I was a bit taken aback when I saw a Stir Fry recipe in Dani’s book – I know my thermomix is versatile, but I had never really considered doing a stir fry in it.
First of all, I’m a bit of a lazy stir-fryer – think already chopped veggies in a bag from the supermarket and the beef strips already cut up by the good folk at Woolworths. I did attend an Asian cooking class last year with one of my friends, and it was great, but I just hadn’t caught the bug enough to try out much of it at home. Chucking in some oyster sauce, sesame oil and a bit of soy sauce is about as creative as I have ever been in terms of marinading the meat, and I must admit it’s usually been done as I’ve been cooking the meat, not actually marinading before cooking if you catch my drift.
Anyway, all that aside, I thought I’d give the Beef Stir-Fry a go. It was a stir fry kind of night, the nights are getting a little bit shorter here, and it was getting cold, so what better than a stir fry? I also thought it might convince the young Sir to try a few vegetables that he otherwise might not – he didn’t, but that’s another story!
My tips:
Trim the rump/porterhouse really well before you marinade. You don’t want to eat steamed fat!!
The marinade is great, and I love the way the remnants of it flavour the rice as it’s cooking. It really makes a tasty rice, which makes a lovely difference from the boring old plain rice I usually do with stir fry.
If I had my time again, I would not put the meat in the thermoserver once it’s cooked. I’d cover with foil and rest on a plate, as my rump ended up a little over-done for my taste – I always like my meat to be pink. The thermoserver does a great job of keeping the rice hot, but do make sure you fluff it up with a fork before you dish it out into the serving bowls. I think the retained heat cooked the meat a little more than I usually would have done.
The omelette is easy, and quick. Next time I think I’ll season the eggs a little, and maybe even throw in a few chilli slices and some sliced spring onion, just to see what it’s like.
Now, I happen to not be a huge ginger fan, but I used the ginger as stated in the recipe. Sadly, the chillies I had bought at the supermarket disappeared somewhere between the supermarket and home – so I ended up using a chilli paste, which I don’t think was as good as the real thing. Personally, I thought the ginger flavour in the end dish was a little overpowering, but that might just be me. Next time I’ll reduce the ginger quantity by half.
I used some bok-choi, purple cabbage, and broccolini for my vegetables. I couldn’t find baby corn anywhere around – I’m guessing it’s out of season at the moment. I also thought I had some carrots in the fridge, and I didn’t, so I’d definitely use carrot and baby corn next time – it’s just not stir fry without it. Next time I must remember to cut the vegetables smaller – I was a little pushed for time, so they were a little rough and ready I’m afraid.
In the Mix Tricks 