Beef and Pickled Mustard Greens (Haam Choy)

Beef and Pickled Mustard Greens is Cantonese home-cooked comfort food. Haam choy, sweet bell peppers, and melt-in-your-mouth velveted beef make for a simple, quick, yet delicious recipe.

📝 Ingredients

• 12 ounces flank steak ((thinly sliced against the grain))
• 1 teaspoon cornstarch
• 1/8 teaspoon baking soda
• 2 tablespoons water
• 2 teaspoons oyster sauce
• 1 teaspoon vegetable oil
• 3-4 slices ginger ((sliced 1/4-inch thick, and smashed with a cleaver))
• 8 ounces pickled mustard greens (haam choy) (cut into 1/2-inch by 1 -inch strips)
• 2 cloves garlic ((sliced))
• 2 scallions ((cut at an angle into 1 1/2 inch pieces, white pieces smashed and green parts cut into 2-inch lengths))
• 1/2 cup red bell pepper ((cut into bite-sized pieces))
• 2/3 cup chicken stock
• 1/2 teaspoon sugar
• 1/8 teaspoon white pepper
• 1 tablespoon oyster sauce
• 1 teaspoon light soy sauce
• 1/4 teaspoon sesame oil
• 3 tablespoons vegetable oil ((divided))
• 2 teaspoons Shaoxing wine
• 1 1/2 teaspoons cornstarch ((mixed into a slurry with 1 tablespoon water))

👨‍🍳 Instructions

1. 1Place the beef slices into a bowl with the cornstarch, baking soda, water, oyster sauce, and vegetable oil. Mix until thoroughly combined. Set aside for at least 30 minutes, or even overnight.
2. 2Meanwhile, prepare the ginger, pickled mustard greens, garlic, scallions, and bell pepper. If using store-bought vacuum-sealed pickled mustard, rinse it well before slicing, as it can be very salty. Also, mix the sauce by combining the chicken stock, sugar, white pepper, oyster sauce, light soy sauce, and sesame oil, and set aside.
3. 3Heat your wok until it just begins to smoke, and spread 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil around the perimeter of the wok. Add the beef to the wok, spreading it in a single layer. Sear the meat for 1 minute on each side. Remove the beef from the wok, leaving any oil behind, and set aside.
4. 4Next, set the wok to medium heat, and add another tablespoon of oil, along with the smashed ginger. After 15 seconds, add the pickled mustard greens, and stir-fry for 30 seconds, until the greens are seared and slightly dry.
5. 5Increase the heat to high, and add the smashed garlic, white parts of the scallions, and red bell peppers. Stir-fry for another minute.
6. 6Add the Shaoxing wine around the perimeter of the wok to deglaze it, and stir everything together for another 30 seconds.
7. 7Stir up the prepared sauce mixture and add it to the wok, mixing everything together until combined. Then push all of the ingredients to the middle of the wok and cook for 1 to 2 minutes, or until the liquid comes to a simmer.
8. 8Add the seared beef—along with all of the juice that has collected in the bowl––and the green parts of the scallions. Cook for another 30 seconds.
9. 9Add enough of the cornstarch slurry to thicken the sauce (you don’t have to use it all, and you should go by your personal preference and taste). Stir for 20-30 seconds. Plate and serve with steamed rice.