Beef Stir-Fry with Black Bean Sauce
Tender beef strips in a savory, slightly sweet black bean sauce with crispy vegetables. Better than takeout and ready in 15 minutes.
Main Dish · Prep 15 min · Cook 10 min · Serves 3 · Medium · By Tina · Published
Ingredients
- 400 g beef sirloin, thinly sliced
- 3 tbsp black bean sauce
- 2 bell peppers, mixed colors, sliced
- 1 onion, sliced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tbsp ginger, grated
- 2 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tbsp cornstarch, for velveting
- 1 tsp sesame oil
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil
- 2 green onions, sliced
I used to order this from my local Chinese place every week until I realized I was spending a fortune on something I could make in 15 minutes. The trick is high heat and fast cooking — everything should be slightly charred but still crisp.
The black bean sauce is the foundation. You can buy it jarred (Lee Kum Kee is solid) or make your own with fermented black beans, garlic, and ginger. Either way, it gives the beef this deep, savory, almost funky flavor that is completely addictive.
The key to a good stir-fry is having everything prepped before you turn on the heat. Once you start cooking, it moves fast.
Pro Tips
- Slice the beef against the grain, thin. Velvet it with a little cornstarch and soy sauce for 10 minutes.
- Your pan or wok needs to be SCREAMING hot. If it is not smoking, it is not ready.
- Cook the beef in batches. Crowding = steaming = grey sad meat.
- Add the vegetables in order of cooking time: peppers first, greens last.
Serving
Serve over steamed jasmine rice. The sauce is the whole point, so make sure there is enough rice to soak it up.
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