Ingredients
1 lb beef, boneless cut in thin strips
3 tbsp oriental marinade
1 large garlic clove minced
3 tbsp black bean sauce
1 tbsp cornstarch
5 tbsp vegetable oil
1 onions cut in thin wedges
1/2 lb asparagus 1-1/2 lengths
Directions
Combine beef, marinade, garlic; let stand 15 minutes. Meanwhile
combine black bean sauce and 1/2 cup water. Mix cornstarch and 2
tablespoons water until smooth; set aside. Heat 2 tablespoons oil in
wok or skillet over high heat. Add 1/2 the beef; stir-ry 1 to 2
minutes, or until browned. Remove from wok. Repeate with remaining
beef. Heat remaining tablespoon oil, add onion and asparagus.
Stir-fry 1 minutes. Add black bean sauce mixture. Reduce heat; cover
and simmer 2 minutes or until vegetables are tender-crisp. Add beef
and cornstarch mixture. Cook and stir until sauce boils and thickens.
Original recipe from Dynastic Classic Oriental Cookbook. Conversion
by Rick Weissgerber.
Servings: 4 servings
Asparagus Beef Beijing Recipe brought to you by Recipe Ideas
Categories: Beef; Meat; Vegetable
The History of Recipes
We are able to track the history of meal recipes way back into ancient history, in fact as far as early Egypt, and quite possibly further than that. Interesting though that maybe, generally, these old cookbooks were just very basic hieroglyphic or cunieform instructions for food preparation.
The truth of the matter is, the most ancient recipe in existence, according to Professor Solomon Katz, are some ancient tablets in ancient Sumerian which show the making of bread which is then used to make a drink, quite possibly a form of beer as it is recorded as having made people feel `blissful`. Later on, in The time of the roman empire around 25BC a man called Apicius compiled some scripts showing how to cook the recipes prepared by wealthy Romans. In his scrolls, he describes how the roman meals were split into appetizers, main meal and desserts, something we still use today. Aspicius also informs us how the ancient chefs were skilled in the use of many spices, including many that are still in use today like basil, rue and dill. During the following few hundred years, the rich families of Europe strove to lay on the most extravagent meals, and as a consequence, the best chefs and their collection of recipes were highly sought after. Even so, it was during the 19th century that cookery and recipe books reached a high level of popularity. Mrs Isabella Beeton in the UK, and the equally famous Fannie Merritt Farmer in the USA, devoted much of their lives to collecting, testing, and recording recipes that were common in the better off homes of the day. By the time we get to the 1900s, recipe books were starting to become popular mostly as a result of more people being able to read, people having increased free time and being a little richer. The arrival of television brought us celebrity TV chefs and the demand for the accompanying recipe books. Which brings us neatly to the present day and the invention of the internet, permitting us all to access massive numbers of recipes like the ones you can find on this recipe site. |
We hope you enjoy this Asparagus Beef Beijing recipe.
