After 2 weeks of Procrastination - Beef Stir-Fry with Sesame-Ginger Sauce

After two weeks of procrastination, my house is finally clean enough to cook extravagant meals again. I know it sounds like pure laziness (because it is) but being away from one's house for two months can leave one overwhelmed, so I tackled the mess day by day, a little at a time. To celebrate, I invited Hannah and her visiting friend over for dinner following the Señorita de Campur contest (modeled after Ms. Universe) and made Beef Stir-Fry with Sesame-Ginger sauce.



The joy of stir fry is that you can add just about anything and as long as the sauce and the seasonings are right, it will come out perfect (PCV Rey Wike introduced me to the simplicity stir-fry in Granados, Baja Verapaz a few years back). The beef came from my host family's butcher shop and cost 2 dollars a pound, no matter what cut. The mushroom soy sauce was purchased at País (Walmart) and is very rich and thick in texture, providing awesome flavor to any marinade or sauce. I bought the ginger from a shop owner near the Catholic church who keeps a garden at her store and the 5-spice powder was sent down by a former co-worker (Hsiao-wen Whoo whoo!).



The key to stir-fry is having all the vegetables chopped and prepared to go onto the wok (I still haven't learned this lesson). Also, you should have enough bowls ready to be able to take food off the wok as well.

*I apologize for the lack of pictures and quality of food presentation. I just bought a camera, so I'll be able to go more in-depth with my pictures of food...as far as the quality of the food presentation, that will be a work in process. By the time I finish cooking, I'm normally starving and more concerned with how the food feels going down than how it looks.

Beef Stir-Fry with Sesame-Ginger Sauce

Beef Marinade

2 cloves of garlic, peeled and chopped
1 teaspoon of salt
2 teaspoons of pepper
3 tablespoons of soy sauce mixed with 1 tablespoon of flour
1 teaspoon of 5-spice powder
1 lb. of beef

Combine ingredients in a bowl and marinate covered while chopping vegetables and making stir-fry sauce.



Sesame-Ginger Stir-Fry Sauce

1/2 cup of chicken broth (consommé)
3 tablespoons of soy sauce
1 tablespoon of panela (sugar)
1 tablespoon of flour dissolved in 1 tablespoon of water
1/2 teaspoon of white vinegar
1 tablespoon of vegetable oil
3 tablespoons of fresh ginger, peeled and grated
1/2 tablespoon of chile cobanero (red pepper flakes)
2 teaspoons of toasted sesame oil

Heat oil in a small saucepan, adding ginger and chile cobanero. In a bowl, mix the remaining ingredients, except the sesame oil. Once ginger and chile have become fragrant, stir in the broth mixture and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and continue stirring. When the mixture is thick and glossy, turn off the heat and stir in sesame oil.



Beef Stir-Fry

1 lb. of marinated beef
2 red peppers, seeded and chopped
1 green pepper, seeded and chopped
2 large onions, chopped
4 small tomatoes, chopped
1 cucumber, seeded and chopped
1-2 tablespoons of ginger, peeled and chopping into match sticks
5 cloves of garlic, peeled and chopped
handful of fresh cilantro, chopped
1 carrots, peeled and slivered (with skin peeler)
2 large mangos, peeled, seeded and chopped
Salt and pepper to taste



Heat the wok, adding oil and wiping the pan down with a paper towel so it is nicely greased. Keep oil on hand as you may need to add more throughout the cooking process. Add meat to wok and saute for 5 minutes. Be careful that the wok is not too hot, as the marinade will burn easily. Be sure to keep stirring the meat as well. Once cooked, remove meat and add peppers and onions. Saute until onions begin to become clear. Remove and add remaining materials, once cooked, (5 minutes) re-add all the ingredients and the stir-fry sauce. Serve over brown rice.

Serves 8.



Variations:

Any kind of meat or vegetable can be used, it all depends on your tastes and what is available in your local market.

Vegetarian: In place of meat, use 5 or 6 eggs, scrambling them in a bowl and adding them towards the end, along with the tomatoes and cilantro. Make an opening in the middle of the wok, pour scrambled eggs into that spot and stir them while they are cooking.

For the stir-fry sauce, use vegetable broth in place of chicken broth.

Good Morning Campur - Mango Coconut Pancakes with Cinnamon Honey

"It's morning again in [Campur, Jareau has returned.]"

- Ronald Reagan 1984 Presidential Campaign Ad



Following the official end to the State of Siege here in Alta Verapaz, I have decided to extend my time in Guatemala by three months. In conjunction with this extension, I will keep a food blog highlighting my culinary adventures using items that can be found in markets around Guatemala. Good times have come to Campur once again!

Personally I like to buy as many of my items at the local market to support the local economy. From time to time, I go to the nearest city (Coban) to buy items that I cannot get in Campur (basil, yellow peppers, cumin seeds, etc.) and even to the Guatemalan version of Walmart to buy import items (thai rice noodles, mushroom soy sauce, etc.). With the items sold in Guatemala and some substitutional ingenuity (please excuse my English but this makes perfect sense to me after living here for 2 years), I can and have created some incredible meals.

Recently, I have been on a "healthy and local eating kick". I buy my fruits and vegetables as fresh and in-season as possible, hardly use canned or prepared foods, and eat locally raised, freshly butchered meats - with Campur providing as many gastronomical delights to my palette as possible.

My first recipe, Mango Coconut Pancakes with Cinnamon Honey, reminds me of my childhood during the Reagan years, where weekend pancakes were a highly sought after commodity (though without the mangoes and the coconuts). As an adult, I can eat pancakes whenever I want! In fact, some friends and I ate them for dinner on a Tuesday night. I make homemade pancakes all the time and will never buy/eat pancakes from the box again.


Coconut Milk

2 coconuts with meat
1 to 2 cups of water

Bake coconuts at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for a half hour. Once cooled, split coconuts with a machete or a hammer. If cooked enough, the skin will detach easily from the shell. Place the cooked coconut meat in a blender and add water depending on level of desired potency - if you would like a strong coconut milk flavor, add less water. Strain the milk and discard the remaining pulp.


(Straining the coconut milk. I would not recommend using a metal strainer as it changes the color of the coconut milk)


Cinnamon Honey



1/2 cup of locally-produced honey
2 tablespoons of ground cinnamon

Combine in a bowl or cup until the cinnamon has dissolved nicely into the honey.


Mango Coconut Pancakes with Cinnamon Honey

2 large very ripe mangoes, peeled and deseeded
1 cup of coconut milk* or powdered coconut milk
2 cups of flour
2 tablespoons of panela (sugar)
6 teaspoons of baking powder
1/4 cup of cooking oil
2 eggs
1 teaspoon of salt
water
cinnamon honey*

*See recipe above


(Mango Pureé)


Pureé mangos, leaving a few pieces diced. Mix wet and dry ingredients separately, combining them in a bowl and leaving the mixture slightly lumpy, adding water until desired consistency is achieved.



Heat a pan over medium heat, pouring a tablespoon of vegetable oil into it and wiping the pan with a towel. With a ladle, scoop the batter into pan. Flip with spatula when air bubbles can be seen on the topside. Serve with cinnamon honey.



Variations:

Vegan - Leave out the eggs and add 1/4 cup of ground flax seed (play with the quantity a little)

Fluffy - Add more baking powder or a teaspoon of baking soda to make it fluffier, as these pancakes can be rather dense.