Recipe byThe ZestyPlate Kitchen
Tender velveted beef stir-fried with crunchy vegetables in a savoury, lightly spicy oyster sauce. A quick, bold dish, best over steamed rice.
Szechuan beef is a fast, bold stir-fry: tender strips of beef and crunchy vegetables bound in a savoury sauce with a little heat. Velveting the beef in egg white and cornflour first is the trick that keeps it soft, and a screaming-hot wok does the rest. Spoon it over rice and you have a weeknight dinner sorted in minutes.
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Prep 20 min
Cook 15 min
Total 35 min
Medium
Scale:
- 1/2 lb Beef
- 1/2 tsp Salt
- 1 tsp Sesame Seed Oil
- 1 pinch Pepper
- 1 Egg White
- 3 tbs Starch
- 4 tbs Oil
- 1 tsp Ginger
- 1 tsp Garlic
- 3/4 cup Onion
- 1/2 cup Carrots
- 3/4 cup Green Pepper
- 1 cup Celery
- 1 cup Mushrooms
- 1 tbs Cooking Wine
- 1 cup Water
- 1 tbs Oyster Sauce
- 1/2 tsp Hotsauce
- 1 tsp Sugar
- 1 tbs Soy Sauce
Nutrition (per serving)
400
kcal
15g
Protein
27g
Carbs
27g
Fat
Estimated per serving. How we calculate this.
Preparation
- In a bowl, marinate the beef with the salt, sesame oil, white pepper, egg white, 2 tablespoons cornstarch and 1 tablespoon oil.
- Cook the beef first: add 2 tablespoons oil to a wok and fry the beef until golden brown, then set aside.
- Add 1 tablespoon oil to the wok with the minced ginger and garlic and stir-fry for a few seconds.
- Add all the vegetables, followed by the cooking wine and 1 cup water.
- For the sauce, add the oyster sauce, hot pepper sauce and sugar.
- Return the cooked beef to the wok along with 1 tablespoon soy sauce.
- To thicken, whisk 1 tablespoon cornstarch with 2 tablespoons water and trickle it into the stir-fry until the sauce reaches the thickness you want.
Tips from the ZestyPlate Kitchen
- Marinate the beef in egg white and cornflour; this velveting step is what keeps it tender.
- Get every vegetable sliced and the sauce mixed before you light the wok, because there is no time to chop once you start.
- Keep the heat high and the wok hot so things sear rather than stew.
- Stir in the cornflour slurry at the very end to give the sauce a glossy coat that clings.
Frequently Asked Questions
Go for something tender and quick-cooking such as sirloin, rump or flank, sliced thinly across the grain.
Slice it thinly against the grain, velvet it in egg white and cornflour, then cook it fast over high heat and don't crowd the wok.
There is a mild warmth from the hot sauce, which you can dial up or down. For a more authentic kick, add dried chilli or Sichuan peppercorns.
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