JOYEATSRAMEN – Simple Asian Food Recipes

An easy guide to create the iconic Chinese stir fry beef with leeks or the vegetable of your choice.

Have you ever had a stir fry beef, and wonder how did the chefs retain the beef tenderness, yet it is full with smoky flavour?

Deeply rooted in Chinese’s culinary traditions, stir frying is a cooking technique that involves in putting different ingredients together over high heat in a wok, or similar pan.

The technique was created due to the the lack of fuel. Additionally, the need to cook swiftly while preserving the food’s flavour and texture.

Different regions have different stir fry combinations. Today, dishes like stir fry beef are classics found in Chinese-American cuisines to all the way in South East Asia with Chinese descents.

Step 1: Set aside for ingredients that you need

To smoothen cooking process, it is always a good practice to set aside the required ingredients, including condiments.

This recipe requires only:

• Protein: Beef stripes

• Protein Marination: Salt, black pepper, white pepper, light soy sauce, dark soy sauce, shaoxing wine (rice wine), all purpose flour, olive oil

• Garnish & Greens: Ginger, garlic, leeks

• Others: Sunflower oil, spatula, wok

Step 2: Marinate the beef stripes

It is highly recommended to choose beef stripes to easily control the cooking process without overcooking it, while achieving the desired smoky flavour.

To save time and lessen the amount of tableware to wash, I marinated the beef directly in the container.

Using a pack of beef stripes, marinate them in this sequence:

• Light soy sauce: The iconic, umami punched soy sauce that is salty, sweet and acidic.

• Dark soy sauce: A sweet soy sauce that is commonly used as an enhancer to glaze and darken proteins.

• Shaoxing wine (rice wine): A very important component in Chinese cuisine to eliminate any unpleasant meat scent. It also adds depth to the dish by releasing more meat flavour!

• Black pepper: Do you want the stir fry beef to be super peppery? Sprinkle 15 times like I do in this recipe. This is a household staple spice that is sharp, woody and piney.

• White pepper: Not to be confused with black pepper, I love white pepper for its intense aromatic flavour! It is also spicier so if you are not a fan of spicy food, it is optional in this recipe.

• Salt: For flavour enhancement and moisture rentention.

Don’t miss the last two steps below as they truly complete the meat marination process:

• All purpose flour: This is the secret to a tender and velvety stir fry beef. To stir fry or deep fry meat, it is important to coat with flour to help retain juice. It also acts as a layer to cook under a high heat wok.

• Oil: This helps to distribute and lock the flavour added sauce, spices and flour. It also softens the meat to help achieving that tenderised meat texture. I used sunflower oil in this recipe.

Now, let the meat “rest” and marinate for a minimum of 10 minutes.

Step 3: Condiments Preparation

While the meat marinates, chop up ginger, garlic and leeks in thin slices.

Ginger: A rhizome, commonly used in Chinese cooking for its distinct flavour, aroma and health benefits. It is best to use thin sliced ginger to subtly balance the savoury stir fry beef with its zesty flavour without overpowering it.

Garlic: An essential ingredient due to its ability to complete a wide range of Asian cuisines, especially stir-fry dishes. It is full of umami enhancing properties.

Leeks: Closely related to onion, garlic and shallot, leek however has a much milder taste, and has a natural sweetness when being cooked. It makes a perfect vegetable to be stir fried with beef – crunchy and caramel-y.

Step 4: Stir fry the marinated beef stripes

Start the cooking stove with high heat and a wok.

Use sunflower oil or the same type of oil used to marinate beef.

Stir fry the beef in high heat for two minutes.

Tip: Stir fry the beef on one surface without flipping them for one minute. Start to stir fry continuously for another one minute before temporarily set aside to stir fry other condiments separately.

Step 5: Take out the beef, rest and prepare for the next stir fry.

After two minutes of stir frying the beef stripes, set them aside to make way for other the garnish and greens.

The removal of beef is to avoid overcooking it.

Tip: If you are using a thicker beef cuts than beef stripe, factor in more time to ensure the beef is well cooked as your preference in the end.

Step 6: Quick stir fry garnish & greens

Switch the gas stove to medium heat and add a tablespoon of oil.

Start to stir fry ginger first, followed by garlic and leeks.

Why? It is because thin sliced ginger requires a longer time release its aroma in comparison to grated ginger.

Around one minute of stir frying ginger, stir fry the garlic for 30 seconds only to avoid burned garlic.

Finally, add leeks, stir fry them for another three minutes to allow caramelisation of the leeks.

Step 7: Final stir fry everything on high heat

Add the beef stripes back to the wok and stir fry on high heat.

Stir fry the beef and greens for one minute to fully combine all flavours together.

Final step: Plate & add optional condiments

And the stir fry beef with leeks is ready to be served.

Enjoy it with freshly cooked rice.

As a personal preference, I sprinkled some sesame seeds (picture on your right) to add more crunch and nutty taste to each bite.

I hope you enjoy this recipe!