By Gabby Zaldumbide
Stir fry always seemed so intimidating to me. I'm not sure if it was just because I'm unfamiliar with cooking Asian cuisine, or if I was nervous that the meat would come out chewy and overdone like it had in past attempts; either way, stir fry isn't something I make very often. Thankfully, a copy of Buck, Buck, Moose by Hank Shaw lives above my microwave, so last week when I had a defrosted piece of elk that would be perfect for stir fry, I decided to crack open its index. Low and behold, Hank had me covered!
This recipe features delicious flavors from my Colorado elk, fresh veggies, and PS Seasoning's Red Rooster sweet red chili sauce. Combined with Hank's foolproof directions, this stir fry turned out absolutely perfect.
Ingredients
- One medium-sized cut of venison, preferably a steak cut, backstrap section, tenderloin, or other similar tender cut of meat.
- PS Seasoning's Red Rooster sweet red chili sauce
- One head of broccoli cut into bite-size florets
- One red bell pepper, sliced
- 2 tbsp dry sherry
- PS Seasoning's Black Gold garlic pepper seasoning
- 4 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tbsp corn starch combined with 2 tbsp water
- 1 1/2 cups peanut or other high heat oil
- 3 cloves of garlic, chopped
- Cilantro, chopped
- 2 tbsp sesame oil
- PS Seasoning's Open Sesame blend
- White rice, cooked (I prefer Jasmine rice)
- Salt
- Any other mix-ins you enjoy (snap peas, cashews, onions, sesame seeds, etc.)
Directions
The venison will soak in a marinade while you prepare the other ingredients, so it's key to do this step first. Thinly slice (1/4 inch or less) your venison into pieces 1-3 inches long. Mix 3 tbsp of soy sauce, 1/2 tsp salt, the sherry, and the starch mixture and add the venison to it. I added a few shakes of Black Gold here, too. Let sit while you chop veggies and heat the oil.
Heat your cooking oil to 275-300 degrees. Add one third of the venison to the oil and let them cook for 45 seconds. Remove from the oil and set the venison on a plate with paper towels to drain. Cook the next two thirds of the meat in the same manner.
Remove all of the oil except for about 3 tbsp. Don't toss that oil! Keep it in the fridge for the next time you're frying up some grub. Heat the oil on your hottest burner. When the oil starts to smoke, add the vegetables and stir fry for 90 seconds. Add the garlic and cook for another 30 seconds. Add the venison back in and cook it for another 90 seconds. Add the cilantro (and some Open Sesame if you've got it) and cook for 30 seconds or until it wilts.
Remove from heat and add in the sesame oil. This is where I tossed the whole stir fry in a generous helping of PS Seasoning's Red Rooster sauce. Serve over rice. Enjoy!