Best Beef For Stir Fry
The best cut of beef for this recipe is flank steak. The key to cooking with flank steak is to marinate it before using it to tenderize the meat. If you are unable to find flank steak, you could substitute it with skirt steak. I would urge you to avoid pre-cut beef that is labeled “stir fry meat.” Even with marinating, it won’t become nearly as tender. In this great Beef Stir Fry, we are making a delicious sauce that works as both the marinade for the beef and the sauce. Your family will love this fantastic and easy beef recipe.
Make the sauce. Mix together the ingredients for the sauce and divide it. You will need one cup to marinate the beef, and the remainder will be reserved for making the final recipe. Marinate the beef. In a reusable container or a plastic bag that seals well, add the meat then pour the marinade over it. Let the meat marinate for at least four hours, but no longer than 24 hours. See more on this below. Cook the beef. After removing the beef from the marinade, Heat the oil in a large skillet and add the marinated beef to brown. Remove from the pan. Add the veggies. Cook in the hot skillet until they are tender. Add the sauce. Drain off any excess liquid and add the sauce. Allow to thicken and then add the beef.
Water: The water in this sauce adds bulk to this sauce without affecting the taste. Teriyaki Sauce: This homemade teriyaki sauce adds some amazing flavor and subtle sweetness to the recipe. Soy Sauce: The foundation for most stir fry sauces. We are going with low sodium soy sauce so that we get the great soy flavor without too much saltiness. See my recommendation below for a gluten-free option. Hoisin Sauce: The main ingredient in this very unique condiment is fermented soybean paste. Hoisin brings a nice tang to this sauce. Garlic and Ginger: These are both minced and fresh in this recipe, adding the best layers of flavor to this sauce. Brown Sugar: Just a little bit of brown sugar helps to balance the acidity and salt of the other ingredients without being too sweet. Chili Paste: Made from hot chilis, this gives the sauce a little spice. For a spicier sauce, add a full tablespoon. For a less spicy recipe, add only one teaspoon. Corn Starch: This is what finishes the sauce off and helps it thicken.
Cut your flank steak into thin slices against the grain like in the photo below. To determine the grain of the meat, look at the lines in it. You want to slice perpendicular to those lines.
Marinating Beef
As mentioned above, we are marinating the flank steak to tenderize it and add flavor before adding it to this easy dish. The beef stir fry sauce also acts as the marinade, so you only have to mix it up once. The flavors tie in so well! The beef stir fry marinade starts with my homemade Teriyaki Sauce and has so much flavor! We are then adding in other great flavors like brown sugar, hoisin sauce, ginger, and garlic. The beef needs to marinate long enough for it to become tender, but not too long that it becomes gummy. The range for this recipe is 4 to 24 hours. The actual cooking of beef stir fry is very quick – just 15 minutes. To save time, marinate your beef the night before so you are ready to roll when you get home from work.
Serving
Serve your stir fry over rice. For a healthier option, serve it over Cauliflower Rice, which lowers the carbs of the dish compared to serving it with rice. It is easy to make and very filling. Get an extra serving of vegetables without the carbs of regular rice with a flavorful rice substitute.
Mushrooms: These can be added with other vegetables. Zucchini: This can be added at the same time as the other vegetables. Keep in mind that they will contribute a significant amount of moisture to the dish, so you will definitely want to drain the skillet before you move on to the final steps. Onions: These also should be added at the same time as the other vegetables. Snow Peas: Add the snow peas after the broccoli, peppers, and carrots have already been cooking for five minutes. They need only a minute or two. Green Onions: I wouldn’t recommend using both white and green onions. But if you want to use green onions, you could either add them at the same time as you would add the snow peas, or you could use raw green onions as a garnish at the end. Baby Corn: These should be added at the very end with the sauce and the beef, they will only need to be warmed through. Water Chestnuts: Like the baby corn, you will want to add these at the very end.
Storing and Reheating Leftovers
Store any leftover stir fry in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to three days. I recommend storing the beef and vegetables separately from the rice. Reheat over low heat and serve over fresh or reheated rice. Always use your best discretion when storing and reheating leftovers.
