The beef and vegetable stir fry is my most-used weeknight emergency move. When I open the fridge at 5:30pm and find a piece of beef, a few vegetables in various states of wilting, and nothing that resembles a plan, this is what happens. It takes twenty minutes, uses almost anything, and comes out tasting like dinner on purpose.
The rules of good stir-fry are: high heat, small batches, and everything prepped before the pan goes on. Stir frying moves fast and you can't chop vegetables while things are burning. Get everything cut and measured and by the stove before you turn on the burner.
Use whatever vegetables you have — broccoli, capsicum, snap peas, zucchini, baby corn, mushrooms. They all work. The sauce is the same regardless. Over rice, with chopsticks if you're feeling aspirational or a fork if you're not, this is a dinner that reliably makes people happy without making you suffer.
"High heat, small batches, prep everything first. That's the whole stir-fry lesson."
Ingredients
- 400g beef (scotch fillet or rump), very thinly sliced
- 1 head broccoli, cut into small florets
- 1 red capsicum, sliced
- 200g button mushrooms, sliced
- 2 tbsp oyster sauce
- 1 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tbsp cornflour
- 2 tsp sesame oil
- 1 tsp sugar
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tsp fresh ginger, grated
- 3 tbsp neutral oil
- Steamed rice, to serve
Method
Step 1
Toss the sliced beef with 1 tbsp soy sauce and the cornflour in a bowl. Set aside. Mix the oyster sauce, remaining soy, sesame oil and sugar in a small bowl. Have everything ready beside the stove.
Step 2
Heat a wok or large frypan over very high heat until smoking. Add 2 tbsp of the neutral oil. Stir-fry the beef in a single layer for 1–2 minutes until just browned. Remove to a plate — it doesn't need to be fully cooked at this stage.
Step 3
Add the remaining oil to the wok. Add the harder vegetables (broccoli, capsicum) first and stir-fry for 2 minutes. Add the mushrooms and cook another minute. Add the garlic and ginger and stir for 30 seconds.
Step 4
Return the beef to the wok, pour in the sauce mixture and toss everything together for 1–2 minutes until the beef is cooked through and everything is glossy and coated. Serve immediately over rice.
