Tomato and onion beef on rice
Tender beef stir-fried with sweet-sour tomato and onion — red, green and appetising, and it reheats well for a lunchbox.
- 25 min
- Serves 2
- Stir-fry
- Easy
Why it suits you: Qi Stagnation tends towards low moods, and Qingming — sweeping ancestors' graves and missing loved ones — can weigh on the heart. Sweet-sour tomato wakes the appetite, onion and tangerine peel move qi, and a colourful hot plate of rice helps you feel lighter.
Method
Prep 15 min · Cook 10 min- 1Slice the beef thinly against the grain and marinate with the soy sauce, half the cornflour, the tangerine peel and 1 tbsp water for 15 minutes.
- 2Cut the tomatoes into wedges, slice the onion and cut the spring onions into lengths.
- 3Heat half the oil in a wok and stir-fry the beef over high heat for 1 minute until mostly cooked, then lift out.
- 4Add the remaining oil and soften the onion, then add the tomatoes and sugar and cook for 3–4 minutes until juicy. Thicken with the rest of the cornflour mixed with water.
- 5Return the beef with the spring onions, toss for 30 seconds and spoon over rice. For a lunchbox, cool and refrigerate.
Chef's tips
- Use beef tenderloin or chuck. Fully ripe tomatoes give plenty of juice, so you won't need ketchup.
The TCM view
Tomato is sweet, sour and slightly cold, eases thirst, wakes the appetite and calms the liver; onion is pungent and warm and moves qi; tangerine peel is pungent, bitter and warm and moves qi; beef is sweet and neutral and strengthens digestion. Sour with sweet softens the liver, fragrant pungency lifts stagnation, and warm and cool balance out.
