Pepper Steak With Potatoes

Seven weeks to the wedding. The days are crowded with small tasks. Final dress fitting Friday. Tasting at the winery next Saturday. Invitations went out months ago but RSVPs are still trickling in. Place cards to design. Seating chart to finalize. Ceremony script to finish with our officiant. Jihoon's guitar song rehearsal schedule to arrange. Jisoo and Jun-ho's travel documents to finalize.

The travel documents turned out to be the hardest part. Jisoo has not been to the United States before and her visa required a phone interview at the US consulate in Seoul. She was nervous. I sent her a list of the likely questions. She practiced with Hye-jin. The interview was Monday. The consulate officer asked her why she was coming to the US. Jisoo said, in English, "My daughter is getting married." The officer said, "Your daughter?" Jisoo said, "My daughter I gave up at birth. We found each other a year ago." The officer was quiet for a moment. The officer said, "Approved. Have a lovely trip." Jisoo called me crying from outside the consulate. She said, "Dahee. I can come."

I told Karen immediately. Karen cried. She said, "Thank God. I have been praying." I did not know Karen was praying. Karen does not frame things in prayer language usually. But for this, she had been.

Jun-ho has his visa too. They arrive September 22. They stay through October 3. They will have, altogether, eleven days in Seattle. Karen and David are hosting them for a dinner on September 24, the Saturday night after the wedding. They will stay at a hotel but spend days at our condo and at Karen and David's. Karen has been planning the Bellevue dinner for weeks. She has a menu. She has assigned David specific tasks. He is cooking with her, increasingly confident, increasingly proud.

I made kimchi on Saturday — a big batch, because I am going to need to feed many visitors in the coming weeks. Jisoo's recipe, now second nature. Four heads of cabbage. The onggi are full. The kitchen smells like fermentation — like my kitchen, the one I built for Jisoo in the year before she came to it.

Dr. Yoon: we talked about the lead-up to the wedding. She said, "Slow down where you can. Do not add things." I said, "I have stopped adding things." She said, "Good. Now remove three things from your list." I looked at my list. I removed the place cards (I will just write names on folded white cards, no custom calligraphy). I removed a small detail about the cocktail menu (we will have three cocktails, not five). I removed the idea of a signature scent that I had been considering but not committing to. Dr. Yoon said, "Better." I said, "Thank you."

Work: the summer is slow and I am grateful. I coded Monday and Tuesday. I did nothing but send emails on Friday. I am storing energy for September and October.

Karen has been good. The new medication is holding. David is cooking more. Rosa is part of the house. Kevin and Lisa are coming up two days before the wedding. James's parents, Ming and Wei, are flying in on the Thursday. My family is converging. My chosen family is converging. My found family is converging. Every gate at Sea-Tac in the two weeks before September 24 will have someone in it who I love.

The recipe this week is kimchi, again. Of course. The kimchi for the wedding month. Jisoo's recipe. I am going to serve her kimchi at our reception dinner. The caterer has agreed to plate it alongside the bulgogi sliders. Jisoo's kimchi on every plate at my wedding. I am not sure I will be able to eat that night. I will save my plate for the next day.

The kimchi is fermenting in the onggi, Jisoo’s recipe doing its quiet work for the reception. But the weeks before a wedding require a different kind of cooking — fast, hearty meals that can feed the people arriving in waves. Kevin and Lisa, Ming and Wei, Jisoo and Jun-ho. This pepper steak has become my weeknight anchor when the days are full of fittings and seating charts and visa prayers: one pan, real food, enough for whoever shows up at the table.

Prep Time: 15 minutes | Cook Time: 25 minutes | Total Time: 40 minutes | Servings: 4

Ingredients

1 lb beef sirloin steak, cut into thin strips
1 lb baby potatoes, halved
2 medium bell peppers (red and green), sliced into strips
1 medium onion, sliced
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1/2 cup beef broth
2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon paprika

Instructions

Parboil the potatoes. Place halved baby potatoes in a pot of salted water. Bring to a boil and cook for 8–10 minutes until just fork-tender. Drain and set aside.
Prep the sauce. In a small bowl, whisk together soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce, cornstarch, and beef broth until smooth. Set aside.
Sear the steak. Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large skillet or wok over high heat. Season the beef strips with salt, pepper, and paprika. Sear in a single layer for 2–3 minutes per side until browned. Remove and set aside.
Cook the vegetables. Add the remaining tablespoon of oil to the skillet. Add the onion and cook for 2 minutes. Add the bell peppers and garlic, cooking for another 3 minutes until the peppers are crisp-tender.
Combine everything. Return the beef and parboiled potatoes to the skillet. Pour the sauce mixture over everything and toss to coat. Cook for 3–4 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the sauce thickens and everything is heated through.
Serve. Plate immediately. Pairs well with steamed rice or crusty bread.

Nutrition (per serving)

Pepper Steak With Potatoes — Feeding the People Who Are Coming Home