Beef and Broccoli Stir-fry

According to Aaron, this is the best stir-fry. I know, it's easier to buy the frozen vegs at the store. Trust me - it is so much better with fresh veggies and your own sauce. The time you put into it is minimal and the flavors are exceptional. If you use frozen veggies, they always get limp and over-cooked. I stuck to the 2 minutes required for boiling the broccoli and I had to keep Aaron out of it!

Beef and Broccoli Stir-fry
Bon Appétit 1995

Serves 4 with rice

8 ounces top sirloin, cut into 1/4-inch-thick strips
3 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar (or rice wine vinegar if you happen to have it)
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 tablespoon oriental sesame oil
3 large garlic cloves, minced
1 2-inch piece fresh ginger, peeled, minced

2 cups broccoli florets

1 tablespoon peanut or other vegetable oil
2 cups Chinese pea pods, trimmed
6 green onions, cut into 1-inch-long pieces
1/2 red bell pepper, sliced
1 teaspoon cornstarch

Combine first 7 ingredients and refrigerate 4 hours or overnight.

Cook broccoli in small pot of boiling salted water until almost crisp-tender, about 2 minutes; drain. Rinse under cold water to cool.

Heat oil in wok or heavy large skillet over high heat. Using slotted spoon, transfer beef to wok, reserving marinade. Stir-fry beef until just no longer pink, about 2 minutes. Remove beef from wok. Add broccoli, pea pods, green onions and red bell pepper. Continue stir-frying until vegetables are just crisp-tender, about 3 minutes. Stir cornstarch into reserved marinade. Pour marinade over vegetables in wok. Add beef and stir-fry until liquid boils and thickens, about 1 minute.