Stir-Fried Beef with Mango
Colourful stir-fried beef with mango is bursting with fresh flavours and contrasting textures. The dressing is oil-free, so although a little oil is used to stir-fry the beef, the dish is still very light in fat. No extra salt is needed because of the spicy dressing and the saltiness of soy sauce.
400 g lean steak, such as sirloin, trimmed of all excess fat
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon sugar
2 teaspoons soy sauce
1 1/2 tablespoons sunflower oil
Ginger and Honey Dressing
2 teaspoons paprika
1/2 teaspoon cayenne, or to taste
1 1/2 tablespoons honey
1 inch piece fresh ginger, peeled and grated
4 tablespoons rice vinegar or apple cider vinegar
Fresh juice of 1 lime or lemon
Salad
1 ripe but firm mango, peeled and cut into strips
2 ripe but firm plums, sliced
1/4 medium head red cabbage, shredded
55 g watercress leaves
1/2 cucumber, cut into matchsticks
1/2 red bell pepper, seeded and cut into thin strips
3 or 4 scallions, cut into diagonal pieces
45 g mixed fresh mint and cilantro
2 tablespoons coarsely chopped roasted unsalted peanuts
- To make the dressing, put the paprika, cayenne, honey, ginger, and vinegar in a saucepan over medium heat. Slowly add 1 cup water, stirring, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the lime or lemon juice; set aside.
- Combine all the salad ingredients, except the peanuts, in a large, shallow serving dish and toss gently together until evenly mixed; set aside.
- Cut the steak into thin strips for stir-frying. Put the steak in a bowl with the garlic, sugar, and soy sauce and mix together so the strips of steak are seasoned. Heat a wok or nonstick skillet over high heat. Add the oil and the beef and stir-fry until the strips are evenly brown and cooked to taste, about 3 minutes.
- Spoon the stir-fried beef over the top of the mango salad. Drizzle the dressing over the top and sprinkle with the peanuts.
Some More Ideas for Stir-Fried Beef with Mango
- Add cubes of fresh or canned pineapple (canned in juice rather than syrup) or kiwi fruit to the salad, to increase the fruit content.
- Spice up the salad with very thin strips of fresh red chile—particularly if you have a cold, because scientists have suggested that eating chiles can help to alleviate nasal congestion.
- Replace the mango with 2 unpeeled and sliced nectarines.
- For a vegetarian version, omit the stir-fried beef and increase the quantity of shelled peanuts to 1 cup. Peanuts are an excellent source of protein and contain much less saturated fat than meat.
Plus Points
- All orange and red fruit and vegetables, such as mango, red cabbage, and red bell peppers, are excellent sources of beta-carotene and vitamin C—both antioxidants that help to protect against heart disease and cancer. The vitamin C aids the absorption of iron from the steak.
- Apart from adding delicious spiciness to the dressing, ginger also aids digestion.
Preparation time: 30 minutes
Cooking time: about 10 minutes
Serves 4
cals 265
protein 27 g
fat 8 g (of which saturated fat 3 g)
carbohydrate 20 g (of which sugars 18 g)
fibre 4 g
Low Calorie Cookbook, Reader's Digest
