I rotate our meal plan very simply: meat, chicken, fish, vegetarian. That way, if it is a meat night, I only have to think of what to do with the meal! I love sirloin but was not in the mood for a plain old steak so decided to make use of the sambal oelek that is still lurking in my fridge, and make a stir fry. This resulted in my Thai inspired sirloin stir fry.
Thai Inspired Sirloin Stir Fry
Makes enough for: 2 people
Ingredients
for the marinade
- 250 g sirloin, trimmed and sliced
- 5 mls cornflour
- 1 stalk lemon grass, crushed and sliced
- 2.5 cm fresh root ginger, peeled and sliced into matchsticks
- 2 cloves garlic, sliced
- 15 mls soy sauce
- 15 mls mirin
- 5 mls sambal oelek
to cook
- 15 mls groundnut oil
- 15 mls ponzu sauce
- choice of fresh greens vegetables, cut for stir frying
- soba noodles
Method
for the marinade
- rub the cornflour into the sirloin
- add the lemon grass, root ginger, garlic cloves, soy sauce, mirin and sambal oelek
- leave to marinade, out of the fridge for at least one hour
to cook
- prepare your noodles as per the packet instructions and set aside
- heat the ground nut oil in a wok
- add the meat, reserving the marinade
- sear and remove from the wok
- add the vegetables
- just before the are done, add back the meat, the ponzu sauce and the marinade
- add the precooked sobu noodles
- mix everything together making sure the noodles are well coated with the sauce
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Ingredients for my Thai Inspired Sirloin Stir Fry:
- Sirloin – I only buy free range meat from animals which have not had any hormones or antibiotics. The meat I buy is aged and hung to perfection. Choose meat with clear marbling and that does not have a smell to it. Sirloin, on or off the bone, is the cut of our choice. In my opinion, it is the best meat to use for stir fry dishes.
- Cornflour – in South Africa this is also known as maizena. It is gluten free and can be used as a thickening agent, as well as to tenderise meat or chicken before using in a stir fry.
- Lemon grass – this herb can be grown with great success at home. If you want to, you can freeze it. Make sure you bruise it by bashing quite firmly with the back of a knife before using.
- Ginger – buy firm ginger and store in the freezer if need be. Blast for 30 seconds in the microwave to use. Ginger is easy to peel using a spoon.
- Soy sauce – this liquid condiment of Chinese origin, traditionally made from a fermented paste of soybeans, roasted grain, brine, and Aspergillus oryzae or Aspergillus sojae moulds. It is considered to contain a strong umami flavour.
- Mirin – this is a type of rice wine and a common ingredient in Japanese cooking. It is similar to sake, but with a lower alcohol content and higher sugar content.
- Sambal oelek – this chilli sauce or paste is typically made from a mixture of a variety of chilli peppers with secondary ingredients such as shrimp paste, garlic, ginger, shallot, scallion, palm sugar, and lime juice.
- Groundnut oil – this can be any groundnut oil of your choice such as peanut oil. Or you can substitute with canola oil if this is all you have at home. Do not use olive oil.
- Ponzu – this citrus-based sauce is commonly used in Japanese cuisine. It is tart, with a thin, watery consistency and nearly colourless.
- Soba noodles – these are made from buckwheat flour and wheat flour and have a slightly nutty, earthy taste.
Such a satisfying meal this, I just use black bean sauce as I don’t have ponzu (what is ponzu?)
Friday greets to Dave.
soy sauce with a citron infusion – I am sure I got it at Woolies! Friday greets to you 🙂
I absolutely love a stir fry and your recipe sounds fabulous.
Oh how I miss Woolies. 🙁
🙂 Mandy
I am not sure how I would survive without Woolies – have a great weekend 🙂
Stir fry’s have always topped my menu list..And this sounds absolutely appetizing..
thanks!