Beef Stir Fry Snow Peas (Printer-Friendly)
Tender beef and crisp snow peas cooked with carrots in a vibrant Asian-style sauce.
# What You'll Need:
→ Beef
01 - 1 lb flank steak or sirloin, thinly sliced against the grain
02 - 1 tbsp soy sauce
03 - 1 tsp cornstarch
04 - 1 tsp sesame oil
→ Vegetables
05 - 7 oz snow peas, trimmed
06 - 2 medium carrots, peeled and sliced thinly on the bias
07 - 2 spring onions, sliced (optional for garnish)
→ Sauce
08 - 3 tbsp soy sauce
09 - 1 tbsp oyster sauce
10 - 1 tbsp hoisin sauce
11 - 1 tbsp rice vinegar
12 - 1 tbsp brown sugar
13 - 2 cloves garlic, minced
14 - 1 tsp fresh ginger, grated
15 - 2 tsp cornstarch
16 - 4 tbsp water
→ For Stir-Frying
17 - 2 tbsp vegetable oil
# How to Make It:
01 - Combine sliced beef with 1 tablespoon soy sauce, 1 teaspoon cornstarch, and 1 teaspoon sesame oil in a bowl. Mix thoroughly and let marinate for 10 minutes.
02 - Whisk together soy sauce, oyster sauce, hoisin sauce, rice vinegar, brown sugar, garlic, ginger, cornstarch, and water in a separate bowl. Set aside.
03 - Heat 1 tablespoon vegetable oil in a large wok or skillet over high heat. Add marinated beef in a single layer and stir-fry for 2 to 3 minutes until browned. Remove from wok and set aside.
04 - Add remaining 1 tablespoon vegetable oil to wok. Stir-fry carrots for 2 minutes, then add snow peas and continue stir-frying for another 2 minutes until vegetables are crisp-tender.
05 - Return beef to wok, pour in prepared sauce, and stir to combine. Cook for 1 to 2 minutes until sauce thickens and coats beef and vegetables evenly.
06 - Remove from heat, garnish with sliced spring onions if desired. Serve immediately over steamed rice or noodles.
# Expert Advice:
01 -
- It comes together in under 30 minutes, which means you can actually cook this on a Tuesday and not lose your mind.
- The sauce has enough depth that you taste garlic, ginger, and umami without any of it feeling heavy or trying too hard.
- Leftover vegetables get a second life here, and somehow they taste better than they have any right to.
02 -
- High heat is non-negotiable—a lukewarm wok produces sad, steamed beef. If your pan isn't hot enough to make the oil shimmer and move instantly, wait another moment.
- The beef will look undercooked when you first pull it out. It will finish cooking when the sauce returns it to the wok, which is exactly why you don't overcook it the first time around.
- Cornstarch in the marinade and sauce are what make this restaurant-quality instead of just home cooking. Don't skip either one.
03 -
- Slice your beef against the grain while it's still half-frozen—it's easier to cut thin and clean, and it stays tender instead of turning into shoe leather in the hot wok.
- If your vegetables start cooking before the beef is browned, pull them out and set them aside, then add them back at the end. There's no shame in timing things out of order.