serenissima | Pepper steak stir-fry (Reply)

I think this was the first thing I cooked here in the new house on our good cookware. It was such a relief to have my giant 14" stir-fry pan again.

Ingredients:

steak, 1 pound, sliced into thin strips

3 Anaheim peppers^*, sliced into strips

2 red bell peppers, sliced into strips

1 green bell pepper, sliced into strips

1 onion, sliced

2 Japanese eggplants, sliced into chunks or coins, soaked in saltwater for a while, then drained

ginger root, about the size of first joint of thumb, peeled and chopped into bits

garlic, 3 or 4 cloves, peeled and chopped into bits

black bean sauce, a generous amount... maybe 2 tablespoons?

black pepper, a liberal amount

garlic powder, perhaps more than the black pepper

soy sauce, enough to balance the other flavors

crushed red pepper flakes, to taste^*

*I know Anaheim peppers are mild, but I thought they would add the touch of heat that I wanted. When I tasted a piece, though, it was as mild as a bell pepper. So I included a little extra dried chile flakes.

Technique:
Toast the ginger and garlic in cooking oil for a minute or two. Add the beef and then the various seasonings, using the soy sauce to help liquify the black bean sauce. Stir to mix. When the beef is almost cooked, add the eggplant. When the eggplant shows signs of being cooked, add the peppers. The onions go in last. Taste along the way to adjust the seasonings and add a little water if necessary. Serve with rice.

The eggplant was my experimental item. I was confident about all the rest. I added it after the peppers, which was a mistake: I didn't recognize when it was cooked, and it took longer than I thought it would. Turns out the flesh should become translucent, not remain creamy pale, and it's all right for the skin to change from purple to brown. I had it in saltwater to try to draw out some of the moisture and bitterness, but I'm not sure that was necessary.

At any rate, I was pleased with how the dish tasted, and