Celebrate the Chinese New Year with garlic steak
This sizzling, flavourful dish is quick and easy
Garlic produces magic in many cuisines.
With thoughts of the start of the Chinese New Year, I mixed it with soy sauce, brown sugar and peanuts for this quick Chinese Garlic Steak.
Shortcut tip: To make the meal even faster, buy beef cut for stir-frying at the market.
For the Asian noodles, look for fresh or steamed Chinese noodles in the produce section. Sesame oil gives it a nutty flavour.
Helpful hints:
— Dried Chinese noodles or angel hair pasta can be substituted for the fresh noodles.
— Minced garlic can be found in jars in the produce section of the market or use six crushed garlic cloves.
Countdown:
— Marinate steak.
— Prepare noodles.
— Make steak.
Shopping list:
To buy: ½-pound quick cooking steak (skirt, strip), 1 bottle low-sodium soy sauce, ¼ pound fresh snow peas, 1 small jar minced garlic, ¼ pound fresh or steamed Chinese noodles, 1 small jar unsalted peanuts and 1 bottle sesame oil.
Staples: Vegetable oil spray, brown sugar, salt and black peppercorns.
Chinese Garlic Steak Makes 2 servings
½ pound quick cooking steak (skirt or strip steak)
3 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce 1 tbsp brown sugar
3 teaspoons minced garlic Vegetable oil spray
2 tbsp coarsely chopped peanuts
Remove visible fat from steak and cut into ½- to 1-inch strips. Mix soy sauce, brown sugar and garlic together in a selfseal plastic bag. Add steak and set aside while making the noodles. Turn bag over once or twice during that time.
Heat a wok or skillet over high heat. Spray with vegetable oil spray. Remove steak from marinade, reserving marinade. Stir-fry steak 1 to 2 minutes. Remove to a plate. Add reserved marinade to the wok. Boil 1 minute. Spoon over steak. Sprinkle peanuts over steak.
Per serving: 288 calories (53 per cent from fat), 16.8 grams fat (4.5 g saturated, 8.2 g monounsaturated), 72 milligrams cholesterol, 28.7 g protein, 8.9 g carbohydrates, 1.2 g fibre, 847 mg sodium.
Asian Noodles Makes 2 servings
¼ pound fresh or steamed Chinese noodles (about 2¼ cups)
¼ pound fresh snow peas, trimmed (about 2 cups)
1 tablespoon sesame oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Bring a large saucepan filled with water to a boil. Add the noodles and snow peas. Bring back to a boil and cook one minute. Drain. Place in a bowl and add the sesame oil and salt and pepper to taste. Toss well. Serve with the steak.
Per serving: 293 calories (29 per cent from fat), 9.4 grams fat (1.6 g saturated, 3.4 g monounsaturated), 48 milligrams cholesterol, 9.1 g protein, 43.3 g carbohydrates, 2.8 g fibre, 14 mg sodium.
Linda Gassenheimer is the author, most recently, of “The 12-Week Diabetes Cookbook,” “Delicious One-Pot Dishes” and “Quick and Easy Chicken.” Her website is dinnerinminutes.com.