Beef and onion stir fry. Made with two simple key ingredients, this quick and easy stir fry is the perfect way to whip up dinner in just under 20 minutes. This quiet classic weeknight staple is all about velvety beef stir fried with thick onion slices and the glossy sauce. Fast, fragrant, and irresistibly delicious!
Why I Love This Simple Classic Dish
A dish that usually doesn’t get the spotlight. A simple stir fry that doesn’t steal the cover of glossy cookbooks or dominates the feeds of influencers. Humble, easy to make, and almost suspiciously simple. This stir fry is, in fact, a weeknight hero, and is often associated with Cantonese home cooking. What makes it so special is the use of simple ingredients with a delectable sauce that clings to the meat making it so flavorful.
One of the key techniques used in this recipe is velveting, a marinating technique that transforms meat into something that’s impossibly tender. A touch of baking soda is all you need to make the beef silky, protecting it from the fierce heat of the wok and keeping it tender. Wok hei is another technique used to make this stir fry, which simply means the smoky, seared flavor achieved with high heat. And the right cut of beef definitely is a key factor to make melt-in-your-mouth tender meat. The trick is to slice the beef against the grain into thin strips.
Apart from beef, onions are another key ingredient in this recipe. With the technique of quick stir frying over high heat, they become soft and juicy while still holding their shape. Also, the natural sugars in onions caramelize slightly, balancing the sauce. Choose your favorite to make this stir fry, brown onions, red onions, or shallots. While brown onions are the classic choice, red onions are sweeter, softer, and more colorful. The third option, shallots, is delicate and aromatic.
There are a few reasons why this stir fry has remained a favorite for generations:
- Fast - ready in under 20 minutes.
- Affordable - Use pantry staples and budget meat cuts.
- Customizable - Easy to adapt to taste.
- Beginner friendly - great for novice cooks to learn stir fry basics.
Key Ingredients In Beef And Onion Stir Fry
- Beef - Flank, sirloin or rump steak.
- Onions - Brown onions are the classic choice.
- Asian style sauces - light and dark soy sauce, oyster sauce, sesame oil, rice vinegar and sugar.
- Cornstarch or corn flour - To make the slurry that thickens the sauce.
- Baking soda - For velveting the beef.
How To Make Beef And Onion Stir Fry
Prep ingredients - Slice beef into very thin pieces, and velvet it with baking soda. Then marinate with soy sauce and ground black pepper. Separate the greens and whites of spring onions (scallions). Mix together soy sauce, oyster sauce, sesame oil, rice vinegar and sugar to make the sauce.
Make stir fry - Start with stir frying onions and spring onion(scallion) whites. Once tender, stir fry beef for about 3 minutes. Fry garlic, and stir fry with the sauce. Add cornstarch (corn flour) slurry, and wait until the sauce thickens. Next, add stir fried onions, and a touch of ground black pepper. It’s fast, affordable, comforting, and best of all, the perfect recipe to learn the basics of stir-frying better than any elaborate recipe ever could.
Easy Beef And Onion Stir Fry
Ingredients
Marinate:
- 600 g sirloin, flank (flat iron), rib eye, or rump
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- 2 teaspoons soy sauce
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
Sauce for stir fry:
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon dark soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon oyster sauce
- 1 teaspoon rice vinegar
- ½ teaspoon sesame oil
- ¼ teaspoon sugar
Cornstarch (corn flour) slurry:
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch (corn flour)
- 1 tablespoon water
Stir fry:
- 4 spring onions (scallions)
- 1 tablespoon oil
- 2 large brown onions, sliced
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
Instructions
Marinate beef:
- Slice beef against the grain into thin strips.
- Place beef in a bowl. Add baking soda. Toss. Cover and refrigerate for 15 minutes.
- Add soy sauce and ground black pepper. Toss. Cover and marinate in the refrigerator for about 15 minutes, if time permits.
Sauce for stir fry:
- Combine together soy sauce, dark soy sauce, oyster sauce, rice vinegar, sesame oil and sugar in a small bowl.
Cornstarch (corn flour) slurry:
- Combine together cornstarch (corn flour) and water in a small bowl.
Stir fry:
- Separate whites and greens of the spring onions (scallions), and cut into 2-inch sticks.
- Heat 1 and ½ teaspoons oil in a wok or frying pan over high heat.
- Add onions and whites of spring onions (scallions). Stir fry for about 30 seconds. Remove from pan.
- Add remaining oil. Once hot, add beef, and stir fry for about 3 minutes or until the beef slices are browned and cooked through.
- Add garlic and stir fry for 30 seconds.
- Pour in stir fry sauce and cook for about 1 minute.
- Add cornstarch (corn flour) slurry, and stir fry for another 2 minutes or until the sauce thickens.
- Add cooked onion and spring onions (scallions). Add ground black pepper. Heat through.
Video
Nutrition
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