Drunken Stir-Fried Beef with Green Beans

From Cooking Light.

Delicious!

"Most Thai dishes are named after the main ingredients or cooking techniques. But occasionally, a dish has a playful or poetic name, such as this one. Serve over jasmine rice."

 

Ingredients

• Drunken Paste:
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 7 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 1/4 teaspoons minced bird chile or 2 1/2 teaspoons minced serrano chile
• 2 teaspoons coarsely chopped galangal or peeled fresh ginger (I used giner.)
• 1 tablespoon chopped peeled fresh lemongrass
• 2 kaffir lime leaves, thinly sliced, or 1 teaspoon grated lime rind
• Stir-fry:
• Cooking spray
• 1 (1-pound) flank steak, trimmed and cut into 1/4-inch strips
• 2 cups (1-inch) diagonally cut green beans
• 1 cup quartered cherry tomatoes
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 3 tablespoons Thai fish sauce
• 1 teaspoon cider vinegar
• 1 cup Thai basil leaves

Preparation

1. To prepare the paste, combine the salt and minced garlic in a mortar and pestle, and pound to form a paste. Add chile, galangal, lemongrass, and lime leaves, one at a time, until each ingredient is incorporated into paste.
2. To prepare stir-fry, heat a wok or large nonstick skillet coated with cooking spray over medium-high heat. Add paste, and stir-fry for 30 seconds (fumes may cause eyes and throat to burn slightly). Add beef; stir-fry for 3 minutes. Add beans; stir-fry for 1 minute. Add tomatoes, sugar, fish sauce, and vinegar; stir-fry for 1 minute or until beef reaches desired degree of doneness. Stir in basil.
3. Wine Note: Here's a great example of a beef dish laced with lots of green flavors - in this case, lemongrass, lime and basil. A Sauvignon Blanc, itself sporting green notes, would pair wonderfully with this dish. Try Jepson Sauvignon Blanc 1999 (Mendocino County, California; $11).