Beef and Vegetable Stir Fry

This beef and vegetable stir fry is quick and easy to make. It features steak strips, mixed vegetables, and a simple homemade sauce. We use frozen vegetables for convenience, but fresh works just as well. Serve it with white rice or noodles for a delicious, satisfying meal your family will enjoy!

Course Main Course

Cuisine Asian

Keyword beef, steak, vegetables

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 13

Total Time 28

Servings

Calories 338kcal

Author Elizabeth Rodriguez

Ingredients

1 pound Beef cut into ¼ inch strips (use top sirloin or top round)
½ teaspoon Salt plus extra if needed at the end
¼ cup Water
1 tablespoon Corn Starch
¼ cup Reduced Sodium Soy Sauce
2 tablespoons Hoisin Sauce
1 tablespoon Brown Sugar
2 Large Garlic Cloves grated or minced
1 teaspoon Ginger Powder use fresh if you have it on hand grated or minced
Pinch of Crushed Red Pepper Flakes or to taste
2 tablespoons Oil use a neutral oil with a high smoke point – we used canola oil
14-16 ounces Mixed Vegetables frozen or fresh (if using fresh, get the steam-in-the-bag variety; we used a frozen blend of broccoli, cauliflower, and carrots, but there are other varieties to choose from)
Sliced Green Onions for garnish optional
Sesame Seeds for garnish optional

Instructions

Prepare the steak

Slice the steak into thin strips (roughly ¼ inch). Sprinkle with ½ teaspoon of salt. Let the steak sit at room temperature for 15-20 minutes to remove the chill from the meat (if your kitchen is cool).

Make the stir fry sauce

Add the water and cornstarch to a jar or to a medium bowl.
Use a fork or a small whisk to stir the mixture until the cornstarch dissolves.
Add the soy sauce, hoisin sauce, brown sugar, garlic, ginger, and crushed red pepper (if using).
Stir the sauce vigorously until well combined.
If you are not using the sauce right away make sure to give it a good stir right before cooking. The corn starch will settle at the bottom so get in there and stir well until it is incorporated again.

Prepare the vegetables

If you are using fresh vegetables get the steam-in-the-bag variety. Cook them just enough to get them going, half of the recommended time on the package should be enough.
If you are using frozen vegetables, like we did, cook them for slightly less than half the recommended time on the package. You only want to defrost them.

Cook the beef and vegetables

Heat the oil in a large skillet or wok over high heat. When the oil is hot, almost smoking, add the beef.
Spread the beef to cover the bottom of the skillet so that it’s in a single layer.
Cook the beef strips for 1½-2 minutes without stirring.
Flip the beef in sections to brown on the other side and cook for 1 minute.
Stir the beef and continue browning for 1-2 more minutes until it’s no longer pink, and any liquid has cooked out.
Add the vegetables and the prepared sauce to the skillet. As soon as the sauce starts boiling, lower the heat to medium-low.
Cook for 3-5 minutes, or until the vegetables reach the desired tenderness, stir often.
Taste and add salt, if needed. As a reference we didn’t add extra salt to ours.
Serve the stir fry with white rice or noodles and garnish with sliced green onions and sesame seeds, if desired.

Notes

Use little salt in this recipe since the soy sauce and hoisin sauce both contain a good amount. You can always add more at the end if needed.
If you’re serving the stir fry with rice or noodles, start them first. This dish takes less than 15 minutes from start to finish and requires your full attention.
Have everything prepped before you start cooking.

Nutrition