It’s summer and watermelon is everywhere. I was curious if watermelon could be incorporated into a main dish and started looking around. I came across this recipe at MyRecipes.com (originally from Virginia Willis in Southern Living) and gave it a try. The sweetness of the watermelon is nicely balanced by the salt and spices. The original called for hoisin sauce as one of the main ingredients of the sauce part, but we’ve not found one that we trust as not being made on shared equipment with fish, so I made up something that seemed to work well for the sauce.
Beef and Watermelon Stir-fry with Brown Rice
Ingredients
Marinade
- 3 garlic cloves minced
- 2 tsp cornstarch
- 2 tsp water
- 2 tsp Low sodium soy sauce
- 1/2 Tbs olive oil
- 1 Tbs white cooking wine
Sauce
- 2 Tbs water
- 1 Tbs corn starch
- 1 Tbs Low sodium soy sauce
- 1 Tbs molasses
- 1 Tbs white cooking wine
- 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
The rest
- 1 lb sirloin strip steak cut into thin strips
- 1 medium sweet onion sliced
- 1 lb sugar snap peas
- 1/2 lb carrots sliced
- 1 tsp grated ginger
- 1/2 tsp dried crushed red pepper
- 1 lb watermelon sliced in long 1/2in square sticks
- Brown rice
Instructions
- Mix marinade: garlic, cornstarch, water, soy sauce, olive oil and wine and marinate the steak slices for 30 minutes.
- Meanwhile make the sauce: stir together water, corn starch, soy molasses, wine.
- Remove steak from marinade, discarding the marinade.
- Heat 1 tsp olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat and cook half of beef at a time without stirring, 45 seconds or until browned; turn beef, and cook 45 seconds or until browned. Transfer to a warm plate.
- Stir-fry the onion until tender, about 2 minutes.
- Add sugar snap peas, carrots, ginger, and crushed red pepper; stir-fry 2 minutes.
- Add beef and sauce mixture; stir-fry 1 minute or until slightly thickened.
- Remove from heat.
- Stir in watermelon.
- Add black pepper, and red pepper to taste.
- Serve immediately over brown rice.
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