Tri-Color Pepper Beef Stir-Fry

Why people make this dish

Fresh beef keeps getting pricier, but Nourilo would rather eat a little less of the fresh stuff than switch to chilled or frozen — the flavor is just better. The trick here is marinating the beef in a fruit wine (he likes bayberry or lychee wine), which leaves it remarkably tender and silky. Tossed with three-color peppers, it is colorful, fragrant and tasty: a simple home dish traditionally said to warm the middle, support the stomach and dispel cold, well suited to those with a weak spleen and stomach.

Method

1. Wash and chunk the peppers. Slice the beef and marinate briefly with light soy, cornstarch and bayberry or lychee wine.
2. Blanch the beef quickly in boiling water, then lift out and drain.
3. Heat a little oil in a wok, sauté the garlic until fragrant, add the peppers and stir-fry until aromatic.
4. Return the beef, splash in a little wine, season, toss a few times, finish with a thin starch glaze, and plate.

Nourilo’s Tips

You can also marinate the beef with kiwi, pineapple or pear juice — the natural enzymes in the fruit tenderize the meat beautifully. Quickly passing the sliced beef through warm oil or a fast blanch (“locking” the juices) keeps it from turning tough.