Stir Fried Beef and Vegetables

Stir fries are great because they are simple, quick and versatile. Choose your protein and veggies (or skip the protein), add a few pantry ingredients, and voila... dinner is served!

My favorite combination for a stir fry is beef with some crunchy green vegetables. My preferred vegetable for this stir fry is broccoli and that is generally how my mom used to make it. However, because my husband doesn't like broccoli, this dish has been modified in our household and is now made with celery, bok choy, green beans, zucchini and just about every other green vegetable that you can think of.

In this recipe, I am using a mixture of celery and baby bok choy. Use whatever vegetable you like and use a quantity suitable for 2 servings.

Stir Fried Beef and Vegetables

Serves 2

500 grams Beef, Top Sirloin, thinly sliced across grain

4 Baby Bok Choy, whites sliced and greens separated

4 stalks Celery, sliced diagonally

2 tsp Vegetable Oil

1/2 tsp Sugar

1 1/2 tbsp + 1 tbsp Soy Sauce

1/2 tbsp + 1 tbsp Cornstarch

3/4 cup Cold Water (plus more if needed)

Salt to taste

Place the sliced beef into a bowl. Toss with sugar and 1 1/2 tbsp Soy Sauce. Let marinate for at least 30 minutes. 

Make a slurry by mixing 1 tbsp of cornstarch with 1 tbsp soy sauce and 3/4 cup of water. Stir to ensure there are no lumps. Set aside. 

When ready to cook, sprinkle the beef with 1/2 tbsp Cornstarch. Heat the oil in a wok or large pan. When the oil is hot, add the meat and brown on all sides, about 3 minutes (because the meat is sliced, it should be almost cooked at this point). Remove the meat from the pan and set aside. Add all the vegetables except any leafy greens into the pan. Add a touch of water if the pan is dry and the bottom of the pan is browning. Season with salt. Cook the vegetables until almost cooked (should still have some crunch). The time will depend on the type of vegetables you use. If you are using heartier vegetables, you may need to cover the pan to cook. If you are using vegetables with leafy greens, add them about halfway through cooking the other vegetables.

When the vegetables are almost cooked, give the slurry you made before a quick stir and add it to the vegetables. Bring to a boil so that the sauce thickens. Stir the meat and all the juices back into the pan. At this point, if the sauce is too thick, add a little extra water. If the sauce is too watery, mix a little more cornstarch with some water and add to the pan to thicken. 

Once the sauce is the desired thickness, taste and season with salt as necessary. Serve over steamed rice.