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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}

Scallion Beef Stir Fry (葱爆牛肉)

4.89 from 9 votes
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.
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 25 minutes
Course: Main
Cuisine: Chinese
Keyword: homestyle
Servings: 4
Author: Maggie Zhu

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)

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.

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