Denny has gotten a few comments from people who read this site on the topic of him chubbing up. I would like to set the record straight. Denny is actually very skinny. In fact he is so skinny that sometimes he stabs me with his knees and elbows when he is trying to snuggle me.

Rest assured that even if he ate nine servings of Mongolian beef, he would probably still not be very chubby.

I made Mongolian beef last night. DC was crazy for it. He’s not usually all that big an eater, but he had three servings. It may be because he’s chubbing up for winter, but that’s ok. He’s pretty skinny.

Mongolian Beef

• 1 lb flank steak
• 1/2 large yellow onion, cut into thin strips
• 1 bunch green onions, root ends cut off
• 1 tablespoon fresh ginger, minced
• 2 large cloves of garlic, minced
• 1/4 cup warm water
• 1 tablespoon corn starch
• 1 generous squeeze chili garlic sauce (or to taste)
• 1/4 cup soy sauce, or more to taste
• 1/2 cup dry white wine or sherry
• 2-3 tablespoons sugar, or to taste
• 2 tablespoons oyster sauce
• 1 tsp sesame oil
• canola oil

1. Put the flank steak in the freezer for about 30 minutes, or until partially frozen.
2. In the meantime, cut up your vegetables. Mince your garlic and ginger, slice your yellow onion, and cut your green onion. For the green onion, cut each branch in half lengthwise, so you have a whole bunch of long, skinny strips. Then cut them in half width-wise, so they’re not quite so long.
3. Prepare the sauce: combine water, corn starch, chili garlic sauce, wine, sugar, soy sauce, sesame oil, and oyster sauce. Set aside.
4. When the beef is semi-frozen, cut it against the grain into strips as thin as you can get them.
5. Heat a couple of teaspoons of canola oil in a wok or large frying pan over medium-high heat.
6. When oil is hot, add yellow and green onions, stirring constantly, until wilted and almost done.
7. Add the garlic and ginger; continue sauteeing for another minute or two.
8. Put wok contents in another bowl.
9. Add beef to pan. Cook, stirring constantly, until the pink is almost gone. Drain fat if necessary.
10. Add onion mixture to beef. Stir sauce (it may have separated while it was waiting) and add to pan. Stir frequently. The sauce will thicken after it has boiled for a few moments.
11. Serve with steamed rice.