Beef with tomato
I love Chinese beef with tomatoes, this is a recipe with similar results, but somehow not quite the same. If anyone has a nut allergy, use a different oil.
Marinade: 2 tbsp oyster sauce, 1 tbsp light soy sauce, 1 tsp caster sugar, 2 tsp vegetable oil, 1¼ tsp cornflour
1 lb sirloin – cut across the grain into thin slices – about 1½” in length
6 medium tomatoes – skinned, quartered
2 sticks of celery – peel and slice across diagonal – about 1½” length
2 spring onions – peel and slice across diagonal – about 1½” length
2 slices ginger – peeled, thinly sliced, then cut into strips
1 garlic clove, peeled and finely chopped
1 whole garlic clove, skinned
2½ tbsp groundnut oil
2 tsp caster sugar
¼ tsp salt
1 tbsp cornflour mixed with 2 tbsp water, see note below
Salt and white pepper – to taste
Whisk the marinade ingredients together, add the beef, cover and refrigerate for 15 minutes
Place the wok over a medium to high heat, add 2 tablespoons of oil, when hot, add the whole clove of garlic and cook briefly until aromatic, then add the beef. Stir-fry until it changes colour and is 80 per cent cooked, remove from the wok and discard the garlic clove
Wipe the wok, replace on the heat and when hot add ½ tablespoon of oil, stir-fry the ginger and chopped garlic for a few seconds, then add the celery, followed by the tomato.
Sprinkle in the sugar and a little sea salt, cover and bring to boil
Stir the **cornflour/water mixture, remove the cover from the wok, push the tomatoes to one side, add the cornstarch mixture in the centre while stirring quickly to thicken
Return the beef to the pan, mix everything together, taste and adjust the seasoning
** Arrowroot – used in the same way as cornflour with the added advantage that it will add a nice “sheen” to the sauce and will not dilute the colour. Arrowroot tends to “clarify” liquid into which it is introduced. If you want a clear sauce add this instead of cornflour but note that sauces made from arrowroot thicken at a slightly lower temperature than those made from grain startches. They do thin if overstirred, overheated or cooled and reheated. So as soon as it thickens, remove from the heat and serve.
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