Chinese Pepper Steak with Tomatoes

Chinese Pepper Steak with Tomatoes

I love Pepper Steak but most Chinese restaurants do not add tomates to the dish. I love tomatoes added because that's the way my mom and dad liked to cook it. They learned to love and fix oriental dishes from the years we spent living in the Philippine Islands. The food there is very similar to Chinese cusine and I'll never forget visiting Hong Kong and Japan too. I have great memories of the time we spent there and would love to go back someday.

There are many different recipes for this hearty dish, but I hope you like my version! Remember to make sure you don't cook the vegetables too long. You want them to be crisp, rather than soggy.  And lastof all, make sure you serve it on top of some steamed white rice or better yet with brown rice if you want to eat healthier!

Ingredients

1 1/2 lbs top sirloin steak, thinly sliced, against the grain
2 Tablespoons peanut oil or any other cooking oil (coconut oil is also a good choice)
1 whole med size onion, cut into bite size squares
1 green pepper, sliced into bite size squares or slivers
1 red sweet pepper, cut into bite size chunks
1 handful of fresh pea pods, ends trimmed.
2 medium size tomatoes, sliced in wedges
2 - cloves garlic, chopped
1 can water chestnuts, sliced
1/4 cup lite soy sauce
1 Tablespoon sugar
1/2 tespoon ground ginger or freshly grated ginger
2 Tablespoons cornstarch
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
Salt and pepper to taste
Optional - 1- 2 Tablespoons cooking wine

Put the steak in the freezer for about 30 minutes because it will be easier to slice. After 30 minutes, slice the steak into thin slices.
In a bowl, mix the soy sauce, sugar, ginger and cornstarch. Add the steak slices and allow to marinate for 20 - 30 minutes.
While steak is marinating, chop peppers, onions and garlic. Trim peapods and put in separate bowl. Slice tomatoes into thin wedges and set aside in a separate bowl. They will be added at the end a couple minutes before serving.
Heat 2 Tablespoons oil in wok on high heat. Cook beef in 2 batches so it will get crispy. Place cooked beef in a bowl and set aside. Add 1- 2 more tablespoons  oil to wok and fry chopped garlic and water chestnuts along with about 2 tablespoons of finely chopped onion.  After it has carmelized, add peppers and onion to pan. Cook 2 minutes. Put beef back into pan and stir all together. Add 1/2 - 2/3 cup water. If adding cooking wine, this would be the time to do that. Heat for about a minute. Salt and pepper to taste. Add peapods and tomatoes and cook about 1-2 minutes longer.
Serve over rice.