Lemon grass, a long, thin herb with gray-green leaves, is key to Thai cuisine. It enhances recipes with a light flavor and adds its lemony fragrance. Fish sauce, popular throughout Southeast Asian cooking, adds a pungent, salty taste and can also be used as a condiment. Ginger contributes a classic zing. Pepper flakes are used for spicy heat.  Sesame oil, available in light or dark varieties, is ideal for stir-frying. All these flavors mingle splendidly with beef, as confirmed by the following recipe.
   Try ranch or sirloin steaks. Ranch steak, sometimes called shoulder center steak, is an over-looked chuck cut that provides a nice balance of flavor and tenderness. Sirloin steak has rightly earned the nickname of “the steak-lover’s choice” since it offers bold beef flavor in a pleasingly tender cut.
    Skip the take-out and enjoy Thai at home.

Ginger Thai Stir-fry
2 tablespoons sesame oil
2 pounds Certified Angus Beef ® ranch or sirloin steaks, cut into thin strips
2 tablespoons chopped ginger
1 tablespoon chopped garlic
1 teaspoon chopped lemon grass
1/4 cup bamboo shoots, cut into thin strips
2 cups green beans, tops pulled off, cut in half lengthwise and blanched
1 tablespoon red pepper flakes
3 tablespoons fish sauce
 Juice, 1/2 lime
2 cups long grain rice, cooked

  Heat oil in wok or medium frying pan. When oil is hot, add steak, ginger, garlic, lemon grass, bamboo shoots, beans, red pepper flakes and fish sauce. Cook 4 to 5 minutes on high heat. Remove from heat, add lime juice and serve over rice.

Serves 6

Nutritional Information per Serving: 389 calories, 17g fat, 5g saturated fat, 97mg cholesterol, 23g carbohydrate, 35g protein, 81mg sodium, 5mg iron

For other great recipes, visit www.certifiedangusbeef.com.