Beef with garlic sauce recipe
Learn the secrets to making mouthwatering beef with garlic sauce. This recipe will show you how to achieve tender, flavorful beef in minutes.
Servings: 4 servings
Ingredients
For the beef:
- 1 lb. skirt steak sirloin tip, or flank steak
- 2 tsp soy sauce or 1 tbsp coconut aminos
- 2 tsp olive oil
- ⅛ tsp black pepper
- ¼-½ tsp baking soda
- 2-2.5 tbsp tapioca starch or arrowroot starch
- 1 tsp toasted sesame oil
- 1.5 tbsp water
Aromatics and veggie:
- 1 oz garlic cloves thinly sliced, 6 large
- 4 whole scallions dice to 2.5-inch sections
- 0.20 oz ginger julienned, one small thumb size
- 6 oz bean sprouts
- 1.5 tbsp avocado oil divided
- Small pinch salt
Garlic sauce:
- ¼ cup chicken stock
- 0.15 oz garlic grated, 1 large
- 0.5 tbsp light soy sauce or coconut aminos
- 0.5 tbsp dark soy sauce or coconut aminos
- 1 tbsp oyster sauce or vegetarian oyster sauce
- Small dash ground white pepper
- 1 tsp starch
- splash Chinese shaoxing wine or Taiwanese michu, optional
Instructions
- Slice: Hold your knife at a 45-degree angle will make the slice wilder and more flat. Slice the beef against the grain into thin pieces at about ⅛-inch (0.3 cm) thin.
- Tenderize and marinate: In a bowl, add the beef and season with ingredients from soy sauce to sesame oil. Add in the water little-by-little while messaging the beef until the water is absorbed. Cover the bowl and marinate the meat for 15 minutes in the fridge or up to 1 day in advance. Your beef is ready for stir frying!
- Aromatics & Sauce: Prepare garlic, scallions, and ginger. Rinse the bean sprouts, drain, and pat dry. Stir the sauce in a cup from stock to starch.
- Sear beef: Preheat a large saute pan over medium heat until it feels quite hot, add 1 tbsp oil. Add the beef and quickly spread it out into a single layer. You should hear a sizzling sound. If not, turn the heat up higher. Pay sear for 2 minutes without disturbing or until you see the bottom turns crisp brown. Flip and sear the other side for 1 minute. Transfer out along with the pan juice to set aside.
- Saute aromatics: While the pan is still hot, add the remaining 0.5 tbsp oil. Saute garlic and ginger with a small pinch of salt over medium heat for 15 seconds.
- Bean sprouts, beef, and sauce: Turn heat up to medium-high. Add the bean sprouts, toss for 10 seconds. Return the beef and stir the sauce again before pouring it in. Toss for 30 seconds. Turn off the heat.
- Serve: Transfer to a large serving plate. Serve hot with rice.
Video
Notes
- Cookware size: Use a large sauté pan or wok. A 12-inch (31cm) pan is ideal.
- Use a splatter guard: Not a lid. A lid traps moisture and can make your stir fry soggy.
- Stir fry beef selections: Choose lean cuts and thin pieces of steak like flank, skirt, or sirloin tip. These are easier to slice thinly than thicker cuts like ribeye.
- Knife selection: I recommend a sharp boning knife for its thin, narrow tip, which is easy to control.
- Knife slicing technique: Slice the beef against the grain into thin pieces, not strips. Hold your knife at a 45-degree angle, moving from left to right instead of straight up and down.
- Temperature & Timing: Preheat your pan properly—it should be hot but not smoking. You should hear a sizzle throughout the cooking process.
- Make-ahead: You can slice and marinate the beef (velvet beef) up to one or two days in advance to save time.
- Storage: Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.
Nutrition
Serving: 1serving | Calories: 298kcal | Carbohydrates: 11g | Protein: 27g | Fat: 17g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 9g | Trans Fat: 0.4g | Cholesterol: 71mg | Sodium: 640mg | Potassium: 471mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 29IU | Vitamin C: 8mg | Calcium: 32mg | Iron: 3mg