Stir-Fried Beef with Oyster Sauce

It took me some time to master the stir-fry, but I feel a little more confident with bringing out these quick meals now. I had this in mind when I thought about the steaks in the freezer on the way home from work. The Chinese broccoli leaves are not in the book's recipe, but some I had cut but did not use when I steamed veggies for the Lamb Rump Steak with Rustic French Rub the night before.

450 g (1 lb) lean beef steak
1 tablespoon light soy sauce
2 teaspoons Shaoxing rice wine or dry sherry
2 teaspoons cornflour
3 tablespoons groundnut oil
3 tablespoons oyster sauce
1 1/2 tablespoons finely chopped spring onions, to garnish
2 cups Chinese broccoli leaves (optional)

Cut the beef into slices 5 cm (2 in) long and 5 mm (1/4 in) thick, cutting against the grain of the meat. Put them into a bowl.

Mix in the soy sauce, sesame oil, rice wine or sherry and cornflour. Leave to marinate for 20 minutes.

Heat a wok until it is very hot, then add the groundnut oil. When it is very hot and slightly smoking, add the beef slices and stir-fry for 5 minutes or until lightly browned.

Remove the meat from the wok and drain well in a colander set inside a bowl. Discard the drained oil.

Wipe the wok clean and reheat it over a high heat. Add the oyster sauce and bring it to a simmer.

Return the drained beef slices to the wok and toss them thoroughly with the oyster sauce. If using Chinese broccoli leaves, add them at the same time as beef, and toss until leaves have softened. Do not add water, as moisture from the leaves will be sufficient for the sauce. Turn the mixture on to a serving platter, garnish with the spring onions and serve at once.