Marinated sliced beef stir fried with mushroom, onion and peppers in a flavorful Cantonese style sauce over a bed of greens

Trim beef of excess fat and thinly slice against the grain into 1/8"–1/4" strips. In a bowl combine 2 tbs light soy sauce, 1 tbs Shaoxing wine, 1 tbs cornstarch, 1/2 tsp sesame oil, 1/4 tsp white pepper and 1/2 tsp sugar. Add beef, toss thoroughly to coat, cover and refrigerate to marinate for at least 20 minutes and up to 2 hours.

Slice and combine

Clean and slice shiitake mushrooms about 1/4" thick. Seed and thinly slice red and green bell peppers. Halve and thinly slice the yellow onion. Mince garlic and julienne or mince ginger. Trim baby bok choy or gai lan and separate leaves/stems.

Prepare vegetables

Bring a medium pot of salted water to a boil. Blanche baby bok choy or gai lan for 30–45 seconds until bright green and tender-crisp. Remove and immediately plunge into ice water to stop cooking, then drain. Arrange greens on a serving platter as a bed for the finished stir-fry.

Blanch greens (optional, recommended for a bed)

In a small bowl whisk together 1.5 tbs oyster sauce, 1 tsp dark soy, 1 tbs light soy, 1/2 cup chicken stock (or water), 1/2 tsp rice wine vinegar and 1/2 tsp sugar. In a separate small cup dissolve 1 tsp cornstarch in 1–2 tbs cold water to make a slurry and set aside.

Make sauce

Place a wok or large heavy skillet over high heat until very hot. Add 1 tbs vegetable oil and swirl. Add the marinated beef in a single layer (work in batches if necessary) and stir-fry 40–60 seconds until browned but not fully cooked through. Remove beef to a plate and set aside.

Heat wok and sear beef

Add the remaining 1 tbs vegetable oil to the wok. When shimmering, add garlic and ginger and stir-fry 10–15 seconds until fragrant. Add sliced mushrooms and stir-fry 1–2 minutes until they begin to soften. Add sliced onion and bell peppers and stir-fry another 1–2 minutes until vegetables are bright and just tender-crisp.

Cook aromatics and vegetables

Return the seared beef and any accumulated juices to the wok. Give the prepared Cantonese-style sauce a quick stir and pour it over the beef and vegetables. Stir everything to combine and bring the sauce to a gentle simmer, about 30–45 seconds.

Combine beef and sauce

Stir the cornstarch slurry and slowly drizzle it into the simmering sauce while stirring. Cook 30–60 seconds until sauce thickens and coats the beef and vegetables. Taste and adjust seasoning with up to 1/4 tsp salt and a pinch of pepper if needed.

Thicken sauce

Turn off heat and drizzle 1/2 tsp sesame oil over the stir-fry. Transfer the hot beef, mushrooms and peppers over the bed of blanched greens. Garnish with sliced scallions and a sprinkle of toasted sesame seeds if using. Serve immediately with steamed rice or noodles.

Finish and serve

flank steak or top sirloin, thinly sliced against the grain

light soy sauce

Shaoxing wine (or dry sherry)

cornstarch

sesame oil

white pepper

granulated sugar

shiitake mushrooms, stems trimmed and sliced (or cremini)

red bell pepper, seeded and thinly sliced

green bell pepper, seeded and thinly sliced

yellow onion, halved and thinly sliced

garlic, minced

fresh ginger, peeled and julienned or minced

baby bok choy or Chinese broccoli (gai lan), trimmed

oyster sauce

dark soy sauce

chicken stock or water

rice wine vinegar

sugar

cornstarch (for slurry)

vegetable oil (or peanut oil) for stir-frying

sesame oil (for finishing)

scallions, thinly sliced (for garnish)

toasted sesame seeds (optional)

salt

ground black or white pepper

EMPEROR'S BEEF

Make EMPEROR'S BEEF Recipe in just 40m. Marinated sliced beef stir fried with mushroom, onion and peppers in a flavorful Cantonese style sauce over a bed of greens

Emperor's Beef Recipe

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