Tender beef, crunchy vegetables, and that perfectly flavored sauce you expect from really solid Chinese food (the right amount and the right consistency!) make this stir-fry an ideal weeknight dish.
Use Whatever Vegetables You Have
Chinese bok choy is the primary vegetable in this dish. Back in the day, a classic, old-school Chinese restaurant menu item was “beef with bok choy.” This recipe was inspired by that dish, but other vegetables can definitely be thrown in—carrots, celery, red bell pepper, snow peas, cabbage, broccoli, mushrooms, onions, green onions—whatever you’ve got in the refrigerator that looks good (or that has to get used before it goes bad!). We decided to use bok choy, bunashimeji mushrooms, and whole snap peas, but the flexibility and simplicity of this dish is the beauty of it! That’s the beauty of most stir-fry recipes, really! We served it with steamed rice, but you can also serve this with noodles if you like.
Preparation Is Key!
The key to success for this beef stir-fry (or any stir-fry for that matter) is preparation! I remember when Sarah and Kaitlin were young, and Judy and I were balancing our career ambitions, family time, household responsibilities, and meal prep. It was challenging, if not completely exhausting! Read more in our Chinese leafy greens ingredient page, and try the different types to find your favorite. Keep our ingredients pages bookmarked for easy access the next time you are wandering in a confused daze through your local Asian grocery store! To make meals easier, I used to get the cutting board out the night before the week started and prepare at least two plates each of cut vegetables and marinated meat. They would sit, covered and stored neatly in the refrigerator ready for the wok. Then, when I got home the next day, I started the rice in the rice cooker. When the rice was almost ready, I would heat up my wok. Minutes later, we would have a hot beef stir-fry with vegetables over rice. It was the perfect comfort food after a hectic day in the “jungle.” The end result is a healthy weekday meal that ends your day right. If you have any leftovers, heat them up in the microwave for lunch the next day for lunch!
Beef Vegetable Stir-fry: Recipe Instructions
In a medium bowl, mix together the marinade ingredients (water, baking soda, cornstarch, and oil) with the beef strips / slices until well-coated. Set aside for 30 minutes or overnight. For more information on preparing beef, see Bill’s post on How to Slice and Velvet Beef for stir fries. We prefer flank steak for any beef stir fry recipe, but you can also use beef chuck steak, which should be tenderized before stir-frying. Sirloin steak also works, though you may want to save that for the grill! With any cut, be sure to slice it against the grain. Thinner slices will make your beef more tender—the tougher the cut, the thinner you should slice it. You can partially freeze the beef to make it firm and easier to slice. (Or if it was already frozen, slice it before it has thawed completely.) For more information on preparing beef, see my post on How to Slice and Velvet Beef for stir-fries. Next, prepare your veggies and set aside. We used bok choy, mushrooms, and snow peas, but use whatever you like or have available. Now make the sauce mixture. In a small bowl, mix the water (or beef stock), sesame oil, light soy sauce, dark soy sauce, oyster sauce and sugar. Set aside. Heat your carbon steel wok or a large frying pan /skillet on high heat until it’s lightly smoking. Spread 2 tablespoons of oil around the perimeter to coat. Add the beef, and use your metal wok spatula to spread the beef in one even layer. Sear for 30 seconds. Turn the beef to sear the uncooked sides for another 30 seconds. At this point, the beef should be about 80% done. Turn off the heat and transfer the beef back to the marinade bowl. Next, with the heat back on high, add the remaining 1 tablespoon of oil to the wok along with the ginger. Cook for 10 seconds, and add the garlic. After 5 seconds, add the mushrooms and stir-fry for another 15 seconds, giving them a good sear. Add the Shaoxing wine. Next, add the snap peas and the bok choy. Stir–fry on the highest heat for another 20 seconds, until the bok choy begins to wilt. Stir in your prepared sauce mixture and the beef. Gather everything in the center of the wok. When everything comes back up to a simmer, and the sides of the wok begin to super-heat, stir–fry everything in a circular motion. The beef and vegetables should hit the hot sides of the wok. This gets you that wok hei flavor! Pour the cornstarch slurry in the center of the wok while stirring. The sauce will immediately thicken. Work fast to stir everything together for another 20 seconds to evenly coat the beef and vegetables in sauce. There should not be any standing sauce. Everything should be clinging to the beef and vegetables. Turn off the heat and transfer your beef stir-fry to a serving plate. You can also dish it out individually on a bed of rice for a great one-plate meal. Enjoy immediately! Though you probably don’t need us to tell you that.
