Looking for a quick and easy weeknight meal? Try this Chinese-style pan-fried marinated beef that can be on the table in just 20 minutes.
This stir fry recipe features thinly sliced beef, carrots and green beans. The thin beef is quickly marinated in a flavorful mixture of primarily soy sauce and oyster sauce, then stir-fried with carrots and green beans in the same pan.
This recipe makes a delicious and well-balanced meal, and any leftover is great for meal planning.
What You Will Need
To make this simple recipe, you will need the following:
- Beef — You can use thinly sliced sirloin steak, flank steak, skirt steak, or ribeye. They are tender cuts that are not only flavorful but cooks up quickly. I got thinly sliced sirloin from Costco, which will make the dish come together even quicker. If you don’t want to use beef, you can replace it with tofu, chicken, or pork.
- Marinade — The marinade is a sweet, savory and umami-rich mixture of the following ingredients:
- light soy sauce
- dark soy sauce
- oyster sauce
- sesame oil
- rice vinegar
- sugar
- fresh garlic
- toasted sesame seeds
- scallions/green onions
Vegetables — To balance out the meal, we are adding carrots and green beans. You can also substitute or add mushrooms, broccoli, or bell peppers.
- Aromatics — We are using thinly sliced wedges of yellow onions.
- Oil — We will use oil to pan fry the yellow onion to get its aroma going before adding the beef. I’m using vegetable oil as it has a neutral flavor that will not overpower the other ingredients. You can use other neutral oils such as canola oil, peanut oil, sunflower oil, and avocado oil.
How to Make it
Step 1: Make the Beef Marinade
Slice the beef against the grain into thin bite-size strips, if it hasn’t already come sliced.
In a large bowl, combine light soy sauce, dark soy sauce, oyster sauce, sugar, rice vinegar, sesame oil, garlic, scallions, and sesame seeds. Taste test at this point and adjust seasonings, if needed. Add beef and mix well to coat the beef with the sauce.
You can cook the beef right away, or marinate it in the refrigerator overnight for even more flavor.
Step 2: Toast the aromatics
Heat the vegetable oil in a large skillet or wok over medium-high heat. Add the yellow onion and cook until soften and lightly charred, about 5 minutes.
Step 3: Add beef
Add the marinated beef to the skillet. Cook for about 4 minutes more, or until semi-cooked through. We want to finish cooking it at the same time as the vegetables.
Step 4: Add vegetables
To the skillet, add the green beans and carrots. Cook until tender, about 2 minutes more.
Step 5: Serve with steamed rice and enjoy.
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Easy Chinese-Style Pan-Fried Beef with Carrots and Green Beans
- Total Time: 20 minutes
- Yield: 4 1x
Description
Looking for a quick and easy weeknight meal? Try this Chinese-style pan-fried marinated beef that can be on the table in just 20 minutes. This stir fry recipe features thinly sliced beef, carrots and green beans.
Ingredients
Beef Marinade
- 1 lb thinly sliced beef sirloin (see notes)
- 1 tablespoon light soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon dark soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon oyster sauce
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
- 1 tablespoon sesame oil
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic (fresh or jarred)
- 2 scallions/green onions (cut into 1-inch segments)
- 1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds
Aromatic and Vegetables
- 1/2 small yellow onion (thinly sliced)
- 1/2 lb green beans (remove ends)
- 1/2 lb thinly sliced carrots
Other Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
Instructions
- Prepare beef: Slice the beef against the grain into thin bite-size strips, if it hasn’t already come sliced. In a large bowl, combine light soy sauce, dark soy sauce, oyster sauce, sugar, rice vinegar, sesame oil, garlic, scallions/green onions, and sesame seeds. Taste test at this point and adjust seasonings, if needed. Add beef and mix well to coat the beef with the sauce. You can cook the beef right away, or marinate it in the refrigerator overnight for even more flavor.
- Pan fry aromatics: Heat the vegetable oil in a large skillet or wok over medium-high heat. Add the yellow onion and cook until soften and lightly charred, about 5 minutes.
- Cook beef: Add the marinated beef to the skillet. Cook for about 4 minutes more, or until semi-cooked through. We want to finish cooking it at the same time as the vegetables.
- Add vegetables and finish: To the skillet, add the green beans and carrots. Cook until tender, about 2 minutes more. Serve with steamed rice and enjoy.
Notes
Beef cut substitutes: flank steak, skirt steak, or ribeye steak.
Vegetable substitutes: mushrooms, broccoli, or bell peppers.
Oil substitutes: canola oil, peanut oil, sunflower oil and avocado oil.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Category: side dish
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: asian, chinese
