Ginger Beef Stir Fry
Full of punchy, invigorating flavours and loads of fresh veg, Ginger Beef Stir Fry is made in minutes and tastes incredible. Get all your ingredients prepped before you start cooking and you’ll have dinner ready in a flash.
Ginger Beef Stir Fry is a recipe on regular rotation in my kitchen. I love the sweet sauciness and gentle spice of this dish, and as beef is relatively expensive here in Germany, it is a little luxurious too.
This beef stir fry is as good to look at as it is to eat, the bright red of the peppers and vibrant green beans providing a pop of colour.
Stir Fry = Super Speedy
While I’m often happy to spend hours in the kitchen carefully crafting a meal (it is my job, after all), I really love a quick recipe.
Whenever I am in a hurry to get food on the table, I always turn to stir-fries, those wonder dishes full of fresh vegetables, tender meat and masses of flavour.
Not only are they ready in minutes, but a stir fry is also a brilliant way of making a more expensive piece of meat go a lot further.
Ingredients
To make Ginger Beef Stir Fry, you need the following main ingredients:
- Beef Stock/Broth: This forms the base of the sauce. I use ½ a stock cube in 250ml (1 cup) water. No need for the fancy stuff.
- Hoisin Sauce and Soy Sauce: To absolutely max out the umami flavours in the stir fry.
- Beef steak: Minute steaks or similar are perfect for this recipe as they are lean, cook quickly and are good value for money.
- Red Pepper, Green Beans and Mushrooms: These vegetables bulk out the meal and add colour, flavour and texture. You don’t have to stick to these though, clear out your fridge and use what you have! (More on this below).
- Cornstarch: For a stir fry like this I like a lovely glossy sauce so I thicken it with cornstarch. If you’re not a fan, you can simply leave it out.
- Brown Sugar: To balance out the saltiness of the soy and Hoisin.
- Chilli, Ginger and Sesame: These classic flavourings round out the dish and give it that restaurant-quality flavour at home.
The complete ingredient list and detailed instructions are in the recipe card at the bottom of the page.
Stir fries are brilliant for clearing out the fridge!
Most of us (guiltily) have a few vegetables in the fridge that are starting to look a little droopy and sad. A stir fry is a brilliant way to use up all of these veg as the quick frying will completely reinvigorate them, so don’t stress if you don’t have the peppers or beans in this recipe.
You can replace them with other vegetables from your crisper drawer, just try to cut them to an even size so they cook at the same time.
Chop it all up before you start
On the subject of cutting, it’s important when making a stir fry to have all your ingredients prepared in advance – the actual cooking is so speedy, it’s easier to have your meat and vegetables chopped and ready beside the stove so you can throw them straight in the pan.
What is Hoisin Sauce?
Hoisin sauce is a lovely sticky dark sauce made from peanuts, soy sauce, vinegar and sugar or honey.
It is usually available at any well-stocked supermarket with the international foods. If you can’t locate any, it can be substituted with an extra tablespoon of soy sauce a tablespoon of peanut butter and a tablespoon of honey in this recipe.
MAke a double batch for weekday lunches
I love to make up a big batch of Ginger Beef Stir Fry when I know I’ll be working away from home, it makes a fantastic lunch to take into the office and it’s lean and healthy too.
Free ebook alert!
What’s your favourite stir fry? Let me know in the comments below!
Don’t forget, my free eBook ‘Fakeaways’ with some of my best recipes for take-out meals made at home is available for free by signing up to my mailing list at the top of the page! J.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Can I make this dish with another meat or make it vegetarian?
Yes, the same method will work with all lean meats, or you could replace the beef with tofu. Alter the stock to suit your main ingredient. You could always try my Spicy Cashew Nut Chicken!
Can I make Ginger Beef Stir Fry in advance?
Of course! This is an excellent dish to cook up and take the leftovers to work the next day. Reheat thoroughly before eating.
I can’t find hoisin sauce! Can I make a substitute?
Hoisin is a combination of soy, peanut, honey or molasses and a bit of vinegar and garlic – in this recipe you can substitute it with a tablespoon of soy sauce, a tablespoon of peanut butter and a tablespoon of honey.
Ginger Beef Stir Fry
Full of punchy, invigorating flavours and loads of fresh veg, Ginger Beef Stir Fry is made in minutes and tastes incredible. Get all your ingredients prepped before you start cooking and you’ll have dinner ready in a flash.
Ingredients
for the sauce:
- 250 ml beef stock or broth , made with ½ stock cube
- 3 Tbsp hoisin sauce
- 2 Tbsp soy sauce
- 2 tsp sesame oil
- 1 tsp cornflour/cornstarch
for the stir-fry:
- 400 g beef steak, sliced thinly
- 2 tsp brown sugar
- 1 tsp cornflour/cornstarch
- 3 Tbsp neutral oil
- 1 red pepper, sliced
- 2 spring onions, finely sliced
- 3 cm piece of ginger, peeled and diced
- ½ red chilli, sliced
- 200 g green beans, trimmed
- 100 g mushrooms, sliced
- 50 g peanuts, roughly crushed
- 2 tsp sesame seeds
- freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- MAKE THE SAUCE: Whisk all sauce ingredients together and set aside. Toss the steak together with the sugar and cornflour and season well with salt and pepper.
- BROWN THE BEEF: Heat 2 tablespoons of the oil in a large wok or frying pan. When the oil is hot, cook the beef for 2-3 minutes until browned. Transfer to a plate while you cook the vegetables.
- ADD THE PEPPERS: Add the remaining oil to the pan along with the red pepper, whites of the spring onions, ginger and chilli. Cook, stirring often for 2 minutes.
- ADD THE VEGETABLES: Add the beans and mushrooms and cook a further 2 minutes then give the sauce a stir and pour it into the pan. If the pan has a lid, cover and cook for 4-5 minutes until the vegetables have begun to soften. If you don’t have a lid, cook until the vegetables are tender, adding a splash of water if necessary.
- COMBINE THE INGREDIENTS: Add the beef and any resting juices back to the pan, cook for 2 minutes, tossing to combine, then transfer to a serving platter.
- SERVE: Scatter over the peanuts, sesame seeds and the greens of the spring onions and serve immediately with steamed rice.
Notes
In my household, we can easily eat this between the two of us. (I know!) With a few sides and some steamed vegetables this recipe can feed four.
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Nutrition
Serving: 1plate | Calories: 585kcal | Carbohydrates: 46g | Protein: 18g | Fat: 41g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 8g | Monounsaturated Fat: 26g | Cholesterol: 1mg | Sodium: 1696mg | Potassium: 1548mg | Fiber: 11g | Sugar: 24g | Vitamin A: 4447IU | Vitamin C: 135mg | Calcium: 144mg | Iron: 5mg
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This is an outstanding recipe, easily the best stir fried beef I’ve tried. Thanks for all the effort you put into posting recipes. I like your easy, clear writing style as well.
Oh my I tried your beef stir fry yesterday and I am totally hooked on it, Easy and most delicious, could not stop eating , thank you. You have certainly Inspired me.
Hi Emelda, thank you so much, you have made my day with your lovely comment! I’m so happy you enjoyed this recipe! I hope you find lots more recipes that you like here, I can recommend the Honey Ginger Chicken Stir fry too! J.
I made this meal tonight.
It was delicious and was devoured by my family. Even my grandson who wont normally eat vegetables wolfed it down.