Redemption

So what happens when you make mistakes? You learn from them. So tonight I did just that. I had to try another stir-fry dish. I know; it’s pretty simple. Sure it is, but to take something simple and to make it stand out against other simple dishes is what makes it your craft. For me, a salad is a salad is a salad. Until I was in San Diego some years ago. My friend took me to a little French Bistro on the ocean where I had the best cob salad in my life. It was so small, but I wanted it to last. It was really that good. Well, I made Mongolian Beef tonight. 3 basic things served over sticky white rice. It’s the sauce that makes it. Now I’m not going to try to sell what I did tonight to anyone, but I did receive a wonderful compliment when my wife told me it reminded her a lot of her brother’s cooking. Her brother owns restaurants and cooks wonderfully. Uuhh yeah, I’ll take that as a compliment. I’ll explain what & how I did it, but the problem is, when I start throwing things together, I don’t remember what I did, the proportions I used, etc. I simply open my cupboard and experiment. Anyway…

I made the sauce first. It had crushed red pepper for the kick in spice, soy sauce, some hot water, and then… other stuff. Apologies, but I just can’t remember. The even sadder thing is this is what made the dish stand out.

Next up, green onions. Not a whole garden’s worth like last night, but definitely enough to please me, and I really enjoy the green onions. I especially like the way it sort of explodes when you bite down, and then it’s stringy at the same time. This is why I slice them yet leave them a few inches long.

Now the beef. Straight from Mongolia to make it authentic. Okay, that’s a lie. In fact, there’s no “Mongolian Beef” in Mongolia, Inner or Outer. But hey, that’s the name of this dish, so I’ll just roll with it. I picked up some Angus, and cut it into strips. I left a little of the fat in there, since it adds extra taste.

I placed the (Calphalon) pan on the stove, turned the flame (not electric) all the way up, and let the pan heat up. I added some Canola oil, and when it was hot enough, I added the beef. Mmmm… can you smell the stir-fried beef? Vegans, you’re missing out, and I don’t pity you – just ridicule your thinking.

Once the meat has browned nicely, I add the green onions, stir-fry it some more, add the sauce, turn down the heat, let it sit for another minute, and, voila! It’s done.

I serve some steamed white rice from the rice cooker, add some Mongolian Beef on top, and enjoy.

The results:
I don’t think I’ll be this lucky the next time I attempt it. Perhaps I should write down what I do from now on, so I won’t make it worse. Then again, if I keep doing the same thing, how will I ever make it better?