SC - No Respect!!!

[Laura C. Minnick]

CANTONESE IRON STEAK

An addictive favorite of mine, probably invented by Cantonese immigrants
in New York, many of whom worked in garment factories. Whether the name
refers to the flattening of the steak or the shape vaguely reminiscent
of a flatiron, remains a mystery.

- -The Steak-
1/2 beef flank steak, ~1 lb.
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 egg white
2 tsp cornstarch
1 Tbs dark soy sauce
1/4 tsp white pepper
1/2 tsp sugar (optional)
1 Tbs sherry, whisky, or other distilled spirit
peanut or vegetable oil for frying, about 2 cups

- -The Vegetables-
1 lb green vegetable such as gai lan (Chinese broccoli), bok tsoy,
western broccoli or 						
		asparagus*
8 dried Chinese black mushrooms (these look a little like Shiitakes but
aren't, really)
I shallot or 2 cloves garlic , flattened
2-3 slices ginger root

- -The Sauce-
3 Tbs oyster sauce
1 Tbs light soy sauce
2 tsp cornstarch
1 1/4 cups water and/or mushroom soaking liquid

The night before you intend to cook, cut the flank steak along the grain
into 2-inch wide strips. Cut each strip on two biases: at a 45-degree
angle to the grain/length of the strip, and at a 45-degree angle to your
cutting board. You should end up with roughly triangular (flatiron
shaped) pieces about 2 inches long, 1/2 inch thick, with thinner edges.
Pound these with a meat mallet until you have 3-inch triangles about 1/4
inch thick. Place these in a plastic bag with the baking soda, mix well,
seal the bag, and allow it to marinate overnight, or for at least six
hours, in the refrigerator. Rinse the black mushrooms in a strainer
under cold running water, shaking to dislodge any dirt they may harbor
in wrinkles and gills. Place in a sealable jar or tub big enough to hold
them, but not too big, and add enough warm water to fill the container
so that the mushrooms are submerged and held in place by the lid.

When you're getting ready to cook, rinse the beef slices in a bowl under
cold running water several times until no trace of baking soda remains.
Drain on paper towels. In a bowl, combine the beef slices with the
remaining ingredients in the steak section, except for the oil. Mix well
and let marinate for an hour at room temperature or two in the refrigerator.

Drain the mushrooms, reserving the soaking liquid for the sauce, if you
wish, and rinse the mushrooms under running water, rubbing your thumbs
over the top and bottom to remove any remaining grains of dirt, bits of
wood, etc. Trim off the stems (I snap them off before soaking them, but
it takes a strong hand) and reserve the mushrooms. 

Heat the 2 cups of oil in a wok or wide, deep skillet, to about 350
degrees F., or whatever temperature you normally fry at (does anybody
actually take the temperature of their frying oil with a thermometer?).
Fry the marinated beef slices a few at a time, until crisp and
darkish-golden brown. The doneness of the beef isn't much of an issue:
it'll be tender and flavorful regardless, but if you can manage to do
this and leave it pink inside, so much the better. Drain on paper towels
and reserve.

Mix the sauce ingredients; if you want to use the mushroom liquid, it
gives it an excellent flavor: carefully pour it off any dregs on the
bottom, leaving them behind. Mix with the other ingredients until smooth.

Pour off all but about 2 tbs of the frying oil from your pan and heat it
for a minute or two over high heat. Brown the ginger slices and then the
shallot or garlic to flavor the oil. Saute the mushrooms for a few
minutes, until they appear fully reconstituted and somewhat more tender.
Add your vegetable of choice, suitably cut (the authentic dish seems to
call for gai lan, Chinese broccoli, cut into spears like asparagus,
which looks like broccoli-rabe but is much sweeter and less bitter, but
I've also enjoyed this with thick slices of onion, doubtless being
cursed from the kitchen for a barbarian). Saute your vegetables for
about two minutes, until just _barely_ tender, then return your beef to
the pan and add the mixed sauce ingredients. Heat, stirring it all,
until it boils and the sauce thickens.

Alternately, some cooks prefer to cook the green vegetable separately
from the rest of the dish, by blanching it quickly in boiling, salted
water, then proceed as above with the remainder of the dish.

Serve with the green vegetables on the bottom of your platter, the
mushrooms and the beef arranged on top, and the sauce over it all.  
  


- -- 
Phil & Susan Troy

troy at asan.com