Teriyaki Beef Stir Fry

Stir-frys are some of the most fantastic and healthy meals we can make in our kitchens. Tonight I made a Teriyaki Beef Stir Fry, as you can see, it turned out fantastic.

I don't overthink or even follow directions when stir-frying usually, but I kept track of what I put in this one to help out others as a guide.

If you're going to serve it with rice, it'll take 25 minutes for the rice, and this will be done long before then. I had it prepped and cooked in less than 15 minutes.

1 lb. Thin sliced Tri-Tip sliced against the grain
1 C. Broccoli Florets
1 C. Sugar Snap peas, strings removed
A can of water chestnuts
A can of baby corn
A large yellow onion
1/2 C. Shredded carrot
4 T. finely diced fresh ginger root
4 Cloves of garlic, pressed
1/2 C. Aji-Mirin (Sweet Japanese Rice Wine) for marinade
1/4 C. Dark Shoyu or San-J Tamari
1 T. Dark Brown sugar
Slurry of 3 T. Cornstarch disolved in 5 T. of Aji-Mirin
3 T. of Canola Oil

Let the beef stand at room temperature in the Aji-Mirin to marinate for whatever time it takes you to prepare the vegetables.

Cut the onion and broccoli to bite-sized pieces.

Heat the oil almost to smoking and add in this order:
Beef (wait till it gets a nice crackling coating)
Ginger, Soy Sauce and Brown Sugar at the same time
Onion (stir till starting to get translucent)
Garlic, Carrot, Corn and Water Chestnuts at the same time (stir fry 2 minutes or so)
Add the Slurry of Cornstarch, it should thicken almost immediately
Broccoli and Sugar Snap Peas at the same time, when the Broccoli is tender, the dish is done.

Some basic principals of stir fry:
Mise en place. That's French for "Everything in it's Place". Get all of your ingredients out in front of you, you don't want to be hunting for the broccoli in the back of the fridge while your onions are burning.

High Heat. You want that seared-in great flavor that only high heat and quick cooking can bring, it brings out the flavor in vegetables and brings the sugars out of meats, allowing them to carmelize.

Keep Stirring! There's sugars in many of these sauces and they can easily burn on the bottom of your wok.