Stir frying always makes for a great weeknight meal. I was a little worried when I first tried this recipe about the oyster sauce, but the end result wasn't the least bit overpowering or fishy at all. I imagine the brand of oyster sauce is important. I used Dynasty, which was the only brand available in the supermarket I was in that day. I don't have enough experience with oyster sauce to know if it's good or bad, but I liked how this dish came out.

Like most stir fries, this would work well with just about any vegetable. Replace or add carrots, water chestnuts, bamboo shoots as you prefer. I also threw some extra-firm cubed tofu in with the leftovers.

BEEF AND VEGETABLE STIR FRY WITH OYSTER SAUCE

• 1 lb. flank steak
• 3 Tbsp. soy sauce
• 1 Tbsp. sherry or dry white wine
• 2 Tbsp. chicken broth
• 5 Tbsp. oyster sauce (also called oyster-flavored sauce)
• 1 Tbsp. brown sugar
• 1 tsp. toasted sesame oil
• 1 tsp. cornstarch
• 3 cloves garlic, run through a garlic press
• 1 Tbsp. grated ginger
• 1 head broccoli, cut into florets, stem peeled and sliced into 1/4-inch pieces
• 1/3 cup water
• 1 red bell pepper, cut into 1/4-inch pieces

Trim the flank steak of any large pieces of fat and silverskin. Cut along the grain into 2-inch-wide strips, then cut across the grain into 1/4-inch-thick pieces. Toss the been strips with the soy sauce and let sit in the refrigerator while you prepare the other ingredients.

Make the sauce by combining the sherry, broth, oyster sauce, brown sugar, sesame oil, and corn starch. Set aside.

Combine the garlic, ginger, about a teaspoon of oil in a small bowl and set aside.

Cook the beef. Drain it and discard the liquid. Heat a non-stick skillet over medium-high to high heat with about a tablespoon of oil until quite hot. Add one-half to one-third of the beef, spread to a single layer, and let cook for about 60 seconds, or until it is nicely browned on one side. Flip with tongs or a fork and cook for another 60 seconds or until cooked-through. Remove the beef and repeat until it is all cooked. It is important to do this step in batches and over very high heat to get good browning on the beef; don't do too much at once or it will just steam.

Cook the vegetables. In this case, in a non-stick skillet with about 2 tsp. of oil over medium high heat, add the broccoli florets and cook for about 30 seconds until they are hot and covered with oil. Add the water and cover for about 2 minutes, letting them steam. Remove the cover and cook until the water is evaporated and the broccoli is cooked and bright green, but still crisp. Remove from the pan.

Return the pan to the heat, add a few more teaspoons of oil, and cook the pepper for a few minutes until it is softening. Add the ginger paste and cook for about 30 seconds until very fragrant.

Add the broccoli and beef back to the skillet along with any additional ingredients you wish and heat until hot. Whisk the sauce to recombine any settled cornstarch and add to the skillet. Cook 1-2 minutes until the sauce is thickened slightly and translucent and glossy.

Serve over steamed rice.

Adapted from Cook's Illustrated.