Easy Beef Stir Fry

Serve this beef stir fry with white rice, egg noodles, or next to fried rice!

Beef for Stir Fry

So, what kind of beef is best for stir fry? I use either sirloin or flank steak in my beef stir fry recipe because it is tasty, affordable, and can be easily tenderized. You can use chuck steak as well. The secret to making the best beef stir fry using flank steak is all in how you slice the meat. Thin slices, across the grain is the key. Here’s how to do it:

Trim away any silver skin, or other tough connective tissue that often surrounds a cut of beef.
Look at the way the grains are running, you will see long lines of muscle.
You want to slice across the long lines (across the grain) for the most tender meat. I cut 1/4 inch thick.

Now you’re ready to marinate and/or tenderize.

How to Make Beef Stir Fry

This dish requires a little more prep time than many recipes, but it’s so worth it! Prep your veggies ahead of time and place them in a container in the fridge. To make things super easy, our grocery store sells stir fry veggies cut and prepped.

Cook the beef in batches in an oiled pan or wok about 2-3 minutes and then remove and set aside (overcrowding the pan causes the beef to steam, not fry).
Cook the vegetables in a hot oiled pan or wok 4-5 minutes. They should still be crunchy. Set aside.
In the same pan, combine the sauce ingredients, bring to a simmer and thicken with cornstarch. Add the beef and veggies back to the pan and cook until heated through.

Making Beef Tender

You know how Chinese food always has the most tender pieces of beef and chicken? They use a technique called velveting which makes the meat so … velvety!! This involves tossing the beef (or chicken) with cornstarch and usually rice vinegar/soy sauce and egg white and let it marinate a while. It’s then usually cooked in either oil or water to complete the process and then it’s used in stir-fries.

I always toss my beef (or chicken for chicken stir fry) with cornstarch while I prepare the rest of the ingredients. While it’s not the exact same velveting technique as found in Chinese restaurants, it does change the texture of the meat and tenderize it. The little bit of cornstarch on the outside also gets a nice crust and helps thicken the sauce. Win-win-win!

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