Steak Kow at Home

I go in cuisine spurts from time to time.

I’ll crave Mexican for a week (most likely two) switch over to old-school American one-pot-wonders and then stir-fry recipes for the sheer ease and lack of effort. Most days after I’ve been cooking alllllll dang day, I’m rarely in the mood to cook an extravagant dinner.

Rewind 20-some years. Growing up the nearest Chinese restaurant was a good thirty plus minutes away. So it was always a treat when my dad would walk in from his long day at work, surprising us girls with bags filled with paper cartons of sweet and sour chicken, fried rice, almond chicken and sometimes there was even steak kow. For being such an extremely picky kid and not genuinely feeling the love with cooked vegetables, it always amazes me to look back and examine how A regular here the vegetables in steak kow. Probably because they’re stir-fried and still crisp and not sogged out until they’re that hideous shade of green. I know you know what I’m talking about.

Steak kow has always been a regular of mine. Thin slices of beef, a truckload of fresh vegetables… swimming in a both like gravy. I’m not sure what long-used and magical ingredients go into an authentic kow but this is my attempt at it. It’s light and savory and with a squeeze of sriracha, it can be a little spicy if you wish it to be.

I had skirt steak on hand, but a good size ribeye would also work here as well. Truthfully a regular at dinner prefers the ribeye, I on the other hand am less picky (if you can even believe it) and like both. If using flank steak I’ll cut the long slab of beef in half width-wise and place it onto a small parchment paper lined sheet pan before popping it into the freezer for 20-25 minutes.

Start by trimming and peeling that long sting-like vein from about 1/2 pound of pea pods, give them a rinse and set off to the side.

Then rinse the baby bok choy, shaking off as much water as possible, before slicing the leafy tops and white stalks. Alternatively, slice then rinse and add to a salad spinner to spin the excess moisture out.

Next, dice up 1 medium yellow onion…

And then drain off the liquids from 4 ounces water chestnuts and 8 ounces bamboo shoots.

Mince up two fresh cloves of garlic.

Next, add it into a bowl along with 1 cup beef broth, 3 tablespoons low-sodium tamari (or soy sauce if that’s what you primarily use) and 1/2 teaspoon toasted sesame oil.

Then measure in 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, 1/2 teaspoon sugar and 1/4 teaspoon white pepper. Black pepper can be substituted but white pepper has a different flavor that simply adds a little somethin-somethin to this method.

Whisk to combine and set off to the side.

Remove the steak from the freezer.

Angle your kitchen knife and immediately start slicing into 1/4-inch slices.

Freezing the steak (or any protein for that matter) prior makes it extremely unfussy to do this.

Place in a bowl and now you’re ready to wok-it-out. (har har)

Heat a teaspoon of safflower or avocado oil in a large wok over medium-high to high heat. Add in the onions…

The prepped pea pods…

Cook, tossing the vegetables around often until the pea pods turn a bright green and the onions have softened. About 4 minutes.

Remove to a bowl and set off to the side.

Add another teaspoon of oil to the wok and add in the sliced baby bok choy. Push the bok choy around as it cooks, transfer to the same bowl with the onions and pea pods once the greens have wilted but the white parts still have some bite to them.

Add a tablespoon of oil into the wok. Working in batches of 3… cook the steak for a minute or two (until the edges are browned before flipping to cook the other side.

It’s important to not overcook the steak, as it will get tough and chewy, so use tongs to remove the not-fully cooked steak and transfer to a clean plate.

Once you’re on the final batch of steak…

Add in the partially cooked steak…

The broth liquids…

Once the liquids are at a boil…

Add in the cornstarch slurry.

Immediately add the vegetables…

Water chestnuts and bamboo shoots…

…and heat through. Taste and add more salt if needed.

Serve with white rice, sliced green onions, more white pepper, sriracha if you’re inclined… and chopsticks.

Not that I have a clue how to eat and look classing at the same time using these things… so a fork can be substituted.

Enjoy! And if you give this Steak Kow recipe a try, let me know! Snap a photo and tag me on twitter or instagram!

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