Beef and Celery with Sha Cha Sauce 沙茶芹菜炒牛肉
Flank steak is a very popular cut of beef to use in stir-frying. It’s lean, tender and can absorb marinades quickly. You may also use ribeye or tenderloin to get similar results.Besides celery, you can also use water spinach (aka tong choy), mushrooms, asparagus, broccoli, garlic stem or any vegetable that doesn’t contain too much water. Alternatively, you can skip the vegetables altogether, which is also a very popular dish.
Approximate cost (CAD) $8
Ingredients
- 300 g Flank steak , thin sliced
- 250 g Celery
- 1 Large shallot , minced
- 3 cloves Garlic , chopped
- 2 stalks Green onions
- 1 Chili
- 1 tbsp Shaoxing wine
- ½ tsp Sugar
- 2 tbsp Sha Cha Sauce (aka Chinese barbeque sauce)
- 1 tsp Light soy sauce (depending on salt content of Sha Cha Sauce)
- 2 tbsp Oil
Ingredients for marinade:
- 2 tbsp Water
- 2 tsp Potato starch
- 1 tsp Light soy sauce
- ½ tsp Dark soy sauce
- ½ tsp Sugar
- ⅛ tsp White pepper powder
- ⅛ tsp Garlic powder
- 1 tsp Sesame oil
Instructions
- Slice beef against the grain into 2-3mm slices and put them into a mixing bowl
I butterflied each slice to make each slice of beef larger 
- Add 1 tbsp water, 1 tsp light soy sauce, ½ tsp dark soy sauce, ½ tsp sugar, ⅛ tsp white pepper powder, ⅛ tsp garlic powder and mix well with your hand. Squeeze the beef slightly so that it absorbs all the water
- Add 1 more tbsp water to the beef and continue mixing and squeezing until all the water is absorbed
- Add 2 tsp potato starch. Mix and squeeze until mixed well and starch is no longer white
- Add 1 tsp sesame oil and mix well. Set aside to marinate for 30 minutes
- Slice celery to your desired length and shape
- Mince shallots, chop garlic and cut chili
- Cut green onions to your desired length. Separate the white parts of the onions from the green parts
- In a hot wok, using high heat, add 2 tbsp oil. Use a spatula to move the oil around the wok to prevent sticking
- Loosen and mix the beef one last time and add to the wok
If you have any water unabsorbed by the beef, pour it out before putting everything into the wok. It can cause a lot of oil splatter and your beef will not come out tender 
- Arrange beef in single layer and let cook for 40 seconds (if beef is thicker than 3mm, then cook for 1 minute)
- Flip beef over and fry for another 30 seconds. Remove beef from wok and turn down heat to medium
- Use the leftover oil to fry the shallots, garlic, and the whites of the green onions.
If there was no oil remaining from frying the beef, then add 1 tbsp oil 
- Make a well in the centre of the wok and add 2 tbsp Sha Cha Sauce and ½ tsp sugar. Fry for 1 minute and turn heat to medium-high
- Add celery and stir-fry until your desired doneness (crispiness of the celery).
I stir-fry the celery for approx. 2 minutes so that the celery is slightly wilted but still has some crispiness 
- Turn heat to high, add beef and the rest of the green onions. Add 1 tbsp Shaoxing wine around the wok edge so that the wine can slide down to the bottom of the wok
- Stir-fry everything together for 1 minute
- Add chilis and mix well
- Serve
Nutrition
Calories: 496kcalCarbohydrates: 15gProtein: 36gFat: 31gSaturated Fat: 7gPolyunsaturated Fat: 5gMonounsaturated Fat: 13gTrans Fat: 0.1gCholesterol: 93mgSodium: 662mgPotassium: 1042mgFiber: 3gSugar: 6gVitamin A: 896IUVitamin C: 41mgCalcium: 110mgIron: 3mg
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