Stir Fried Beef with Asparagus
Submitted by Tcailotto
Chinese beef and asparagus stir-fry with dried mushrooms, snow peas, and oyster sauce in a glossy cornstarch-thickened sauce. Restaurant-style wok cooking at home.
YIELD
4 servingsPREP
30 minCOOK
10 minREADY
90 minThis beef and asparagus stir-fry uses proper Chinese restaurant technique: the flank steak is marinated in soy, cornstarch, and oil (a velveting method), dried mushrooms are rehydrated for deep umami, and the sauce gets thickened with a cornstarch slurry to create that glossy, clinging finish.
Slicing the beef thin against the grain is what keeps it tender in the high heat of the wok. Cut with the grain and each piece turns into a chewy strip no matter how briefly you cook it. Eighth-inch slices are the target.
The dried black mushrooms need a full 30-minute soak to soften properly. Don’t rush this with boiling water. Warm water and patience produce a better texture. The stems stay tough even after soaking, so discard them and use only the caps.
Blanching the snow peas for just one minute then shocking them in cold water locks in their bright green color and crisp snap. They go back into the wok for only 30 seconds at the very end so they stay crunchy.
Chef Tips
- Marinate the beef for 20 minutes, not longer. The cornstarch and salt do their work quickly, and extended marinating turns the surface mealy.
- Have the sauce mixture pre-mixed before you start cooking. Wok cooking moves fast and there’s no time to measure once the oil is hot.
- Add the cornstarch slurry to boiling liquid and stir immediately. It thickens in about 20 seconds. Off-heat addition means lumps.
Variations
- Chicken version: Use thinly sliced chicken breast with the same marinade and reduce the wok time slightly.
- Broccoli swap: Replace asparagus with broccoli florets for a more common Chinese takeout combination.
- Spicy Szechuan: Add dried red chilies and a teaspoon of chili bean paste to the wok before the vegetables for serious heat.
Ingredients
Directions
Soak mushrooms in warm water until soft, about 30 minutes, drain.
Rinse in warm water, drain, remove and discard stems, cut caps into ½ inch pieces.
Trim fat from beef, cut beef with grain into 2 inch strips.
Cut strips across grain into ⅛ inch slices.
Toss beef, 1 tablespoon vegetable oil, 1 teaspoon cornstarch, 1 teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon sugar, the soy sauce and white pepper in glass or plastic bowl.
Cover and refrigerate 20 minutes.
Break off tough ends of asparagus as far down as stalks snap easily.
Cut asparagus into 2-inch pieces.
Remove strings from pea pods.
Place pea pods in boiling water, cover and cook 1 minute, Immediately rinse under running cold water, drain. Cut green onions into 2-ince peices, cut pieces lengthwise into thin strips. Mix ¼ cup chicken broth, 2 tablespoons cornstarch, the oyster sauce and 1 teaspoon sugar. Add 2 tablespoons vegetable oil to wok, rotate to coat sides. Add mushrooms, asparagus and 1 teaspoon salt, stir fry 1 minute. Add wine, cook and stir 30 seconds. Stir in ½ cup chicken broth, heat to boiling. Stir in beef, heat to boiling, stir in cornstarch mixture, cook and stir until thickened, about 20 seconds. Add pea pods, cook and stir 30 seconds.
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