Description
This Easy Chinese Beef Stir Fry is a quick, flavorful dish featuring tenderized beef rump steak cooked with vibrant vegetables like capsicum, carrots, and bok choy, all tossed in a savory soy and oyster sauce blend. Perfect for a weeknight dinner, this stir fry delivers authentic Chinese flavors with minimal fuss and can be served over steamed white rice or cauliflower rice for a low-carb option.
Ingredients
Scale
Beef and Marinade
- 7 oz / 200 g beef rump steak or flank (or any other quick cooking steak cut)
- 1/2 tsp baking soda / bicarbonate soda (for velveting)
- 2 tbsp soy sauce, light or all-purpose (NOT dark soy)
- 1 tbsp oyster sauce
- 2 tbsp Chinese cooking wine or Mirin
- 1 tsp white sugar
- 1/2 tsp toasted sesame oil
- Pinch white pepper (can substitute black pepper)
- 3 tsp cornstarch / corn flour
- 1/2 cup water (separated)
Vegetables and Aromatics
- 1 1/2 tbsp peanut oil
- 1 garlic clove (finely minced)
- 1/2 small onion (sliced; yellow, brown or white)
- 1/2 red capsicum / bell pepper (sliced into 7mm / 1/3″ thick slices)
- 1 small carrot (peeled, halved lengthwise, sliced thinly on the diagonal)
- 2 bok choy (leaves separated from stems; thick stems sliced lengthwise)
- 2 green onions (cut into 1.5″ / 3cm pieces, firm white ends separated from soft green parts)
To Serve
- Steamed white rice
- Sesame seeds (optional)
Instructions
- Velvet the beef: Place the beef in a bowl and sprinkle baking soda over it. Use your fingers to toss and coat the beef evenly with baking soda. Let it sit for 20 minutes, no longer, to tenderize the meat.
- Rinse and dry beef: After 20 minutes, rinse the beef thoroughly under tap water using a colander to remove all the baking soda. Shake off and pat dry with paper towels to remove excess moisture.
- Prepare the sauce: In a bowl, combine soy sauce, oyster sauce, Chinese cooking wine (or Mirin), white sugar, toasted sesame oil, and white pepper. Measure out 1 1/2 tablespoons of this sauce mixture and toss the beef in it to coat. To the remaining sauce, mix in the cornstarch until smooth, then add water and stir well to create a slurry.
- Cook aromatics: Heat peanut oil in a large non-stick pan or wok over high heat. Add sliced onion and minced garlic and stir-fry for about 10 seconds until fragrant but not browned.
- Cook the beef: Add the beef to the pan and stir-fry until it changes color from red to light brown but is not fully cooked through. This usually takes a couple of minutes.
- Stir-fry vegetables: Add the sliced red capsicum, carrot slices, bok choy stems, and white parts of the green onions to the pan. Stir-fry everything together for about 1 minute, allowing the vegetables to soften slightly but remain crisp.
- Add the sauce slurry: Pour the remaining sauce mixture into the pan and stir continuously until the sauce starts to bubble and thicken, coating the beef and vegetables nicely.
- Finish with leafy greens: Add the bok choy leaves and the green parts of the green onions. Toss everything together for 30 seconds to 1 minute until the leafy vegetables are just wilted and the sauce is glossy and well-coated.
- Serve immediately: Remove from heat and serve the beef stir fry hot over steamed white rice or for a low-carb alternative, cauliflower rice. Garnish with sesame seeds if desired.
Notes
- Note 1: Choose quick-cooking beef cuts such as rump steak or flank for best results.
- Note 2: Baking soda is used to tenderize the beef through velveting, but do not let it sit longer than 20 minutes to avoid an unpleasant texture.
- Note 3: Rinsing the beef after using baking soda is essential to remove residual alkaline taste.
- Note 4: Use light or all-purpose soy sauce, avoid dark soy sauce as it can overpower the dish and change color.
- Note 5: Chinese cooking wine or Mirin can be used interchangeably to add flavor and depth.
- For a low-carb option, serve the stir fry with cauliflower rice instead of steamed white rice.
- Sesame seeds add a nice nutty garnish but are optional.
- Prep Time: 25 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Category: Main Dish
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Chinese
Keywords: Chinese beef stir fry, quick beef recipe, velveting beef, easy stir fry, Chinese cooking wine, bok choy stir fry, peanut oil stir fry
