Messy Corn Food

CRAZY SZECHUAN BEEF AND MESSY CORN WITH SHISHITO

Steps:

• For the steak and marinade: Place steak in freezer for a few minutes to firm up a bit, then thinly slice on a bias against the grain.
• In a shallow dish, stir up marinade and spices: cornstarch, rice wine vinegar, soy sauce, cumin, Szechuan pepper and ground turmeric if using. Add meat and coat, then let stand 10 to 15 minutes.
• For the vegetables and sauce: Peel ginger and turmeric if using and grate or mince. Chop or grate garlic. In a small bowl, whisk up sauce: ginger, garlic, turmeric, soy, Shaoxing rice wine or sherry, sweet chile sauce, chile garlic sauce or sriracha and sesame oil. Place about the cornstarch in smaller bowl or ramekin.
• Peel and chop carrot into thin matchsticks. Quarter pepper lengthwise, remove seeds and thinly slice across. Cut the scallions 1 inch on bias.
• Heat a large cast-iron or nonstick pan over high heat with peanut oil, 2 turns of the pan. Cook beef in 2 batches if necessary to crisp, about 3 minutes each. Add another turn of pan of oil and stir-fry the carrot, peppers and Asian chiles, if using, and toss for a minute. Add sauce to the pan. Add a splash of water to cornstarch and add to sauce to thicken. Add beef and toss, then add half the scallions. Transfer to bowl and top with remaining scallions and sesame seeds, if using. Serve with Messy Corn and Shishito Peppers.
• Shuck the corn unless you bought it prepped by produce department. Cut the corn on the cob into 2-inch chunks.
• Heat a large nonstick or cast-iron skillet over high heat with peanut oil, 2 turns of the pan, add corn and peppers and blister and brown, 5 to 6 minutes. Reduce heat a bit and add garlic, ginger, chile sauce, soy sauce, vinegar, sesame oil and scallions. Toss another minute, transfer to platter and top with cilantro.

MESSY CORN

Steps:

• Soak the corn in cold water for 30 minutes.
• Meanwhile mix all the other ingredients together, and heat the barbecue grill on low/medium heat.
• Cook the corn on the grill (still in husks) for 30 minutes, turning occasionally.
• Remove corn from the grill and peel back the husks (the silk will just fall away easily).
• Slather the ears of corn with the sauce and serve immediately.
• Warning: Serve with plenty of paper napkins!