Black Garlic Chili Stir-Fry with Steak and Bell Peppers

To make the black garlic chili sauce, in a small bowl, stir together 1 cup (8 fl. oz./250 ml) of the water and the arrowroot starch. In another small bowl, stir together the tamari, brown sugar, honey, mirin, chili powder and sesame oil. Set both mixtures aside.

In a blender, combine the black garlic, ginger and the remaining 1/2 cup (4 fl. oz./125 ml) water. Blend on high speed just until smooth, about 20 seconds; there may be small residual black specks from the garlic, and that’s okay.

Pour the black garlic mixture into a wok, add the arrowroot mixture and the tamari mixture and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to low, cover and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the sauce has thickened and coats the back of a spoon, about 15 minutes. Taste and add more chili powder, if desired. Remove from the heat and pour the mixture into a medium bowl; set aside until ready to use. If not using immediately, let cool to room temperature, then cover and refrigerate for up to 3 days. The recipe makes about 1 cup (8 fl. oz./250 ml) sauce; you may not need all of it for this recipe. Wipe out the wok.

Bring a pot of water to a boil over high heat. Add the noodles, stir to separate and cook until tender, about 7 minutes or according to the package instructions. Drain in a colander and rinse under cold running water. If the noodles begin to stick together, run them under cold water again, then drain. Set aside.

In the wok over high heat, warm the oil until shimmering. Add the bell peppers and cook, stirring occasionally, until crisp-tender, 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer to a large bowl. Add the bok choy to the wok along with more oil if needed and cook, stirring occasionally, until slightly wilted, 2 to 3 minutes. Add to the bowl with the bell peppers and cover to keep warm.

Add more oil to the wok, then add one-third of the steak and cook, stirring occasionally, until browned but not cooked through, about 2 minutes. Transfer to another large bowl and cover to keep warm. Add half of the remaining steak to the wok and cook, stirring occasionally, until browned but not cooked through, about 2 minutes. Repeat with the remaining steak.

Return all of the steak to the wok, add 1/2 cup (4 fl. oz./125 ml) of the black garlic chili sauce and cook, stirring occasionally, until the steak is cooked through, 2 to 3 minutes. If the noodles are sticking together, run them under cold water again, then drain. Add the bell peppers, bok choy and noodles to the wok and toss to coat. Stir in more sauce, if desired.

Divide the stir-fry among 4 individual bowls. Garnish with the green onions and sesame seeds and serve immediately. Serves 2 to 4.

Williams Sonoma Test Kitchen