Beef Stir Fry

5 from 1 vote

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Course: Asian, Main Course

Cuisine: asian, Chinese

Diet: Diabetic, Gluten Free, Low Fat

Prep Time: 40

Cook Time: 10

Servings:

Calories: 254kcal

Author: Lei

300 g beef tenderloin cut into 1/2 cm thin strips
1/2 onion
50 g coriander chopped
3 slice ginger
1/3 teaspoon baking soda about 2 grams
1 tablespoon soy sauce 1/2 for marinating the beef, 1/2 for seasoning the dish
2 tablespoon rice wine 1 tablespoon for marinating the beef, another one to finish the dish
1/2 tablespoon oyster sauce
1/2 teaspoon black pepper powder more or less to your liking
2 tablespoon corn starch
2 tablespoon oil more or less to your liking

Dissolve the baking soda in 1 tablespoon of water, then mix it well with the beef. Set aside for 20 minutes.
Add the soy sauce, oyster sauce, rice wine, black pepper and cornstarch. Mix well and marinate for another 10 minutes.

Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a pan over medium heat. Add the beef and cook until just cooked through, about 3-5 minutes, then set aside.
Add another 1 tablespoon of oil, ginger and the onion. Cook until the onion softens.

Return the beef to the pan and add 1/2 tablespoon of soy sauce and coriander. Stir-fry everything together.
Let everything sizzle, turning it a couple of times, until lightly caramelised. About 3 minutes.
Add 1 tablespoon of rice wine and season with black pepper (optional). For a glossy finish and better presentation, mix in 1/2 tablespoon of oil (or sesame oil). (optional)
Serve hot.

Beef: I use beef tenderloin in this recipe and cut it into thin strips, about ½ cm thick. You can also slice it against the grain into thin slices if you prefer.
Oyster Sauce: Oyster sauce is widely used in modern Chinese cooking. It adds more flavour and saltiness. If substituting oyster sauce, use the same amount of soy sauce. If you don’t mind MSG, it can also be used as a flavour enhancer.
Rice Wine: Used in this recipe to marinate the beef. You can substitute white wine, or, if you skip it, use the same amount of water instead to dissolve the cornstarch.
Onion: Cooked onion adds natural sweetness, so there’s no need to add extra sugar. You can also use other slightly sweet vegetables, such as bell pepper, snow peas or broccoli.
Ginger: Ginger adds flavour and aroma to the dish, but it’s not meant to be eaten.

Serving Size: Chinese stir-fry is best cooked in a small batch, usually 2-3 servings at a time, so the beef and vegetables have enough space to sizzle properly and develop better flavour.
Pan: Unless you’re experienced with using a wok, I recommend using a non-stick pan instead. The cornstarch coating on the beef can easily stick to a wok.
Stir-Frying the Beef: Cornstarch-coated beef may stick together at first. Spread it out, cook one side, then turn it over. Once the coating sets, the pieces will separate easily.