Mongolian Beef with GREEN BEANS & RED PEPPERS (PF Chang's copycat)
1 TB vegetable oil (sauce)…………….…...1/2 cup vegetable oil (for beef)
1-2 tsp. ground ginger……………………...1/2 cup water
1 TB garlic, crushed or minced……….....1/4 reduced sodium soy sauce
1/2 cup dark brown sugar (or 1/4 cup brown Splenda blend)
1 to 1-1/2 lbs. flank steak (thinly sliced across the grain ~ easiest to cut while partially frozen ~ the pieces should be between 1” and 1-1/2” long)
1/4 to 1/2 cup cornstarch (as needed to thicken sauce)
2-4 green onions (cut into about 1” pieces, then slivered into thin strips)
About 10-12 whole baby green beans (fresh or frozen {thawed}, cut into 2” pieces) ~ if they’re thick, you can slice them in half or 1/3s lengthwise
About 1/4 cup red bell pepper, cut into small cubes
1/4 to 1/2 tsp. crushed or cracked red pepper flakes (OPTIONAL)
OPTIONAL Garnish : fresh chopped cilantro
OPTIONAL : can serve over white rice
***
First, toss the cut flank steak with the cornstarch in a medium bowl, and let it sit while you get the sauce started.
SAUCE: Heat 1 TB vegetable oil in a large saucepan (or small Dutch oven) over medium heat. Add ginger, garlic and stir for 30 seconds. Then add green beans, red bell pepper strips, soy sauce, water, and brown sugar. Bring to boil and simmer until thickened (5-10 minutes).
Meanwhile, heat 1/2 cup vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.
Add beef and cook 1-3 minutes, until brown & cooked through (flipping pieces over to cook both sides.) Remove meat with a slotted spoon and put it into the saucepan with the sauce that’s been simmering. Stir in the meat, with the red pepper flakes and green onions. Can be served over white rice, if you want.
Optional: garnish with fresh chopped cilantro ** Serves 2-4 people
If you serve this over rice, it's a complete dinner. But if you want a side dish, a citrus salad is always good (i.e. a can of drained lychee nuts, with drained mandarin oranges ~ ruby red grapefruit slices, fresh pineapple chunks)