Five Spice Beef and Pepper Stir-Fry

Ingredients

• Jasmine rice or short grain white rice, 1 to 1 1/2 cups, prepared to package directions
• 2 cups beef broth or stock, paper container or canned
• 2 tablespoons wok or clear oil, 1 turn of the pan
• 1 1/2 pounds beef sirloin or beef tenderloin tips, trimmed, placed in the freezer for 5 to 10 minutes then thinly sliced
• 2 green bell peppers, seeded and diced into 1-inch pieces
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 1/2 cup dry cooking sherry
• 2 tablespoons dark soy sauce, eyeball the amount (recommended: Tamari)
• 2 tablespoons cornstarch
• 1 teaspoon Chinese five-spice powder, found on Asian foods aisle of market
• Cracked black pepper
• 3 scallions, thinly sliced on an angle, for garnish
• 1/2 cup smoked whole almonds, available on snack aisle, for garnish

Directions

Boil water for rice and prepare to package directions.

Place beef broth in a small pot over low heat to warm the liquid.

Heat a wok shaped skillet or pan over high heat. Add oil (it will smoke) and meat bits. Stir-fry meat 3 minutes and remove from pan or move off to the side of the wok. Return pan to heat and add peppers and onions. Stir-fry veggies 2 minutes. Add meat back to the pan. Add sherry and stir fry until liquid almost evaporates about 1 minute. Add soy sauce to the pan. Dissolve cornstarch with a ladle of warm beef broth. Add beef broth to the pan, then add cornstarch combined with broth, the five-spice powder and black pepper. Stir sauce until it thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon. Adjust seasonings. Add more soy or salt if necessary. Remove stir-fry from heat. Fill dinner bowls with beef stir-fry and top with a scoop of rice. Scoop rice with ice cream scoop to get a rounded ball. By placing rice on top of stir-fry, rice will stay firm and not soak up too much sauce. Garnish with chopped scallions and smoked almonds.