The number of times I have made really bad beef stir fry has meant that now I have actually made a really good one I feel the need to post the recipe! However this time I did it a bit differently, and it was worth it.

  1. The first thing I did differently was to buy a great cut of meat, a fillet steak. While you might think it a waste to stir-fry a fillet steak, this was by far the best change I made. Admittedly if I had been deep frying the beef in the stir-fry it would have been a crime, but by keeping it healthy (or at least healthier, it didn’t compromise the taste).
  2. I marinaded the Beef for 8 hours. This meant that it was succulent and melt in the mouth.
  3. I tend to overcook everything, and I made sure this time that the beef was cut really thinly so that it would cook quickly in the heat, this way it didn’t dry out and become tough.

From now on I think I’ll try to stick to these rules as much as possible, although maybe I’ll try downgrading the cut of beef, the fillet was perfect but really can only afford it for special occasions.

beef-stir-fry

This recipe was loosely based off of the recipe for “Beef and Mangetout Stir-fry” and is taken from this book Cook’s Library: Low Fat.

  • 25g of fresh root ginger, shredded
  • 1 garlic clove, however I used the pre-minced stuff that keeps in the fridge for months, I used 1 tsp of this.
  • 4 tablespoons of light soy sauce
  • 2 tablespoons of white wine (or dry sherry)/li>
  • 1/2 teaspoon of chilli powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon of Chinese five-spice powder
  • 1 tablespoon of Groundnut oil
  • 375g of thinly sliced fillet steak
  • 1/2 a large carrot thinly sliced, or grated
  • 1/2 a red onion thinly sliced
  • 5 small mushrooms, thinly sliced
  • 4 baby corn, quartered lengthways
  • 100g of mangetout
  • Either rice or noodles to serve with

METHOD

  1. Add the shredded ginger, garlic, soy sauce, wine, chilli powder and 5-spice together in a bowl. Mix until combined.
  2. Thinly slice your fillet steak and add to the marinade, making sure that all the meat is thoroughly coated. Cover the bowl in cling-film, and store in the fridge. For best results leave to marinade for at least 6 hours.
  3. Add the groundnut oil to the bottom of your wok under high heat, until the oil is starting to bubble. Add the onions and carrots, for 2 minutes, stirring occasionally so they don’t stick to the bottom of the wok.
  4. Add the babycorn and mangetout, leave for a further 2 minutes. Now add the beef along with any remaining marinade. Cook for another 4 minutes until the beef is cooked through.
  5. Serve on rice, or noodles. Enjoy.