Mongolian Beef

Followed this recipe to make the traditional Chinese dish.  You can also add sliced onion and/or bell pepper .

Ingredients

Flank steak - 1 lb, sliced against the grain into 1/4-inch thick slices

Vegetable oil - 2 tsp for marinate + 1/2 cup for frying the beef
Soy sauce - 2 TBSP for marinate + 1/2 cup for cooking
Cornstarch - 2 TBSP for marinate + 1/2 cup for coating

Minced ginger - 1 tsp 

Dried red chili peppers - 5-10 (optional)

Chopped garlic - 4 cloves

Chicken stock or water - 1/2 cup
Brown sugar - 3-4 TBSP
Scallions - 2 stalks (cut into 1-inch long slices)
To thicken the sauce - 1 TBSP cornstarch + 1 TBSP water

Steps

1. Marinate sliced beef with oil, soy sauce, and cornstarch; let it sit for an hour. The beef should still be quite moist after it has marinated. If it looks too dry, add a tablespoon of water to it.

2. Dredge the marinated beef slices in cornstarch until lightly coated. Heat vegetable oil in the wok over high heat. Just before the oil starts to smoke, spread the flank steak pieces evenly in the wok, and let sear for 1 minute; Turn over and let the other side sear for another 30 seconds. The beef should be seared with a crusty coating. Set the beef aside.

3. Drain the oil from the wok, leaving 1 tablespoon behind, and turn the heat to medium-high. Add ginger and dried chili peppers, if using. After about 15 seconds, add the chopped garlic. Stir for another 10 seconds and add the 1/4 cup low sodium soy sauce and chicken stock (or water). Bring the sauce to a simmer, add the brown sugar, and stir until dissolved.
4. Let the sauce simmer for about 2 minutes and slowly stir in the cornstarch slurry mixture--until the sauce coats the back of a spoon.
5. Add the beef and scallions and toss everything together for another 30 seconds. There should be almost no liquid, as the sauce should be clinging to the beef. If you still have sauce, increase the heat slightly and stir until thickened.

Spare Ribs with Sweet and Sour Sauce(糖醋排骨)

This is another way to make sweet and sour spare ribs.  

Ingredients

Ginger - a few slices

Cooking wine - 2 TBSP

Soy sauce - 2 TBSP

Dark soy sauce - 2 TBSP

Dark vinegar - 3 TBSP

Sugar - 4 tsp

Salt - pinch

Green onion - chopped

Corn starch - 1 TBSP

Steps

1. Place the ribs in pot filled with water to cover the meet, boil for 5 minutes, drain and rinse off.

2. In a fry pan, under medium high heat, add oil and then ginger and spare ribs, fry until the ribs turn golden brown.

 3. Drain the oil, add soy sauce, dark soy sauce, vinegar, cooking wine, sugar and salt, broil for 5 minutes, then turn to low heat and slow cook for 45 minutes. Or to speed it up, I put the ribs with sauce in InstantPot and cooked under high pressure for 15 minutes. Add 1/2 TBSP of vinegar at the end if not sour enough.

4. In a small bowl, mix corn starch with 1 TBSP water, then add the starch water in the pot. The sauce should be sticky, stir to make sure the ribs are all coated with sauce. Sprinkle with green onion and serve.