When we first got back from the honeymoon, it was hard to get back into cooking regular meals. I’d make chicken and a vegetable and call it dinner just so that I could have more time in the evening to work on getting our apartment back into some semblance of normal.
By Thursday, I was tired of haphazardly putting together meals and was ready for a real dinner. The kind that makes Garrett smile – those are the dishes I like to make most of all.
A quick trip to the grocery store and I came back with all the key players – beef, mushrooms, kale, spring onions and a fresh jar of sesame seeds. I always forget how easy it is to make super flavourful stir fry dishes in 30-40 minutes. I just put on some feel good music, poured myself a glass of wine and got busy making a hearty dinner for my new husband (I love being about to say that now). We have a good thing going – I make the meal (my favourite part) and he does the dishes (my not-so favourite part).
This ended up being a great dinner. The sauce is rich and flavourful and loaded with veggies, which is my only requirement with a stir fry. The more veggies the better – and it’s a great way to use up the odds and ends in the fridge. I went with low-sodium soy sauce and broth to cut back on the saltiness, but you can add more seasoning if needed.
Ginger Beef Stir Fry with Mushrooms and Kale
In a large sealable plastic bag, add the soy sauce, broth, rice wine vinegar, corn starch and ginger. Seal the bag and toss to combine. Open the bag, add in the pieces of beef and gentle toss to combine. Seal and refrigerate for at least 15 minutes.
To toast the sesame seeds, heat a large frying pan on medium heat. Add in the seeds and continue to shake the pan occasionally. Remove the seeds when they darken and become fragrant, about 3-5 minutes. Set aside.
Once the beef is done marinating, heat 1 Tbsp olive oil in the large frying pan over medium-high heat. Use a slotted spoon to remove the beef from the bag, reserving the marinade, and add beef to pan along with the garlic. Saute for about 2-3 minutes until browned, stirring occasionally.
Remove steak with the slotted spoon to a plate and set aside.
Add the mushrooms, kale, and reserved marinade to the pan and stir to combine.
Cook for 3-4 minutes, until the mushrooms are cooked, the kale is wilted and the sauce has thickened. Stir regularly so that sauce doesn’t burn.
Add in the beef and any juice from the plate and toss to combine.
Serve over rice and garnish with toasted sesame seeds and spring onions (which I forgot to add before the pictures).
- ⅓ cup low sodium soy sauce
- ½ cup low sodium beef broth, vegetable broth or water.
- 3 tbsp rice wine vinegar
- 2 tbsp corn starch
- 2 tbsp + 2 tsp grated fresh ginger (OR 2 tsp ground ginger)
- ¼ tsp freshly ground black pepper
- 1 lb thinly sliced sirloin or flank steak, cut diagonally across the grain into thin strips (you can sometimes find this already cut at the grocery store. If not, place the steak in the freezer for 30 minutes before slicing to make it easier to cut)
- 2 tbsp sesame seeds
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 12 ounces sliced mushrooms, halved (any combination of cremini, button, baby portobello, or shiitake mushrooms)
- 3 cups chopped kale
- 2 green onions, thinly sliced
- Cooked rice, quinoa or noodles to serve it with (I like to cook my brown rice in whatever is left of the broth I opened for the stir fry, to give it more flavour)
- In a large sealable plastic bag, add the soy sauce, broth, rice wine vinegar, corn starch and ginger. Seal the bag and toss to combine. Open the bag, add in the pieces of beef and gentle toss to combine. Seal and refrigerate for at least 15 minutes.
- To toast the sesame seeds, heat a large frying pan on medium heat. Add in the seeds and continue to shake the pan occasionally. Remove the seeds when they darken and become fragrant, about 3-5 minutes. Set aside.
- Once the beef is done marinating, heat 1 Tbsp olive oil in the large frying pan over medium-high heat. Use a slotted spoon to remove the beef from the bag, reserving the marinade, and add beef to pan along with the garlic. Saute for about 2-3 minutes until browned, stirring occasionally. Remove steak with the slotted spoon to a plate and set aside.
- Add the mushrooms, kale, and reserved marinade to the pan and stir to combine. Cook for 3-4 minutes, until the mushrooms are cooked, the kale is wilted and the sauce has thickened. Stir regularly so that sauce doesn't burn. Add in the beef and any juice from the plate and toss to combine.
- Serve over rice and garnish with chopped green onions and toasted sesame seeds.
