Beef Stir Fry

A square, overhead image of Beef Stir Fry in a black wok. The wok with the stir fry is in the centre of the image. In the right bottom corner of the image, you can see some green

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5 from 3 votes

Tender strips of steak, stir fried sticky garlic hoisin sauce with chunky onions and vegetables.

Prep Time15

Cook Time15

Total Time30

Course: Dinner

Cuisine: Asian

Keyword: Beef Stir Fry, Takeaway food at home

Servings: servings

Author Nicky Corbishley

Ingredients

Steak:

450 g (1 lb) thin steak into chunky strips, against the grain (I use sirloin or ribeye - see notes for other cuts)
¼ tsp salt
½ tsp black pepper
3 tbsp oil any high smoke point neutral oil - such as avocado, rapeseed or sunflower - is fine.

Vegetables:

1 tbsp oil any high smoke point neutral oil - such as avocado, rapeseed or sunflower - is fine.
2 medium-sized onions peeled and chopped into chunky wedges
200 g (1 1/2 packed cups) mange tout sliced in half
3 medium pak choi (about 350g/13oz altogether) roughly chopped
2 cloves garlic peeled and minced
1 tsp minced ginger

Sauce:

2 tbsp cornflour (cornstarch)
1 tsp sesame oil
2 tbsp dark soy sauce
3 tbsp hoisin sauce
1 tbsp Chinese rice wine (or replace with dry sherry)
2 tbsp honey
120 ml (1/2 cup) beef stock (use reduced salt if preferred)

To Serve:

boiled rice, fried rice or noodles
chopped spring onions (scallions)
sesame seeds

Instructions

First make the sauce. Take a small jug or bowl and add the cornflour, sesame oil, soy sauce, hoisin sauce, Chinese rice wine and honey. Stir together until the cornflour is mixed in, then stir in the beef stock. Put to one side.
2 tbsp cornflour, 1 tsp sesame oil, 2 tbsp dark soy sauce, 3 tbsp hoisin sauce, 1 tbsp Chinese rice wine, 120 ml (1/2 cup) beef stock, 2 tbsp honey
Toss the steak slices with the salt and pepper.
450 g (1 lb) thin steak, 1/2 tsp black pepper, 1/4 tsp salt
Heat the oil in a wok (or large frying pan) over a high heat until hot, then add the steak.
3 tbsp oil
Fry the steak for 2-3 minutes, moving it around the wok so it doesn't stick together, until browned.
Spoon out the steak into a bowl, leaving any oil behind in the wok. Turn down the heat to medium.
Add another tablespoon of oil to the wok. Add in the sliced onions and stir fry for 2-3 minutes until just starting to soften. Add the mange tout and stir fry for one minute.
1 tbsp oil, 2 medium-sized onions, 200 g (1 1/2 packed cups) mange tout
Add in the pak choi, garlic and ginger. Stir fry for a further minute.
3 medium pak choi, 2 cloves garlic, 1 tsp minced ginger
Add in the sauce we mixed in the jug to the wok and stir together. Let it come to a gentle simmer. If it looks too thick you can add in a splash of water.
Add the steak back to the wok and stir through to coat in the sauce. Cook for a further 2 minutes to heat the steak back through.
Serve with rice or noodles, topped with spring onions (scallions) and sesame seeds.
boiled rice, fried rice or noodles, chopped spring onions (scallions), sesame seeds

Video

Notes

Steak

I like to use thin sirloin or ribeye steaks as they're beautifully tender in this stir fry. You can use a cheaper cut if you prefer, just be sure to cut off any excess fat and slice it thinly, against the grain.

If you are using a cheaper cut of beef (such as rump, sizzler, flank, hanger, skirt, chuck, blade or denver) and you want to ensure it's as tender as possible, you can velvet the beef first. It takes about 35 minutes. Here's my method for velveting beef.

Can I make it ahead?

This recipe tastes best when cooked and eaten right away, but you can make it ahead if you prefer.
If you do, I would definitely recommend you use sirloin, as it stands up better to the reheating process, whilst still being tender. The vegetables will be softer upon reheating.

To make ahead, make the beef stir fry, quickly cool, cover and refrigerate for up to a day.
Remove from the fridge 30 minutes before you want to reheat it to take the chill off it, then reheat over a medium-high heat in a wok. Stir often to prevent it sticking and add in a good splash of water or beef stock to help loosen up the sauce.

Cook for about 5-6 minutes, until piping hot throughout.

Ingredient swaps

Swap out the beef for thin strips of pork or chicken
Add in other quick cook vegetables - such as thin strips of carrot, tenderstem broccoli, sliced bell peppers, beansprouts (mung bean sprouts) or thinly shredded cabbage.

How to scale up and scale down this recipe

You can double or halve the recipe, sticking to the same ingredient ratios.

If you're doubling the recipe, it's likely you'll have to cook the steak in two batches, otherwise the steak will sweat in the pan (rather than fry and brown) and will become chewy.

Nutritional Information is approximate, per serving not including the serving suggestion of rice/noodles.

Nutrition

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