Oyster Sauce Beef Stir-Fry (蠔油牛肉)

A classic Chinese dish that calls for quick and big fire. Tens of minutes spent on prepping the ingredients probably far exceed the actual cooking time. Not necessarily a bad thing since you can just dive into the beef stir-fry in no time. 

Oyster sauce beef stir-fry -

Ingredients?

• 200 grams/0.4 lb marbled beef slices 
• 2 stalks scallion
• 1 to 2 red chilies
• 1/2 teaspoon grated ginger
• 1 tablespoon oyster sauce
• Some olive oil
• Some pre-boiled water
• Some corn starch
• Some Chinese broccoli/gai lan (optional)

How?

If serving the beef stir-fry with gai lan or other types of green veggies, blanch first then just plate alongside finished stir-fry after wards.

Mix about 1 small spoonful of corn starch with 1 small spoonful of water and 1 small spoonful of olive oil. Use this mixture to lightly marinate the beef. Give the meat a little massage with the marinade and let it rest for about 10 minutes. 

Usually this stir-fry calls for beef slices, but the version I used was from a thicker cut of the beef with great marbled fat throughout, better ingredient calls for a more delicious result.

Trim off the chili stems and cut diagonally. Trim off the scallion stems and cut into about 2 inch long sections, separate the white and green sections. 

Take a non-stick pan and turn to high or medium high heat. Wait till the surface turns hot then add in the beef along with its marinade, but all the marinade should all be absorbed by the meat by then. 

Just a quick sear then pushes the beef to the side. Transfer the white scallion sections to the center and sear till slightly browned. Add in the chilies and grated ginger and cook till aromatic, this should take about 30 seconds or so.

Pour in the oyster sauce. Some people will also add some sugar but not necessary, especially the oyster sauce I used already got some sweetness in it. Stir-fry all the ingredients then quickly transfer onto a serving plate.

On top of beef, I also upgraded the scallion used here. It's called "san shin" scallion from Taiwan, Yilan. It's more aromatic but not the kind that gives your a spicy aftertaste. Try to look for it at your local Asian grocery store if possible, you won't be disappointed.


Other beef stir-fry recipe:

• Thick cut marbled beef slices and bean curd stir fry (with a touch of Chinese basil)