Easy beef stir-fry
Tender beef and a bag of frozen stir-fry vegetables in a simple garlic ginger sauce, on the table in 25 minutes.
- 25 min total
- 20 min hands-on
- Anyone can make this
- Serves 4
- About $3.88 a serving
- 470 calories
- Good the next day
- Dairy-free
Dolly says: I’d make this on a weeknight. It’s on the table in 25 minutes.
Ingredients
For 4 servings.
- 12 oz sirloin steak
- 1 tsp sesame oil
- 1 lb frozen stir-fry vegetables
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tsp fresh ginger, grated
- 2 packages microwave rice pouches, 8.8 oz pouches
From your pantry
- 1 tbsp cornstarch, divided
- 3 tbsp soy sauce, divided
- ½ cup water
- 1 tbsp brown sugar
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil, divided
Each serving has about 470 calories, 25 g protein, 54 g carbs and 18 g fat, and costs about $3.88 at typical US grocery prices. Both are estimates from what the recipe uses.
Missing something?
- No sirloin steak? New York strip steak or ribeye steak works.
Steps
Tap an underlined word for a quick explanation.
Cut the steak across the grain into and with 1 tsp of the cornstarch and 1 tbsp of the soy sauce.
Thinly slice. Thinly slicing means cutting slices about an eighth of an inch thick, roughly two coins stacked. Thin slices cook in seconds and soften fast, which quick dishes need.
How you’ll know: A slice bends a little when you hold it by one edge, and slow, steady cuts beat fast ones.
Toss. Tossing means gently lifting and turning food so everything gets coated, like pasta in sauce or vegetables in oil. It coats every piece evenly without mashing anything.
How you’ll know: Every piece looks glossy or evenly coated, with no dry spots hiding underneath.
the water, brown sugar, sesame oil and the rest of the soy sauce and cornstarch in a small bowl.
Whisk. Whisking means beating quickly with a whisk or a fork to blend things together. It smooths out lumps and mixes eggs, oil or sauces evenly.
How you’ll know: It all looks one even color and texture, with no streaks or lumps.
Heat 1 tbsp of the oil in a large over high until it . the beef 2 minutes, until browned with no red left, and move it to a plate.
Skillet. A skillet is a frying pan: wide and flat with low, sloped sides. The shape lets steam escape, so food browns instead of stewing.
How you’ll know: It’s the pan you’d fry an egg in, and a 10 or 12 inch one handles most recipes.
Shimmering oil. Oil shimmers when it’s hot enough to cook: its surface looks rippled and wavy, like heat over a road. That’s your cue to add the food, just before the oil would start to smoke.
How you’ll know: The oil looks wavy and runs thin like water when you tilt the pan, with no smoke yet.
Stir-fry. Stir-frying means cooking small pieces fast over high heat in a little oil, stirring almost constantly. It moves quickly, so have everything chopped and ready before the pan gets hot.
How you’ll know: It sizzles loudly the whole time, and the vegetables turn bright and tender-crisp in minutes.
High heatTimer: 2 min
Food safety: Steak, pork chops and other whole cuts are safe at 145°F in the middle, then let them rest for 3 minutes before cutting.
Add the rest of the oil and the frozen vegetables straight from the bag, and 5 to 6 minutes, until hot and the water has cooked off.
Stir-fry. Stir-frying means cooking small pieces fast over high heat in a little oil, stirring almost constantly. It moves quickly, so have everything chopped and ready before the pan gets hot.
How you’ll know: It sizzles loudly the whole time, and the vegetables turn bright and tender-crisp in minutes.
High heatTimer: 5 min 30 sec
Dolly’s tip: Don’t thaw them first. Straight from the freezer into a hot pan keeps them crisp.Stir in the garlic and ginger for 30 seconds, .
Fragrant. Fragrant means cooking until you can clearly smell it, usually garlic or spices, often in about 30 seconds. That’s the moment the flavor is ready, just before it can burn.
How you’ll know: You can smell it from a step back, and garlic is pale gold, not brown.
High heat
Stir the sauce again, pour it in with the beef, and cook 1 to 2 minutes, stirring, until thick and glossy.
High heatTimer: 1 min 30 sec
Heat the rice pouches in the microwave and serve the stir-fry over the rice.
Timer: 1 min 30 sec
Plan this in Dollop, and get the grocery list
Dollop puts this dinner on a night that suits your week, lists only what you still need to buy, and walks you through each step while you cook.
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