stir-fry steak
various dates
This is good quality steak that has been cut in small pieces, i.e. shaved, sliced, cubed or even minced. Smaller pieces means we need very high heat to make the meat brown quickly, but for short times because we don’t want to overcook the meat.
Stir-fries fall in this category.
Carne Asada is a chuck steak stir-fry. Beef Fajitas are made with skirt steak cut into small strips that are tossed in a very hot pan and then constantly stirred be seared quickly without overcooking inside. Fajitas can also be made with chicken or other meats.
My big problem is keeping the pan hot enough. An electric range is not very responsive for that. I have to work in small batches to get this right. With too large quantities, the pan temperatures drops and the meat starts releasing so much liquid that I'd be stewing instead of stir-frying.
The Mexican kitchen uses a very different method with Bistec Picado a.o. recipes. This is also small-cut, good-quality steak but they stew it. At first I thought that was a waste of a good steak, but these dishes are delicious. Recipes in this category will be listed under a separate header under small-cut stews.
Pic1: mincing the meatPic2: dry-cooked = stir-fried steak
Pic3: moist-cooked = Mexican stew
INGREDIENTS
This is what you need for 2 servings:
- 1 lb. skirt steak
Directions
- Cut the skirt steak in thin slices.
- Cut those across into short strips.
-
Stir-fry briefly in a very hot pan.
Heat the pan as hot as you can without the oil starting to smoke. The meat should sizzle as soon as it touches the pan. - Serve immediately.
- Enjoy.
Two more stir-fries
I usually have to cook the meat separately for these stir-fries, to get it right and color the meat dark brown. (Pic6)
When I add extra vegetables to the same pan, I can't keep the pan hot enough to sear the meat properly. The meat didn't color enough, but the dish was still too dry to be a stew. (Pic7)
Pic6: another day, another steak - 2016-01-29
Pic7: with mushrooms, broccoli & garden beans - 2016-04-20