Scallion Beef Stir Fry (葱爆牛肉)

This scallion beef recipe is slightly adapted from scallion lamb stir-fry (葱爆羊肉, cong bao yang rou), a classic northern Chinese dish. You probably won’t find scallion beef in a Chinese restaurant, as beef is not a staple in most of China. But since beef is a more available protein in the US, I wanted to share this classic recipe with you using beef. 

Scallion beef is made with sliced beef and Chinese scallions in a savory brown sauce. The beef is cooked with high heat until browned and still juicy. It’s then brought together with scallions, a simple sauce and a ton of aromatics. It’s the best type of dish to serve over steamed rice for a quick and satisfying meal.

Ingredients

What is Chinese scallion (大葱)

Growing up in Beijing, the most common type of scallion is the very long and thick type (See the picture below. I placed some regular green onions on the side for scale.). It is called Da Cong (大葱), or directly translated means big scallion. We use it every day instead of the delicate green onions (known as scallions in the US), which are more expensive and do not stand up to heat as well. 

You can see that the Chinese scallion is much bigger, with a very long white part. The texture of the Chinese scallion is very similar to that of green onion, except the white part and green part are slightly thicker and coarser. 

Chinese scallions resemble leeks, but I think the texture of leeks is much drier. Also, leeks have a shorter white stem, and the green part is much thicker.

For the scallion beef stir fry, the best option is to use Chinese scallions for a much better texture. However, you can use regular scallions or leeks as an alternative. If using regular scallions, you will need about 6 to 8 of them and you should slice them into 2” (5 cm) long pieces. For leeks, you can use 1 to 2 of them, depending on the size. You should also cook the leeks a bit longer so they will turn soft.

What type of beef cut to use

My favorite beef cut for stir frying is flank steak. You can use skirt steak as well. If you want to use a cheaper cut such as chuck or brisket, you can add 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda to the marinade and marinate the beef for 20 to 30 minutes. The baking soda will tenderize the beef and keep a great texture during the cooking process.

Mise en place

When you’re ready to cook, your table should have:

1. Marinated beef
2. Dried chili pepper, sliced garlic (you can group them together because they are added in the same step)
3. Sliced Chinese scallions
4. Mixed sauce

How to make scallion beef stir fry

Cooking scallion beef is super fast once you’ve done the prep:

1. Spread out the beef in a hot pan to sear it
2. To make sure the beef is cooked perfectly, it’s best to cook it until medium rare then remove it from the pan
3. Saute the chili pepper and garlic to release the aroma
4. Add the Chinese scallions and cook until it just starts to soften
5. Add back the beef and pour in the sauce
6. Cook until the sauce has thickened

That’s it! Then you can serve this juicy beef and tender scallions over steamed rice for dinner!

Other delicious dinner ideas 

• Real-Deal Xinjiang Cumin Lamb (孜然羊肉)
• Black Pepper Chicken
• Chinese Beef and Broccoli (牛肉炒西兰花)
• Spicy Squid Stir Fry (爆炒鱿鱼)
• Shredded Pork with Garlic Sauce (鱼香肉丝, Yu Xiang Rou Si)

Scallion Beef Stir Fry (葱爆牛肉)

By Maggie Zhu

4.89 from 9 votes

Prep Time: 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes minutes

Total Time: 25 minutes minutes

Servings: 4

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Scallion beef stir-fry features juicy beef cooked with tender Chinese scallion in a scrumptious brown sauce that’s savory and sweet. It’s a super quick dish for a busy weekday night and you can serve it with steamed rice for a complete, delicious and healthy meal. {Gluten-Free Adaptable}

To make this dish gluten-free, use tamari instead of soy sauce and use dry sherry instead of Shaoxing wine.

Ingredients 

Marinating ingredients

• 1 lb (16 oz) beef flank steak , sliced into 1/4” (4 mm) thick pieces (or skirt steak, or other cut)
• 1 tablespoon Shaoxing wine (or dry sherry)
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon cornstarch

Sauce

• 1/4 cup chicken broth
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon dark soy sauce (Optional, *Footnote 1)
• 2 tablespoons Shaoxing wine (or dry sherry)
• 4 teaspoons sugar
• 2 teaspoons cornstarch
• 1/4 teaspoon white pepper powder

Stir-fry

• 2 tablespoons peanut oil (or vegetable oil)
• 3 Chinese chili peppers , dried
• 4 cloves garlic , sliced
• 2 Chinese scallions , tough end removed and sliced on a bias (or leeks) (*Footnote 2)

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Instructions

• Combine the beef, Shaoxing wine, and salt in a medium-sized bowl. Mix well with your hands. Add the cornstarch and mix again, until all the ingredients are evenly coated.
• Mix the sauce ingredients together in a medium-sized bowl and set aside.
• Heat the oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until hot. Add the beef and spread it out as much as you can without overlapping (*Footnote 3). Let cook without touching for 30 seconds, or until the bottom is lightly browned. Flip and cook the other side for another 30 seconds, until the surface is cooked but the inside is still a bit pink. Transfer the beef to a plate and set aside.
• If your pan does not have any oil left, drizzle a bit more oil into it. Add the dried chili peppers and garlic. Stir a few times until the chili pepper turns dark.
• Add the scallions. Stir and cook for 30 seconds, until the scallions start to soften. If you are using regular leeks, you might need to cook them a bit longer.
• Add back the beef and pour in the sauce. Stir and cook until the sauce has thickened, 1 minute or so. Immediately transfer everything to a big plate. Serve hot as a main dish.

Video

Ingredient Substitution Guide

Notes

1. Dark soy sauce adds a beautiful dark brown color to the dish and a light caramelized taste. You can skip it if you do not have it on hand.
2. See the blog post above for more information on Chinese scallions (or called Chinese leeks).
3. It’s very important to use a large pan and heat it up well, so the beef will be seared properly. I used a 13” heavy carbon steel pan for this purpose. If your pan is smaller, cook it in two batches to guarantee the best result.

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving, Calories: 274kcal, Carbohydrates: 16g, Protein: 25.4g, Fat: 11.9g, Saturated Fat: 3g, Cholesterol: 71mg, Sodium: 654mg, Potassium: 404mg, Fiber: 0.6g, Sugar: 8.1g, Calcium: 22mg, Iron: 16mg

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The post was published on Aug 13, 2015 and updated by Jul 29, 2022.