The Chili Beef With Chinese Spinach Recipe

Preparation rime: 30 minutes + 20 minutes marinating
Total cooking time: 15 minutes
Serves: 3 - 4

Ingredients for the chili beef with Chinese spinach recipe:

500 g (I lb) rump or fillet steak
2 tablespoons rice wine
1 tablespoon cornflour
4 tablespoons soy sauce
3 tablespoons peanut oil
250g (8 oz.) baby Chinese spinach with pink roots (see Note)
2 tablespoons salted black beans (see Note)
2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 long green chili, seeded and cut into fine strips
1 long red chili, seeded and cut into fine strips
1 tablespoon sesame oil
1 teaspoon sugar
2 teaspoons peanut oil, extra
4 cloves garlic, finely sliced

Directions for the chili beef with Chinese spinach recipe:

1. When you want to try the chili beef with Chinese spinach recipe, keep in mind this guidelines. First trim the meat of any excess fat and sinew and slice across the grain into thin strips (see Hint). Combine the rice wine, cornflour and 2 tablespoons of the soy sauce in a bowl. Stir in 1 tablespoon of the peanut oil. Add the beef and mix well to coat. Cover and leave to marinate in the refrigerator for 20 minutes.

2. Wash and dry the spinach leave the pink roots on, but trim away the straggle ends. Cut the leaves from the stems, as these will need less cooking. Rinse the black beans under cold running water, then strain and mash with the back of the spoon.

3. Drain the meat and discard the marinade. Heat 1 tablespoon of the peanut oil in a wok and cook the meat quickly over high heat, in two batches, until just browned. Do not overcook. Remove from the wok and set aside.

4. Heat the remaining peanut oil in the wok and stir-fry the ginger, garlic, chilli and black beans for 1-2 minutes. Return the beef to the wok with the sesame oil, sugar and remaining soy sauce. Stir-fry briefly until the beef is heated through. Remove from the wok, cover and set aside. Keep warm.

5. Working quickly, wipe out the wok with paper towels and heat the extra peanut oil. Add the sliced garlic and cook for about 30 seconds, until it is lightly golden.

6. Add the spinach stems and 1 tablespoon of water. Stir-fry for 30 seconds, until the spinach is bright green. Add the spinach leaves and toss until just wilted. Serve immediately with the beef.

Nutritional Value for the chili beef with Chinese spinach recipe:

Protein 35 g;
Fat 25 g;
Carbohydrate 5 g;
Dietary Fibre 3 g;
Cholesterol 85mg:
Energy 1615kJ (385cal)

Note for the chili beef with Chinese spinach recipe:

If Chinese spinach is unavailable, use baby English spinach instead, Salted black beans are available from Asian specialty shops. They will keep, refrigerated, in an airtight container, for up to 12 months.

Hints for the chili beef with Chinese spinach recipe:

To make the beef easier to slice, freeze it until it is just firm and thinly slice while it is still frozen.

Variations for the chili beef with Chinese spinach recipe:

Pork fillet is a great substitute for the beef. Trim any excess fat and sinew and cut across the grain into thin round slices.