Tomato beef stir-fry with garlic amaranth
Tomatoes cooked down until juicy, then tossed with tender beef for a sweet-sour lift, plus a plate of garlicky amaranth — one meat dish and one veg.
- 30 min
- Serves 2
- Stir-fry
- Easy
Why it suits you: A balanced constitution thrives on balance. In the steamy heat of Grain in Ear appetites fade; sweet-sour tomato revives them and moistens, while beef nourishes qi and blood without heating. Amaranth, a summer green at its best now, clears heat and damp. One meat, one veg — satisfying but light.
Method
Prep 15 min · Cook 15 min- 1Mix the beef with the soy sauce, ½ tsp sugar, cornflour and a splash of water, then a little oil, and marinate for 15 minutes.
- 2Heat oil in a wok, fry the ginger until fragrant, then stir-fry the beef over high heat until 70% cooked and set aside. In the same wok, cook the tomatoes until juicy, add the ketchup and remaining sugar and simmer for 1 minute.
- 3Return the beef, toss through and scatter with spring onion. Wipe the wok, heat more oil, fry the garlic, add the amaranth and stir-fry over high heat until wilted. Season with salt.
Cautions
- Amaranth is cooling; eat less if your digestion runs cold or you often have loose stools.
Chef's tips
- Cook the tomatoes down before adding the beef for a richer sauce; red amaranth turns the juices pink, which is normal.
The TCM view
Beef is sweet and neutral, strengthening the spleen and stomach and supporting qi and blood. Tomato is sweet, sour and slightly cold, generating fluids and aiding digestion. Amaranth is sweet and cool, clearing heat and damp; garlic is pungent and warm, warming the middle and balancing the amaranth's coolness. Warm and cool are matched, nourishing without heaviness.
