Plant a few bell and hot pepper plants, a bed of onions, and let a few onions send up green tops for scallions.