Teriyaki Beef and Bell Pepper Stir-Fry

As I write this post I’m sitting in a coffee shop, enjoying a cup of coffee and an oatmeal raisin cookie. Funny how coffee shops have changed since Starbucks arrived on the scene. They used to be about the coffee and donuts. Now they're more about the atmosphere and experience.

The place I’m in now sort of delivers on atmosphere but it could be better. That’s what I said last time I made a stir-fry...it could be better.

When I say "better", I'm really talking about the sauce because we all know stir-fries are all about the sauce. Last time my stir-fry sauce was lacking in flavor, I tried to fix it by adding more ingredients. 

A strategy that rarely works. 

The thing that never ceases to surprise me about cooking is that "less" is often "more". That’s why when I was making this Teriyaki Beef and Bell Pepper Stir-Fry I threw more of less at the sauce, rather than more. Say what?

I used more lime juice, more garlic, more ginger than I normally would and left out rice vinegar and sesame oil. It built a ton of flavor into the sauce and the thought "it could be better" never crossed my mind!

Cook with Less Effort

A stir-fry over rice is nice but it takes 15 minutes to cook the rice. Capellini noodles cook in 3 minutes. I think 12 minutes of less cooking time is even nicer!

Beef Teriyaki Stir-Fry

Sirloin beef and bell peppers covered in a sweet and savory teriyaki sauce.

Time to prepare: 15 minutes 

Time to cook:  10 minutes 

8 oz capellini noodles
3 tbsp teriyaki sauce

2 tbsp freshly squeezed lime juice
1 tbsp honey
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
12 oz. sirloin beef, thinly sliced
1 tbsp cornstarch
1 red bell pepper, seeded and sliced

1 green bell pepper, seeded and diced

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 tbsp grated ginger
1 green onion, chopped (separate white from green parts)

In a pot of boiling water, cook noodles according to package directions. Drain and set aside. In a bowl, stir together teriyaki sauce, lime juice, honey and red pepper flakes. Mix well.

Place sliced beef in a large bowl. Lightly season with salt and pepper. Add cornstarch and 1 tbsp of sauce mixture. Toss to coat beef  Set aside.

Meanwhile in a large skillet, heat 1 tsp oil over medium-high heat. Add bell peppers and cook just until slightly tender, about 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer cooked peppers to a bowl.

In the same skillet, heat 1 tsp oil over medium-high heat. Add beef. Cook until beef is almost cooked through, about 4 to 5 minutes. Add remaining sauce, garlic, ginger and white part of green onion. Cook and stir for one minute. Stir in cooked peppers, serve over noodles and garnish with remaining green onions.