Asparagus and Beef Stir-fry

Asparagus is one of my favorite vegetable. I would buy it as often as I could. I usually roast them  seasoned with salt and pepper but it gets boring after a while. This vegetable is a bit pricey. On my weekly food shopping last Sunday, price was at $0.99/lb. It was a bargain. I had to include it in my dinner menu and so I came up with this dish. It is a fuss-free healthy recipe as a roasted asparagus and the result looks better than a Chinese take-out.

INGREDIENTS :

1/2 lb thinly sliced beef sirloin

1 lb asparagus, sliced into 2 in length

1 orange bell pepper (you can also use red or yellow bell pepper, sliced into thin strips

1/2 of a medium onion, sliced thin

1 medium carrots, sliced thin

4 medium fresh shitake or white mushrooms, sliced

2 stalks of scallions (white and greens separated)

2/3 cups of water

2 tbs soy sauce

1 small (3.7 g) beef bouillon

1 tsp cornstarch dissolved in 1 tsp of water

1 tbs olive oil

salt and pepper

1/4 tsp sriracha or sambal oelek (optional)

1. Mix water, beef bouillon and soy sauce in a bowl and set aside.

2. Heat 1/2 tbs of olive oil in a skillet at high heat. Add onion and stir-fry for a minute. Add carrots, asparagus and bell pepper. Sprinkle a pinch of salt and pepper. Stir-fry until cooked but still crisp. Transfer stir-fried vegetables in a bowl.

3. Add the remaining olive oil in the skillet and heat. Add beef and whites of the scallions.Stir-fry until beef is just about to turn brown.

4. Add the mushrooms, soy sauce mixture and sriracha or sambal oelek . Let the sauce boil. Adjust seasoning according to taste.

5. Return the stir-fried vegetables to the pan and mix. Add the cornstarch mixture and stir constantly until sauce thickens.

6. Turn of heat. Transfer to a plate and garnish with the remaining green parts of the scallions.

7. Serve with hot steamed rice.

Enjoy!