COOK: Mongolian Hot and Sour Venison Stir Fry
It’s day five on our wine advent calendar from Costco: a South African Chenin Blanc. I could cheat and look ahead (which would make meal planning easier) but am enjoying the challenge of finding out in the morning and improvising with what is on-hand (reason #394 to keep a well-stocked pantry larder!).
I paired this one with a quick pineapple upside down cake, and a hot and sour Mongolian venison stir fry… We’re watching Marco Polo during dinner this week, so seemed appropriate (yes, it’s not authentic, but they weren’t speaking English on the steppe either, so it works?).
The slices of venison steak were marinated in dark soy sauce, ginger, garlic, orange juice, black and szechuan pepper and chilis, tossed with cornstarch and flash fried in peanut oil, and served with stir-fried veggies in a tangy sauce sweetened with pineapple juice, coconut sugar, ginger candy, star anise, and vegetarian oyster sauce on a bed of brown rice. It needed some more heat, so I added a good glug of the fermented habanero peach sauce I made this summer to accentuate the fruit and kick up the spice level.
Pineapple cake with buttery brown sugar caramel was a great follow up pairing for this versatile wine rich with tons of tropical fruit flavors and crisp but round acidity. Yum!
Mongolian-ish Hot and Sour Venison Stir-fry
Marinade ingredients:
- 12 oz venison steak (round, sirloin, tri-tip, or loin… Trim is fine)
- 1/2 c. OJ or pineapple juice (or blend)
- 2 T dark soy sauce
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1-2 t. grated fresh ginger
- 1/8-1/4 t. Szechuan ground pepper
- Fresh ground black pepper (to taste)
- 1-2 minced hot peppers
- 2-3 T. corn starch
- Slice steak across the grain into bite size pieces. Marinate in everything but the cornstarch for at least an hour.
- Drain and reserve marinade (add to sauce in next step). Toss with enough cornstarch to coat. It will be sticky.
Hot and sour sauce:
- Juice from one can of pineapple
- 1/4 c. rice vinegar
- 2-3 T black vinegar
- 2 T rice wine
- Fish sauce (to taste, a few shakes)
- 1/2 c orange juice (add grated zest if using fresh orange)
- Minced chilis to taste (fresh, dry, or a mix)
- 1 T. Oyster sauce
- 1 tsp. Chili-garlic sauce
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1 whole star anise
- 2 tsp minced or grated fresh ginger
- 2 pieces Indonesian ginger candy (optional)
- 1-2 T coconut sugar
- 2 T cornstarch, dissolved in a 1/4 c. cool water
- Reserved liquid from marinade
- Fruity hot sauce (to taste, optional)
- Combine all sauce ingredients in a small saucepan and simmer over low heat. Let reduce until flavors are combined and adjust seasoning to taste. Remove star anise (before it overpowers the other elements). Keep hot.
- Start rice in pot or rice cooker (if using brown rice, start while meat is marinating before making sauce).
- Prep your veggies for the stir fry.
Stir-fry veggies:
- 1 small or half a large onion, peeled and sliced thinly
- 2 carrots, peeled and sliced evenly on the bias
- 1 can sliced water chestnuts, drained
- Sweet and/or hot peppers, sliced
- Cubed pineapple (3-5 slices, chopped- reserve enough to line cake pan, and use the rest in the stir fry).
- 1/2 c. Snow peas or green beans
- 1/2 c. Cherry tomatoes (halved if large)
Method:
- Add an inch or so of peanut oil to cover the bottom of a wok and get it very hot (just below smoking). Have a plate or shallow pan ready for the cooked meat, and a heat-resistant container to drain excess oil.
- Using tongs, add the meat in single-layer small batches to wok-fry. Do not crowd the pan. Transfer cooked meat with tongs or a slotted metal spoon and set aside while you fry the rest.
- Drain the excess oil, leaving just a few spoonfuls.
- Stir fry the veggies, starting with the onions and peppers, then the carrots, then the water chestnuts and pineapple.
- Add the green beans or peas, and then the tomatoes last, just before serving.
- Add the meat back to the pan, and toss with just enough sauce to coat (save any extra in the fridge for leftovers, or dipping sauce for dumplings or egg rolls).
- Serve over hot rice or rice noodles.