Single Meal - Black Bean Cashew Snow Pea Beef (豆豉腰果荷蘭豆牛肉, Dau6 Si6 Jiu1 Gwo2 Ho4 Laan4 Dau6 Ngau4 Juk6)

Black bean sauce and beef are a classic combination in Cantonese cooking. Here’s a recipe whose quantity is geared towards one or two servings. Cashews add a different texture to this dish and provides a tasty addition to the dish without them.

Enjoy!

Ingredients

½ lb.	250 g.	Beef flank or flap meat (牛肉, ngau4 juk6), cut into thin 2-inch (5 cm.) pieces
1 Tbs.	15 ml.	Baking soda (蘇打粉, sou1 daa2 fan2)
½ in.	15 mm.	Knob of ginger (薑, goeng1), crushed in a garlic press
2 cloves	2 cloves	Garlic (蒜, syun3), crushed in a garlic press
½ Tbs.	7.5 ml.	Corn starch (粟粉, suk1 fan2)
1 Tbs.	15 ml.	Soy sauce (豉油, si6 jau4)
½ Tbs.	7.5 ml.	Hoisin sauce (海鮮醬, hoi2 sin1 zoeng3)
1 Tbs.	15 ml.	Shaoxing rice wine (紹興酒, siu6 hing1 zau2) or dry sherry
½ tsp.	2.5 ml.	Ground white pepper (白胡椒, baak6 wu4 ziu1)
1 tsp.	5 ml.	Sesame oil (麻油, maa4 jau4)
¾ lb.	375 g.	Snow peas (荷蘭豆, ho4 laan4 dau6)
3	3	Dried Shiitake mushrooms (冬菇, dung1 gu1), rehydrated and cut into ½-inch (15 mm.) pieces
4 oz.	114 g.	One-half package Kimbo brand Shredded Spice Tofu (五香豆腐絲, ng5 hoeng1 dau6 fu6 si1) or equivalent, cut into 2-inch pieces
1 stalk	1 stalk	Green onions (葱, cung1), cut into ½-inch (15 mm.) pieces on the diagonal
12-15	12-15	Whole cashews (腰果, jiu1 gwo2)
½ in.	15 mm.	Knob of ginger (薑, goeng1), sliced thinly
2 cloves	2 cloves	Garlic (蒜, syun3), sliced thinly
		Oil for cooking

Sauce Ingredients

1 Tbs.	15 ml.	Comrade Foods brand Black Bean (豆豉, dau6 si6) or equivalent
1 Tbs.	15 ml.	Soy sauce (豉油, si6 jau4)
½ Tbs.	7.5 ml.	Hoisin sauce (海鮮醬, hoi2 sin1 zoeng3)
1 Tbs.	15 ml.	Shaoxing rice wine (紹興酒, siu6 hing1 zau2) or dry sherry
½ tsp.	2.5 ml.	Ground white pepper (白胡椒, baak6 wu4 ziu1)
½ Tbs.	7.5 ml.	Sesame oil (麻油, maa4 jau4)
½ Tbs.	7.5 ml.	Corn starch (粟粉, suk1 fan2)
1 Tbs.	15 ml.	Water

Equipment

		Garlic press
14 in.	35.5 cm.	Wok or pan

Preparation Instructions

Comrade Foods Brand Black Bean
(豆豉, dau6 si6)

1. Prepare the beef flank or flap meat by removing any silver skin and fat, cut the meat into thin 2-inch (5 cm.) pieces, and place into a bowl. Cutting the beef against the grain makes it easier to eat (if cut with the grain, the beef would be stringy and difficult to eat). Add baking soda to the bowl and fill with cold water to cover the beef. Mix the beef in the baking soda solution, allow to tenderize for at least 15 minutes, and then drain and wash the baking soda from the meat. The baking soda can be omitted but results in the tender meat experienced in restaurant dishes.
2. Marinate the beef in a covered container for at least one hour or overnight in the refrigerator with the ginger and garlic crushed in a garlic press, corn starch, soy sauce, hoisin sauce, Shaoxing rice wine or dry sherry, ground white pepper, and sesame oil. If marinating the beef overnight, take it out of the refrigerator at least one hour before cooking.
3. Pour boiling water over the dried whole Shiitake mushrooms in a heat proof bowl and rehydrate the mushrooms for at least one hour. Remove the Shiitake mushrooms from the rehydration liquid and remove the stems. Cut the Shiitake mushrooms into ½-inch (15 mm.) pieces. Reserve the rehydration liquid for later use in the cooking process. If you need to rehydrate the Shiitake mushrooms quickly, use the method described here: Technique: How to Quickly Rehydrate Dried Shiitake Mushrooms (冬菇, Dung¹ Gu¹).
4. Open the Kimbo brand Shredded Spice Tofu package, or equivalent, discard any liquid, and cut into 2-inch pieces. Only half the package is used in this recipe, so store the unused portion in the refrigerator for up to 2 days. The easiest method to cut the shredded tofu is to remove the shredded tofu from the package (it comes out as one single mass), cut the mass in half, and then cut oe of the halves into 2-inch pieces.
5. Wash and remove the string from the snow peas by grasping each snow pea in one hand and pulling the tip the length of the snow pea with the other.
6. Put the whole cashews into a small bowl.
7. Crush the ginger and garlic in a garlic press and put into a small bowl.
8. Wash and cut the green onions into ½-inch (15 mm.) pieces on the diagonal.
9. Prepare and mix the sauce in a small bowl: add the Comrade Foods brand Black Bean or equivalent, soy sauce, hoisin sauce, Shaoxing rice wine or dry sherry, ground white pepper, and sesame oil. In another small bowl, prepare the corn starch slurry by mixing the corn starch and water together.

Cooking Instructions

1. Heat a wok or pan over high heat. While the wok is heating up, add the cashew nuts from the small bowl and stir fry to brown them. Put the toasted cashew nuts back into the small bowl.
2. Reheat the wok over high heat before adding oil and then the beef. Stir fry the beef until brown by forming one layer of beef in the wok and leaving the beef alone for a while before flipping it over to brown the other side. You may have to stir fry the beef in batches, so be sure to reheat the wok over high heat before adding more oil. Transfer the browned beef to a bowl (not the bowl with the cashews).
3. Reheat the wok over high heat before adding oil and then the Shiitake mushrooms. Stir fry the mushrooms and then transfer to the bowl with the beef.
4. Reheat the wok over high heat before adding oil and then the shredded tofu. Stir fry the tofu and then transfer to the bowl with the beef.
5. Reheat the wok over high heat before adding oil and then the snow peas. Add some of the mushroom rehydration liquid to facilitate heat transfer and stir fry to brown the snow peas. Add the bowl with the ginger and garlic mixture to the wok, and then some oil to the mixture. Quickly stir fry all the ingredients until the ginger and garlic become fragrant. Add the contents of the bowl with the beef back into the wok, and stir fry all the ingredients together.
6. Add the green onions and sauce ingredients to the wok and stir fry the ingredients together. If more sauce is desired, add some of the mushroom rehydration liquid to the wok. Add the corn starch slurry to thicken the sauce and mix all the ingredients together. Put the cooked ingredients into a serving dish, and serve with Clay Pot Rice (煲仔飯, Bou¹ Zai² Faan⁶) or steamed rice.