Recipe: Stir-Fried Beef and Asparagus

Christine Gallary
Christine GallarySenior Recipe Editor at The Kitchn
I grew up in a Chinese food-loving family, eating my first restaurant meals in Oakland's vibrant Chinatown. My love of food but lack of cooking experience led to me Le Cordon Bleu in Paris, where I graduated with a Diplôme de Cuisine in French cooking. After culinary school, I learned how to test and edit recipes in test kitchens at Cook's Illustrated and CHOW, falling in love with the process of rigorously testing recipes to make sure they were foolproof for the home cook. I've worked with thousands of recipes over the past 15 years, including developing recipes for the James Beard-award winning Mister Jiu's in Chinatown cookbook. Living in the delicious diversity of San Francisco, I never get tired of finding new ingredients or cuisines to try. My favorite type is Cantonese home cooking — I'm on a quest to recreate the dishes my grandmother used to make. All the food I test at home is eagerly tasted and enjoyed by my husband, Hayden, and daughter, Sophie, while our little dog, Mochi, looks wistfully on.
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updated Jan 29, 2020
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Credit: Maria Siriano

Serves4

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(Image credit: Maria Siriano)

Put that takeout menu back in the drawer — we’re coming upon asparagus season, so it’s time to take full advantage of its short appearance! This Chinese-style stir-fry can be made in the same time it takes for takeout to arrive. Pick up some flank steak, asparagus, and mushrooms at the grocery store and break out the wok when you get home.

(Image credit: Maria Siriano)

Flank steak is a great choice for stir-fries because it’s lean, flavorful, and has lots of beefy flavor. The trick to tender beef is slicing the meat against the grain, or against the tough muscle fibers in the meat.

Learn More: Here’s How (and Why) to Slice Meat Against the Grain

One shortcut I take when making stir-fries is making sauces that can double as a marinade. In this case, dry sherry, soy sauce, cornstarch, rice vinegar, sugar, and sesame oil make a classic brown sauce, but I also use just a tablespoon of it to season the beef before it goes into the pan.

After the meat is browned, but not cooked all the way through, mushrooms and asparagus go into the pan separately to cook. Only stir-frying small amounts of food means that there’s space in the pan or wok for things to brown and take on some extra flavor. When everything’s cooked, they all go back into the pan to get coated in sauce. Trust me — takeout will never taste as good!

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Stir-Fried Beef and Asparagus

Serves 4

Nutritional Info

Ingredients

For the beef and sauce:

  • 8 ounces

    flank steak, trimmed of excess fat and sinew

  • 2 1/2 tablespoons

    Shaoxing wine or dry sherry

  • 2 tablespoons

    soy sauce or tamari

  • 1 1/2 teaspoons

    cornstarch

  • 1 teaspoon

    vegetable oil

  • 1 teaspoon

    rice vinegar

  • 1 teaspoon

    packed dark brown sugar

  • 1/2 teaspoon

    toasted sesame seed oil

For the stir-fry:

  • 3 teaspoons

    vegetable oil, divided

  • 8 ounces

    fresh brown or porcini mushrooms, halved or quartered if large

  • Kosher salt

  • 1 bunch

    asparagus (about 1 pound), ends trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces

  • 2 teaspoons

    peeled, minced fresh ginger

  • 2 cloves

    garlic, finely chopped

  • 1/4 cup

    water

  • 1 teaspoon

    toasted sesame seeds (optional)

  • Steamed white rice or brown rice, for serving

Instructions

For the beef and sauce:

  1. Cut the flank steak crosswise (with the grain) into 2- to 3-inch-wide strips. Cut each strip across the grain into 1/4-inch-thick pieces. Place the beef in a medium bowl; set aside.

  2. Whisk the remaining ingredients in a small bowl until the cornstarch and sugar are fully dissolved. Transfer 1 tablespoon of this sauce mixture to the bowl of beef and toss to coat the meat; set the remaining sauce aside.

For the stir-fry:

  1. Heat a large frying pan or flat-bottomed wok over medium-high heat until a drop of water vaporizes immediately on contact. Drizzle in 1 teaspoon of the oil, then add the beef and spread into an even layer. Cook undisturbed until the beef begins to sear, about 1 minute. Using a metal spatula, stir-fry for 30 seconds until the beef is lightly browned, but not cooked through. Transfer to a large plate.

  2. Drizzle 1 teaspoon of oil into the pan, add the mushrooms, and season with salt. Stir-fry until the mushrooms are browned and softened, about 2 minutes, then transfer to the plate with the beef.

  3. Drizzle the remaining teaspoon of oil into the pan, add the asparagus, ginger, and garlic, and season with salt. Stir-fry until the garlic is fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the water and stir-fry until the asparagus is crisp-tender and bright green, about 3 minutes.

  4. Add the reserved beef, mushrooms, and any juices and stir to combine. Whisk the sauce again to recombine and dissolve the cornstarch, then add to the pan. Stir-fry until the beef is just cooked through and the sauce thickens and is glossy, about 1 minute. Transfer to a serving dish, sprinkle with the sesame seeds, and serve with rice.

Filed in:
Beef
chinese
dinner
easy
Ingredient
Main Dish