Components:
1 pound stir-fry grade beef, sliced thin, but not too thin. (beef hip works well)
1/2 cup cornstarch
2 cups carrots, julienned
1/2 cup some kind of onion, chopped
3ish cloves garlic, minced
3 tablespoons fresh ginger, grated
2 tablespoons sesame seeds
2 tablespoons sesame oil
1 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup vinegar
1/4 cup vegetable oil (for cooking)
3 cups vegetable oil (for frying)
Sequence:
Coat the beef strips in the cornstarch.
Put 1/4 cup of oil in a pan, and cook the onions for a minute or two, until they're a bit translucent.
Add the carrots, and cook until they soften slightly (2-3 min)
Add the garlic and ginger, and stir. Cook for another minute.
Add the soy sauce, vinegar, and sesame oil, and then the brown sugar, black pepper, and sesame seeds. Stir it a bit, then turn the temperature down to a low simmer. Don't worry about reducing the sauce, overcooking it just diminishes the flavour.
Put the 3 cups of oil in a deep pot, and heat the oil to 350-375F. Put the beef into the oil, a few strips at a time. Remove each piece just after it becomes slightly crispy; this will coincide with a reduction in the effervescence surrounding that piece of beef. It depends on the size of the piece, but this shouldn't take more than three minutes. You'll need to adjust the batch size and cooking heat in order to keep the oil temperature between 350 and 375F.
Combine the beef with the sauce, and consume according to the customs of your people.
Disclaimer: I plagiarized this from some guy's web page. By following this recipe instead of his, you're stealing his advertising dollars. But, his recipe doesn't have anywhere near enough ginger, it's too salty, he doesn't really explain the frying process, and you have to wade through a thousand word essay.
As a relative n00b at cooking, here are some things that should be obvious, but weren't (to me):
Use a sharp knife to chop the onion. A serrated knife probably isn't the best choice.
Wash your hands after working with the garlic. Immediately. You don't want to marinate your finger-meat.
Don't turn the heat on the frying oil up to maximum right away, it will get spattery.
Do the deep-frying in short sleeves. If this results in flashes of pain, you're doing something wrong.
