Beef Stir Fry with Red Curry Paste

Has anyone been watching Jamie Oliver's "Food Revolution" (Fridays on ABC)?  After revolutionizing school lunch programs throughout Britain, the Naked Chef has finally come to America!  I was floored to see that kindergartners in Huntington, WV could not identify basic vegetables like potatoes and tomatoes, yet they knew exactly what french fries and ketchup were.  I was even more astonished to learn that until 4th grade, public school children do not receive forks and knives -- all meals are designed to be eaten by hand (hamburgers, pizza, fries, etc).  But what shocked me the most was a school administrator who ordered Jamie to place french fries with all the meals to increase the amount of vegetables children received with their lunch.  Yes, you heard that correctly... When you are told that your children are fed a cup and a quarter of vegetables with each school lunch, you should know that "vegetables" include french fries!!!



In this week's episode, Jamie pledged that he would teach 1,000 people from Huntington a healthy recipe in just 5 days.  The meal looked so delicious that I decided to make a variation of it tonight.  My version substitutes rice for noodles and packs a bit more of a punch, courtesy of red curry paste which you can find at Asian supermarkets or maybe even in your grocery store's international food section.  While I used ribeye steak for this stir fry, you could definitely make this a vegetarian meal without the meat - just add additional veggies.



Ingredients

1 cup rice
1 Tbl vegetable oil
1 Tbl sesame oil
2 - 3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 bunch of scallions, diced
3 - 4 Tbl minced ginger
4 Tbl cilantro, diced
1 red chili pepper, de-seeded and minced
1 Tbl red curry paste
1/2 lbs very thinly sliced rib eye steak (I buy this pre-sliced at an Asian supermarket)
2 Tbl soy sauce
1 Tbl lime juice
Vegetables -- I used 1 cup mushrooms, sliced, 1/2 lb asparagus, cut into half inch pieces, and 1/2 cup carrots, chopped 
Directions

Prepare rice according to package directions.
Add vegetable oil and sesame oil to a large wok on medium heat.  Once warm, add garlic, scallions, ginger, cilantro, chili pepper, and red curry paste. Simmer 3 - 5 minutes.
In batches, cook thinly sliced steak about 30 seconds per side.  Transfer steak to a plate.
Add vegetables, soy sauce, and lime juice and simmer 5 minutes or until cooked.
Once rice is full cooked, add it to the wok.  Re-add the steak as well.  On low heat, mix everything together.  Pour into bowls and serve immediately.
Prep time 15 minutes

Cook time 15 minutes

Serves 2 - 3