Rachael's Daytime Talk Show
Cuban-Style Stir-Fry with Tropical Salsa and Yellow Rice

Cuban-Style Stir-Fry with Tropical Salsa and Yellow Rice

Ingredients

  • 1 3/4 pound beef tips, cut into large bite-size pieces
  • 2-3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil (EVOO)
  • Salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • 3 onions, sliced
  • 5 garlic cloves, chopped
  • 1 teaspoon dried oregano (eyeball it) or 1 stem fresh oregano, chopped
  • 1 tablespoon cumin, eyeball it
  • 1 bottle of beer
  • 1-2 tablespoons hot sauce
  • Juice of 2 limes
  • Zest of 1 orange
  • 1 15-ounce can black beans, drained of half its liquid
  • 1 sack plantain chips, found in the International foods with Latin foods
  • For the salsa:
  • 1 mango or papaya, cut into small pieces
  • 1/2 small red onion, finely chopped
  • 1 jalapeño, seeded and finely chopped
  • 2 tablespoons (a small handful) cilantro leaves, chopped
  • Juice of 1 lime
  • Salt and pepper
  • For the yellow rice:
  • 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil (EVOO)
  • 1 small onion, chopped
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric (eyeball it)
  • 1 fresh or dry bay leaf
  • Salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 cup enriched white rice
  • 1 3/4 cups chicken stock

Yields: 4 servings

Preparation

Make the salsa: Combine mango or papaya, onion, jalapeño, cilantro and lime juice in a bowl. Season with salt and pepper to taste, and set aside.

Start the rice: Place a medium-size sauce pot over medium heat. Add 1 tablespoon of EVOO, the chopped onion, turmeric, bay leaf and some salt and pepper, and cook for about 1 minute. Add rice and stir, coating the grains with the spices and oil. Add chicken stock, raise heat to high and bring to a boil. Once boiling, turn the heat back down to medium, put a lid on the pot and cook until the rice is tender, about 18-20 minutes.

While the rice is cooking, start the meat: Place a large non-stick skillet over high heat with 2 turns of the pan of EVOO, about 2 tablespoons. Season beef tips with salt and pepper, and add to the hot skillet in an even layer. Brown for 3 minutes, then flip and continue to brown for another 2 minutes. Add sliced onion, garlic, oregano and cumin to the beef. Cook, stirring frequently, for about 5 minutes. Add the bottle of beer, hot sauce, lime juice and orange zest and stir. Add the black beans and continue to cook until they are heated through, about 2 minutes.

Fluff rice with a fork before spooning it onto plates. Top rice with the stir-fry and finish it off with plantain chips and a spoonful of the salsa.