Steak Stir-Fry

Not sure what to cook when busy nights catch you off guard, or you find yourself craving a hassle-free but delicious dinner? A quick and easy steak stir-fry is the perfect answer.

Healthy and packed with tender strips of garlicky-ginger beef and crisp-tender bell peppers and carrots, steak stir-fry is one of those 30-minute meals that hit all the right notes. Most importantly, like all the best stir-fry recipes, it’s virtually effortless to throw together, especially if you’re someone who keeps fresh chopped veggies in the fridge for just this sort of thing.

Once you master how to stir-fry (and trust us, it’s incredibly easy), you can embrace the glorious flexibility of the dish. Use up miscellaneous veggies. Mix and match different types of meat. Play with various spices, sauces and condiments to make a wickedly delicious stir-fry sauce. There are no limits here, only delicious possibilities.

Ingredients for Steak Stir-Fry

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• Steak: Leaner types of steak, like sirloin, are the way to go when making stir-fries. These cook quickly and have a fantastic meaty flavor. Flank steak and skirt steak are two other excellent options for stir-fries.
• Bouillon: Adding beef bouillon to the stir-fry sauce gives it a major flavor boost, especially when the beef broth meets the soy sauce. It’s a savory umami bomb that brings out the best in the sirloin.
• Garlic: A humble clove of garlic adds a sharp bite to this stir-fry. If you love garlic, don’t be shy; add as many cloves as you please.
• Ginger: Beef and ginger are gorgeous together. Fresh ginger adds a piquant earthy flavor that goes brilliantly with the steak’s meatiness.
• Vegetables: Thinly sliced green bell pepper, carrots and green onion add a satisfying crunch to the stir-fry while introducing their fantastic aromatics to the dish. A win-win.
• Cornstarch: Used to thicken sauces, cornstarch keeps your stir-fry sauce from becoming runny. It’ll also give the sauce a lovely, silky texture and help tenderize the beef.
• Hot cooked rice: Along with noodles, steamed rice is the most popular way folks enjoy their stir-fries.

Directions

Step 1: Prepare the sauce

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Stir the bouillon in the boiling water until it dissolves. Whisk the soy sauce and cornstarch together until smooth, then add the mixture to the bouillon. Set aside.

Step 2: Cook the steak

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Toss the steak strips with the ginger, garlic and black pepper so the beef is well coated. In a wok or large skillet, heat 1 tablespoon of oil over medium-high heat. Fry the steak until it’s no longer pink, then set the meat on a plate and cover to keep warm.

Editor’s Tip: When slicing the steak, aim to cut it into roughly the same-sized strips. This helps the meat cook evenly.

Step 3: Cook the vegetables

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In the same wok or skillet, heat 1 tablespoon of oil. Add vegetables to the wok and stir-fry until crisp-tender.

Step 4: Finish the dish

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Pour the soy sauce mixture into the wok and bring to a boil. Cook for 2 minutes, stirring frequently.

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Place the steak strips back in the wok and cook until heated through. Serve over rice.

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Steak Stir-Fry Variations

• Add more vegetables: There can never be too many vegetables in a stir-fry. Try snow peas, baby corn, broccoli, mushrooms, water chestnuts, bok choy or zucchini. No wrong answers here!
• Make it spicy: Toss in diced hot peppers like jalapenos, Thai chiles or habaneros. Mixing in hot sauce, dried red pepper flakes or Chinese chili oil is another great way to turn the heat up on your stir-fry.
• Make it sweet: Honey, maple syrup or plain old brown sugar will give your stir-fry a little something extra. It’s even better if you add a little spicy to the sweet.
• Add nut butter: A spoonful of any of your favorite nut butters, like peanut butter, leans towards Thai recipes (think pork satay or vegetable pad thai). Need a peanut butter substitute? Try cashew butter.
• Try different types of protein: Beef is quick and easy to cook, but you can swap it out for your preferred meat or seafood: Chicken, pork, shrimp, scallops, salmon, cod or lobster, if you’re feeling fancy. For a meatless option, use tofu like other protein-packed vegetarian meals.

How to Store Steak Stir-Fry

Leftover steak stir-fry should be cooled, then transferred to an airtight container in the fridge and enjoyed within three days. Reheat on the stove or in the microwave until completely warmed through. Steak stir-fry can also be frozen for up to three months.

Steak Stir-Fry Tips

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How to cut the steak for stir-fry?

For tender steak in your stir-fry, learning how to cut steak the right way is essential. Using a sharp knife, slice against the grain of the steak. By slicing through the fibers, you shorten them, rendering them much, much easier to chew.

What’s the secret to a good stir-fry?

While cutting against the grain goes a long way to making the meat more tender, if you want melt-in-your-mouth steak strips, try velveting the steak first. Marinating steak in baking soda is an easy hack for making meat more tender. Do this about 30 minutes before stir-frying for the best results. Velveting is usually reserved for tougher cuts of beef, but it’s a trick used by your favorite Chinese restaurants to get the softest, most tender beef.

How should you serve steak stir-fry?

Stir-fries are typically served with a side of steamed rice, fried rice or noodles. Turn it into a keto-friendly dinner by serving the steak stir-fry with homemade cauliflower rice or zucchini noodles. Or serve it with any fried rice recipes.