Sautéed Beef and Tomatoes with Whiskey and Black Bean Sauce
MARINADE
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 teaspoons soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon whiskey (Scotch, Bourbon, Irish, or Canadian)
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch
- teaspoons peanut oil
- 8 ounces lean flank steak, thinly sliced across the grain
- 1 tablespoon dried, salted black beans, or 2 tablespoons
- Chinese black bean garlic sauce
- 2 garlic cloves, crushed
- 2 tablespoons water Scant tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon peanut oil
- 1 scallion, white and green parts, minced
- 4 medium plum tomatoes, cored and quartered
- ½ teaspoon sugar
- ½ cup low-sodium chicken broth
- 2 teaspoons oyster sauce
- 2 cups mixed bitter greens, such as escarole, chicory, or arugula, washed and spun dry
Instructions:
It’s worth a trip to an Asian market to find dried, salted black beans, but if you can’t locate them, the ready-made sauce makes a handy substitute. You’ll see Chinese-style black bean garlic sauce in most supermarkets. If you buy the dried beans, they will last for years, sealed, in your pantry.
- Combine the marinade ingredients in a medium bowl.
- Add the steak and rub the mixture into the meat with your fingers. Cover and set aside to marinate about 20 minutes. Meanwhile, mash the black beans and garlic together, and stir in water. Set aside.
- Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat and add the scant tablespoon of peanut oil. Add the scallion and cook, stirring about 30 seconds. Add black bean and garlic mixture and cook 15 seconds, then add the meat and sauté until it begins to lose its pink color, 3 to 5 minutes. Transfer the meat to a bowl and set it aside.
- Add the remaining teaspoon of oil to the pan and reheat, then add tomatoes. Sauté just until they begin to lose their shape, sprinkling sugar over them to hasten browning. Add the broth and cover.
- Cook until the browning. Add the broth and cover. Cook until the tomatoes are thickened, about 2 minutes. Return the meat to the pan, add the oyster sauce, and sauté 1 additional minute.
- Divide the greens between two plates and top with the beef and tomato sauté. Serve at once.