A friend was telling me that she has lots of venison and elk in her freezer as her husband is an avid hunter. She mentioned that she did not quite care for venison because of its strong flavor.
In Chinese Cooking, the usage of wine, scallions, ginger or sugar before or during cooking helps to counteract the flavors in game meats or meats that have stronger flavors like lamb, mutton and beef. With that understanding I think I may be ready to make venison good!
- 1 pound venison (I had a piece of round steak, any shoulder parts will work too)
Marinade
2 Tbs. soy sauce
1 Tbs. oyster sauce
1/2 tsp. sugar
1 Tbs. rice wine (Shaoxing)
1 tsp. sesame oil
2 Tbs. cornstarch
1 Tbs. oil *
- 1/2 cup finely sliced (or julienned) ginger
- 1 1/2 cup scallions
- 1/2 cup oil
- Sauce (mix together)
1 1/2 Tbs. Oyster sauce
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. sugar
3 Tbs. water
Instructions
- Slice the meat diagonally against the grain (1/4") thin slices. Sprinkle with baking soda, mix well and set aside for 20 minutes. Rinse meat with water, drain well in a colander and pat dry with paper towels. Season beef with marinade and finally mix in cornstarch and set aside for 20 minutes.
- Wash, remove skin from ginger and slice into paper-thin slices or julienned.
- Cut scallions diagonally into 2" lengths, separating the white and green parts.
- Add 1 Tbs. oil into the marinated beef, separating the pieces as you do.
- Heat oil in wok or heavy pan until it just starts to smoke. Separate beef into 2 portions to cook over high heat for 2-3 minutes each in the hot oil. Remove meat with a slotted spoon or 'spider', draining the excess oil as you do so and set aside.
- Remove all but 2 Tbs. oil from wok. Add in the ginger and stir fry until it is fragrant. Add in the white parts of the scallion and stir fry briskly for 1 minute. Return meat to wok, add in sauce, mix well. Lastly, add in the green parts of the scallion. Give it a final toss, plate and serve hot with rice.
