Sweet & Spicy Beef Stir-Fry with Asian Pear Sauce
A sticky, garlicky Asian pear sauce is the star of this stir-fry and what makes it taste so much like the one from your local takeout joint. This is one of our team’s absolute favorite dishes of the issue – we highly recommend it! If you have a little more time on your hands, try making the garlic chips as a crispy topper.
Ingredients
- 12 oz lean beef sirloin, sliced thinly (1½ inches x ¼ inch)
- 1/4 cup minced garlic, divided (about 12 cloves)
- 1 large Asian pear, peeled and cored
- 4 small heads baby bok choy
- 4 cups soybean sprouts, rinsed
- pantry staples:
- 1/4 cup safflower oil, divided
- 2 1/2 tbsp reduced-sodium soy sauce, divided
- 3 tbsp plus 1 tsp brown rice vinegar, divided
- 2 tbsp raw honey
- 4 tsp sriracha
Preparation
- In a small bowl, toss beef with 1 tbsp garlic and 1½ tsp each oil and soy sauce. Let stand for 30 minutes.
- Meanwhile, prepare sauce: Into a sieve set over a bowl, grate pear on the large holes of a box grater. Press to collect juice in bowl. In a small saucepan on medium, heat 1½ tsp oil. Add grated pear and 2 tbsp garlic and cook, stirring often, about 7 to 8 minutes, until lightly browned. Add 2 tbsp vinegar, honey, sriracha, remaining 2 tbsp soy sauce and ¼ cup reserved pear juice. Reduce heat to low, and simmer for 8 to 10 minutes until thickened. Keep warm.
- Trim root end of bok choy until flat but leave intact with leaves attached. Slice lengthwise and place in a large bowl. Cover bok choy halves with cold water and soak to remove any dirt. Drain and rinse carefully to keep from breaking apart. Pat dry.
- In an 11- to 12-inch sauté pan on medium, heat 1 tbsp oil. In pan, place bok choy halves cut side down and sprinkle with 2 tsp vinegar. Cover pan and cook for 3 to 5 minutes until tender and cut sides are caramelized. Transfer to a plate and keep warm.
- To pan, add 1 tbsp oil and increase heat to medium-high; add sprouts, remaining 1 tbsp garlic and remaining 2 tsp vinegar and cook, stirring often, about 2 to 3 minutes, until lightly caramelized and tender. Transfer to plate.
- To pan on medium-high, add remaining 1 tbsp oil. Add beef and cook, stirring, about 1 to 2 minutes, until starting to brown. Add ¼ cup Asian Pear Sauce and cook for 1 minute, until beef is cooked and sauce is heated through. To serve, mound 1/3 cup sprouts on each of 4 plates, top each with ½ cup beef, and cross 2 bok choy halves on top. Spoon each with 1 tbsp of remaining sauce.
Nutrition Information
- Serving Size 1/4 of recipe
- Calories 381
- Carbohydrate Content 28 g
- Cholesterol Content 59 mg
- Fat Content 20 g
- Fiber Content 4 g
- Protein Content 27.5 g
- Saturated Fat Content 2 g
- Sodium Content 578 mg
- Sugar Content 18 g
- Monounsaturated Fat Content 0 g
- Polyunsaturated Fat Content 12 g