From Jason Enevoldsen

• 6-8 cloves garlic
• 2-3 cubic inches ginger
• Enough canola oil to layer the bottom of your pan
• A few Tbsp Maggi (soy-free, wheat-full “soy” sauce)
• ¼ cup + 2 Tbsp sake
• White pepper (optional)
• 3 pounds stir-fry cut beef (Uwajimaya’s “stir-fry cut” is the best – it is a more Asian-style cut, slightly more fat/marbling, and the physical cut is a different shape: a different angle contributing to the tenderness)
• 4 total pounds vegetables, pick at least two: (1-2 bulbs) kohlrabi, (2 large) red bell peppers, (2-3 heads) broccoli, (1 head) celery, (4 large) carrots, (7-8 heads) baby bok choi. Use other veggies if they look like they’d taste good.
• 2-3 Tbsp starch (corn or potato)

Directions:

Garlic, ginger, canola oil – simmer in a pan, until the garlic starts to turn translucent. Add scallions or Japanese chives and finely ground white pepper (optional). Simmer 5+ minutes (the closer you can get this to singeing without singeing the better, but if you do burn it, throw it out and start over). Add Maggi, turn to low. Let it heat while prepping other stuff.

Raise the heat to 8 (out of 10) and let it get really hot. Add the meat, brown quickly, stirring for 2-3 minutes. Turn back to 5-6, add ¼ cup sake. Stir occasionally. Once it is browned all over, start adding the first vegetable. If it is broccoli, add 2 tablespoons Maggi after it starts to turn softer. Once it is added, start chopping the second vegetable, then add that one – etc till you’ve added all the veggies.  Keep the heat fairly high but don’t burn it – this means you may be changing the heat level often: turn it up to boil off the water, then down so it doesn’t burn.

Vegetable order: Kohlrabi, bell peppers, broccoli, celery, carrots, bok choi (always right at the very end),

In a separate cup mix corn starch (sweeter) or potato starch (less flavor added), 2 tablespoons Maggi, 2 tablespoons sake, 2 tablespoons water. Mix it well – till the starch is dissolved and there are no lumps. Drizzle it into the stir fry while stirring. When it is all added, keep stirring until the juices are the thickness that you want and the liquid has turned clearer and darker (meaning the starch is cooked). You probably want the juices dripping off the spatula somewhat slowly. Turn off the heat as soon as you get to the right consistency, and remove from heat immediately, but stir once a minute for a little while longer to keep the starch from burning.

Some Variations:

Add thai basil (half at the beginning, half with the veggies)

Add 5-10 fresh curry leaves (add at the beginning)

Add 5 thai peppers (leave whole, but bruise and add first)