Chilli Beef and Mushroom Stir-fry

Accompany this spicy beef stir-fry with noodles or egg-fried rice and extra soy sauce to drizzle over. Cut the steak into thin strips across the grain of the meat so the fibres running down it are short and the beef stays deliciously tender when cooked.

Ingredients

• 350g (12oz) rump or sirloin steak
• 3 tablespoons Kikkoman soy sauce
• Juice of 1 lime
• 1 tablespoon sesame oil or 1 tsp toasted sesame oil
• 1 red chilli, deseeded and very finely chopped
• 2 tablespoons sunflower oil
• 200g (7oz) mushrooms, sliced or left whole if small
• 125g (4 1/2oz) tenderstem broccoli
• 2 heads of baby pak choi, shredded
• 75g (3oz) bean sprouts

Method

Trim any fat from the steak and cut the meat into thin strips. In a shallow dish, mix together the soy sauce, lime juice, sesame oil and chilli, add the steak and turn the strips over until they are well coated.

Cover the dish with cling film and leave in the fridge to marinate for several hours or overnight.

Heat 1 tablespoon of sunflower oil in a wok or large frying pan. Lift half the steak from the marinade and stir-fry over a high heat for 2 minutes until browned. Remove from the pan and set aside.

Add the rest of the steak to the pan, reserving the marinade, and stir-fry for 2 minutes. Remove and set aside.

Add the remaining oil to the pan and stir-fry the mushrooms for 2 minutes. Add the tenderstem broccoli, stir-fry for 1 minute, then add the pak choi and bean sprouts and stir-fry for a further 1 minute. Return the steak to the pan, pour over the reserved marinade and toss everything together over the heat for 2 minutes until piping hot. Serve at once.

Tips: toasted sesame oil is much stronger than ordinary sesame oil so, if using, only add a little to the dish or its favour will be too dominant and overpower the other ingredients. You can substitute a cheaper cut of steak suitable for frying if you prefer, although the end result won’t be as tender.