Description
A flavorful and colorful beef stir fry featuring tender flank steak, crisp vegetables, and a savory homemade sauce. This quick and easy recipe is perfect for a delicious weeknight dinner served over rice or noodles.
Ingredients
Scale
Beef and Marinade
- 1 pound flank steak
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
Vegetables
- 2 cups broccoli florets
- 1 cup shredded carrots
- 1 cup snow peas
- 1 red bell pepper sliced
- 1 green onion sliced
Sauce
- ½ cup soy sauce
- 3 tablespoons light brown sugar
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger or 2 teaspoons fresh grated ginger
- 2 tablespoons sesame seeds toasted
Instructions
- Marinate the beef: Cut the flank steak thinly across the grain into strips no more than ½-inch thick and 2 inches long. Place the beef in a freezer bag or medium bowl, add 2 tablespoons soy sauce and 2 tablespoons cornstarch, stir to coat and let marinate at room temperature for at least 30 minutes.
- Prepare the vegetables: Wash and cut broccoli into florets, shred the carrots, trim the snow peas, slice the red bell pepper and green onion. Set all aside ready for cooking.
- Make the sauce: In a bowl, whisk together ½ cup soy sauce, light brown sugar, garlic powder, and ground or fresh grated ginger until the sugar dissolves. Set aside.
- Heat the skillet: Heat 2 tablespoons vegetable oil in a large deep skillet or wok over high heat until shimmering.
- Sear the beef in batches: Add half of the marinated beef to the skillet and fry for 3 minutes without overcrowding, then remove it from the skillet. Repeat with the remaining beef. This ensures the meat sears properly and caramelizes.
- Cook the vegetables: Add the prepared broccoli, shredded carrots, snow peas, and red bell pepper to the skillet and stir fry for 2 minutes until just tender but still crisp.
- Combine and finish: Return the cooked beef to the skillet with the vegetables. Stir in the prepared sauce and cook everything together until heated through, about 1-2 minutes.
- Garnish and serve: Sprinkle sliced green onions and toasted sesame seeds over the stir fry. Serve immediately over steamed noodles or rice for a complete meal.
Notes
- Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for 3 to 4 days. They reheat well in the microwave.
- If you can’t find flank steak, skirt steak or sirloin steak are excellent substitutes.
- Other vegetables that work well include mushrooms, baby corn, zucchini, celery, bean sprouts, bok choy, or cabbage.
- If the dish tastes too salty due to the soy sauce, add a teaspoon of vinegar to balance the flavor or use low sodium soy sauce.
- If you don’t have brown sugar, white sugar can be used as a substitute and will still taste great.
- Toasting sesame seeds enhances flavor: toast them in a dry skillet over medium heat for 3 to 5 minutes until golden or medium brown, stirring often and watching closely to prevent burning.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving
- Calories: 350 kcal
- Sugar: 8 g
- Sodium: 850 mg
- Fat: 18 g
- Saturated Fat: 3 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 14 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 22 g
- Fiber: 4 g
- Protein: 28 g
- Cholesterol: 70 mg
