Beef Teriyaki

Beef Teriyaki is an easy weeknight meal. The only thing to remember is that you need to marinate the beef for a few hours, which can be done the night before or that morning. The simplicity of beef teriyaki is what makes it so good. All you need is beef, teriyaki sauce, lemon juice, and black pepper.  Mom always served it with rice and chopped iceberg lettuce.

To marinate the beef, cut it up into thin strips. You can use just about any cut of beef.  Some stores even sell the beef already cut up. The other ingredients are usually things already in the kitchen. The recipe below is Mom's recipe, but I sometimes modify the recipe by adding honey.

Mom always used white rice. I remember that we used to get the rice started first so it would be done about the time the beef was done. In later years, Mom switched to minute rice. Any type of rice would work. Beef Teriyaki was a popular meal--I don't remember there being any leftover Beef Teriyaki at our house.

Beef Teriyaki 

1 pound beef, but into thin strips
1-2 cups Teriyaki sauce
1 Tbsp. lemon juice
dash of black pepper
2-3 cups cooked white rice
chopped iceberg lettuce

The night before or the morning of the beef teriyaki dinner, marinate the beef. Cut the beef into strips and place into a bowl. Cover beef with teriyaki sauce. Add lemon juice and black pepper. Mix well and make sure the beef is covered. Refrigerate for a few hours.

Preheat a skillet over medium heat. Place the beef and all the marinade in the skillet. Cook, stirring occasionally, until meat is cooked and marinade starts to thicken, about 15 minutes. Serve the beef over the cooked rice, with chopped lettuce on the side.