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Sesame beef and asparagus

5
Points®
Total Time
21 min
Prep
12 min
Cook
9 min
Serves
4
Difficulty
Easy
Ready in only 20 minutes, you cannot beat this dish for an easy and flavorful weeknight go-to recipe. Beef and asparagus are a great combo but other vegetables you have on-hand such as broccoli florets or bell pepper strips, can be used as well. The broth, soy sauce and cornstarch mixture make a rich and delicious sauce begging for some rice to sop up the flavor. A trick to getting the thinnest cut on your beef, place the meat in the freezer for 15 minutes before you slice it. The slightly frozen meat is much less giving to the knife and therefore yields great thin slices. If you have boneless, skinless chicken breast you can use that in place of the beef. Purchase pre-toasted sesame seeds or toast your seeds before cooking the dish for best results.

Ingredients

Asparagus

1 pound(s), fresh, tough ends trimmed

Reduced sodium chicken broth

¾ cup(s)

Less sodium soy sauce

3 Tbsp

Cornstarch

1 Tbsp

Vegetable oil

1 Tbsp

Uncooked lean beef round

16 oz, top, or 1 pound, trimmed of all visible fat and cut into 2 x 1⁄8-inch strips

Fresh ginger

1 Tbsp, fresh, peeled and minced

Garlic

2 clove(s), minced

Sesame seeds

1 Tbsp, toasted

Instructions

  1. Cut off the asparagus tips and put in a medium bowl. Cut the asparagus spears on a long diagonal into 1⁄8-inch-thick slices; add to the asparagus tips.
  2. Combine the broth, soy sauce, and cornstarch in a cup.
  3. Heat a nonstick wok or large deep skillet over high heat until a drop of water sizzles. Swirl in the oil, then add the beef. Stir-fry until just cooked through, 3–4 minutes. Transfer to a plate.
  4. Add the asparagus, ginger, and garlic to the wok; stir-fry until the asparagus is crisp-tender, about 2 minutes. Return the beef with any accumulated juices to the wok. Add the broth mixture and cook, stirring constantly, until the sauce bubbles and thickens, about 1 minute. Transfer the beef and asparagus to a platter, then sprinkle with the sesame seeds.

Notes

Toasting sesame seeds brings out their nuttiness and turns them a lovely deep golden brown. Cook them over medium heat in a small skillet, tossing them often, until they begin to look shiny and just turn color. Be sure to transfer them to a plate: they will continue to darken if left in the skillet.

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