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Quick Stir-Fried Beef In Oyster Sauce
Chinese takeaway beef with ginger and spring onions… what more could you ask for? Let’s get cooking…
Whenever I’m craving a Chinese takeaway, this beef stir-fry with ginger, spring onions and a savoury yet slightly sweet oyster sauce is exactly what I need.
It’s incredibly tasty, easy to make and I make it with very simple ingredients. The main three ingredients are oyster sauce, soy sauce and sesame oil, which you can reuse to make even more Chinese takeaway dishes – I definitely have more than a few on my site!
Sometimes I call this dish ‘beef in oyster sauce’ or ‘beef with ginger and spring onion’. However, no matter what you call it, I’m sure everyone will agree that this is one tasty dish, and I can’t wait for you to try it.
Why You’ll Like This Recipe
- It’s super simple to make and ready in less than 15 minutes (my highlight of the dish).
- Get that WOK HEI flavour! (the extra flavour that comes from cooking food in a hot wok).
- The taste is incredible, and I find it goes well with noodles and rice.
Recipe Ingredients
Below are the ingredients I used to make this recipe:
- Beef: Use tenderloin, sirloin, ribeye, or rump steak, these are my top four choices for a tender texture.
- Spring Onions: Also called scallion; it adds an aromatic flavour.
- Ginger: Adds warmth and a subtle sweet taste. If you don’t have root ginger, you can use ginger paste.
- Beef Marinade: To marinate the meat, I mix together light soy sauce, sugar, cornflour and white pepper and leave the meat to marinate for at least 5 minutes.
- Stir-Fry Sauce: The sauce that coats the beef is made from a mixture of oyster sauce, dark soy sauce, Shaoxing cooking wine, cornflour, water, sesame oil and sugar.
Marinating The Beef
Do not skip marinating the beef, it is so important! It improves the flavour of the beef and tenderises it. I use a similar marinade in my Chinese beef curry recipe.
If you have time on your hands, you can leave the beef to marinate overnight to absorb the flavours in the marinade.
How To Make Beef With Ginger And Spring Onion (In Oyster Sauce)
Here’s a summary of how I make this dish. You can get the full recipe instructions on the recipe card below:
Step One:
I always slice the beef into thin slices against the grain and place the pieces into a mixing bowl. To do this, look for parallel lines of muscle fibre running down the beef and slice perpendicular (at a 90-degree angle) from it.
Then I add the marinating ingredients (light soy sauce, sugar, cornflour and white pepper) to the beef and mix until it’s evenly distributed.
In a small mixing bowl, I mix the sauce ingredients together and set it aside for later use.
Step Two:
I heat a large wok on a high heat, add oil, the marinated beef and stir fry until it’s 80% cooked (so that the beef is mostly brown but not fully cooked through).
Sliced ginger and spring onions are added to the wok and I continue to stir fry for 1 to 2 minutes.
Step Three:
I pour in the previously made stir-fry sauce over the beef, ginger and spring onions and continue to stir for 1 to 2 minutes or until the sauce thickens and is glossy.
How To Store
Store the cooked beef in an airtight container and keep it in the fridge for up to 2 to 3 days. You can freeze this dish for up to 3 months, defrost in the fridge and reheat in the microwave.
My Top Tips
Don’t skip adding cornflour to the beef marinade, this helps with velveting the meat. Velveting essentially makes the beef soft and moist. Sometimes I even add half a teaspoon of baking powder to aid this process.
You can also switch up the vegetables you use in this recipe. I love making this dish with pak choi, it’s a must try!
Cutting against the grain is one of the easiest ways to get smooth and tender pieces of meat.
How To Serve
When I make beef with ginger and spring onion, I like to pair it with rice dishes like this king prawn fried rice or singapore fried rice recipe.
If I fancy a side of noodles, then I’m most definitely making plain chow mein, house special chow mein or this prawn chow mein. For a noodle dish with a twist, I recommend making this homemade chicken vermicelli or yaki udon noodles.
Beef With Ginger And Spring Onion (In Oyster Sauce)
Equipment
Ingredients
- 300 g Beef
- Thumb-sized Ginger Thinly Sliced
- 2 Spring Onions Chopped
Beef Marinade
- 1 tbsp Light Soy Sauce
- 1 tsp Sugar
- 1 tsp Cornflour
- ½ tsp White Pepper
Stir-Fry Sauce
- 3 tbsp Oyster Sauce
- 2 tbsp Water
- 1 tbsp Shaoxing Cooking Wine
- 1 tsp Dark Soy Sauce
- 1 tsp Sesame Oil
- 1 tsp Sugar
- ½ tsp Cornflour
Instructions
- Slice the beef into thin slices against the grain and place into a mixing bowl.300 g Beef
- Add the marinade ingredients to the beef and mix until evenly distributed. Set the meat aside for later use.1 tbsp Light Soy Sauce, 1 tsp Sugar, 1 tsp Cornflour, ½ tsp White Pepper
- In a small mixing bowl, mix the sauce ingredients together and set aside for later use.3 tbsp Oyster Sauce, 2 tbsp Water, 1 tbsp Shaoxing Cooking Wine, 1 tsp Dark Soy Sauce, 1 tsp Sesame Oil, 1 tsp Sugar, ½ tsp Cornflour
- Heat a large wok on a high heat. Add oil followed by the marinated beef and stir fry until 80% cooked. The beef should be mostly brown but not fully cooked through.
- Add sliced ginger and spring onions to the wok and continue to stir fry for 1 to 2 minutes.Thumb-sized Ginger, 2 Spring Onions
- Pour the previously made stir-fry sauce over the beef, ginger and spring onions and continue to stir for 1 to 2 minutes or until the sauce thickens and is glossy.
Video
Nutrition
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Heather H
I absolutely love this recipe. So easy to do and tastes delicious!
Michelle
Hey Heather, I’m thrilled to hear that you love the beef and spring onion recipe!