Black Pepper Honey-Glazed Ostrich

Ostrich is health food and red meat all wrapped up into one. Even better, it's hard to imagine anyone's not liking it. Certainly no meat is leaner. Ostrich cooks much like beef, though more quickly and with less shrinkage. That's because ostrich is so much leaner than beef, or anything you might remotely compare to beef. When preparing ostrich, the most important challenge is to keep it moist and tender, especially if you're preparing it as a steak or by itself. Ostrich absorbs flavors quickly and easily, but has a wonderful flavor of its own. No vegetable works better with it than asparagus, which is now in season, and wont get any better til it's available same day fresh. As for putting ostrich and asparagus together with an innovative Hong Kong flair, who's to dispute the mastery of Martin Yan?

BLACK PEPPER HONEY-GLAZED OSTRICH

MARINADE

1/4 teaspoon dash black pepper
1 teapsoon dark soy sauce
1 teaspoon cornstarch
2 teaspoons rice wine

3/4 pound ostrich breast, cut in 3/4 inch cubes

SAUCE

1/4 cup chicken broth
1 tablespoon dark soy sauce
3 tablespoons honey
1 tablespoon rice vinegar
3/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

OTHER INGREDIENTS

3 tablespoons cooking oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 fresh red jalapeno chili, seeded and sliced
1/2 pound asparagus, cut into 2-inch lengths
1/2 medium onion, cut into 1-inch squares
1/2 red bell pepper, cut inot 1-inch squares.

Combine marinade ingredients in a bowl. Add ostrich and stir to coat. Let stand for 10 minutes. Combine sauce ingredients in another bowl; whisk until blended. Place a wok over high heat until hot. Add 2 tablespoons oil, swirling to coat sides. Add ostrich and stir-fry for 2 minutes. Remove meat from wok. Add remaining 1 tablespoon oil to wok, swirling to coat sides. Add garlic and chili; cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 10 seconds. Add asparagus, onion, and bell pepper; stir-fry for 1 minute. Add sauce and cook until it is reduced and slightly thickened, about 2 minutes. Return meat to wok and toss to coat. Place on a serving plate. Makes 4 servings.

From Martin Yan's Asia: favorite recipes from Hong Kong, Singapore, Malaysia, the Philippines, and Japan, by Martin Yan. KQED BOOKS & TAPES, San Francisco, 1997