This recipe for beef and mushroom stirfry with onions will have your tastebuds doing the happy dance! It's speedy and satisfying and has a flavour that is better than any takeaway! Once you've spent a few minutes doing the prep, you can have this tasty dish on the table in under half an hour!
I haven't published a Chinese takeaway recipe for quite a while, and with the Chinese New Year coming up I thought it was time to resurrect this recipe for beef, onion and mushroom stirfry.
Back in the day, whenever we had friends and family around for a get-together, my go-to menu was Chinese banquet style. In my opinion, that is one of the easiest ways to feed a crowd. I'd rope in whoever was in the vicinity to help, and together we'd make 4 or 5 different dishes to serve buffet-style and everything was always devoured!
This recipe for beef and mushroom stirfry (with onions) was always one of the first dishes to get eaten, but my sweet and sour chicken was a close second, followed by this delicious duck in garlic sauce and twice cooked pork belly with sticky glaze. And of course, there were always plenty of noodles and Chinese egg fried rice to soak up all the delicious sauces.
But to get back to today's beef and mushroom stirfry recipe! I think you'll love it! The beef is tender and succulent, having been velveted in bicarbonate of soda for a few minutes before being cooked. I've also added lots of mushrooms, and some onions which are flash-fried to retain their crispness.
The sauce is packed with plenty of Asian-style flavours such as soy, oyster sauce and sesame oil to provide lots of additional flavour. Spoon it all over a bowl of soft noodles or fluffy white rice and you'll have a delicious take-away style meal in no time.
All you will need is 15 minutes of prep time, and around 20 minutes to cook everything, and you can have this delicious dinner on the table in just over half an hour.
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What I love about this recipe
So many things!
- the onions that are completely cooked, but still have a slight crunch to them.
- the beef that is so tender it practically melts in your mouth.
- the thick sauce that is packed with flavour and coats the noodles perfectly.
- the tender mushrooms.
- the speed with which you can make this dish.
What you will need
Equipment
To prepare the meat and vegetables you will need a sharp knife and a chopping board. You will also need a small dish for marinating the steak.
To cook the stirfry I would recommend a wok, but you could use a large saute pan instead.
Ingredients
This recipe will feed 4 people. To feed more, add extra meat and vegetables and double up on the sauce ingredients. If you are doubling the sauce ingredients I would advise not to double up on either the Sichuan pepper or the sesame oil - increase these according to your taste.
These might look like a lot of ingredients, but most of them are used to flavour the sauce. Once you start the prep you'll find they all come together easily!
- Beef - I used rump steak, but you could easily substitute this with sirloin. You want a cut of beef that cooks quickly so good quality steak is essential. The beef should be cut into thin strips across the grain - in other words, perpendicular to the way the muscle fibres run. You want to cut through the fibres, not along them!
- Bicarbonate of soda - you may know it as baking soda. This is used to soften or 'velvet' the beef. You should rub the bicarbonate of soda onto the beef and let it marinate for 15 minutes and then rinse it off and pat the beef with paper towels to dry it.
- Mushrooms - the mushrooms should be sliced. For 4 people you will need 2 to 3 cups of sliced mushrooms.
- Onions - I've included spring onions (green onions) in the photo, which are used for garnish. Unfortunately, I forgot to include the white onions which should be cut into quarters and separated into petals.
- Crushed garlic - you can use fresh cloves of garlic which should be finely minced, or use ready-crushed garlic from a jar.
- Sunflower oil - this is used for frying both the beef and the onions. I would recommend using a neutral-flavoured oil for this.
For the sauce:
- Stock - if you have liquid beef stock you can use that, otherwise dissolve a beef stock pot or bouillon cube in boiling water and let it cool.
- Dark soy sauce - adds a savoury flavour and contributes to the dark brown colour of the sauce.
- Oyster sauce - adds a sweet yet salty flavour.
- Sherry - if you have Shaoxing wine you can use this instead. I'd run out so I substituted it with sweet sherry.
- Sesame oil - not too much - a little goes a long way! You don't want to overpower the other flavours.
- Sichuan (or Szechuan) peppercorns - these add heat without the burn. They leave a warming 'tingly' feel in your mouth, and have undertones of citrus flavour. They are actually not peppercorns at all. Sichuan peppers are berries of the prickly ash tree, which is a member of the citrus family. If you don't have any Sichuan peppercorns you can substitute with a quarter teaspoon of ground white pepper.
- Cornflour - this is used to thicken the sauce.
- Sugar - not pictured and optional. This is to your taste - I find a scant teaspoon of sugar improves the flavour of the sauce.
**See the printable recipe card at the end of the post for exact quantities**
What to do
Do the prep first because once you start cooking you won't have time to chop vegetables!
- Cut the meat into thin strips across the grain and coat it in bicarbonate of soda. Set it aside to marinate for 15 minutes which you do the rest of the prep. See step 1 below for an image.
- Dissolve a stock pot or bouillon cube in boiling water and let it cool. Mix in the remaining sauce ingredients and set aside to allow the flavours to mingle. The reason we let the stock cool is so that the cornflour can dissolve properly. If you add cornflour to hot liquid you will end up with lumps.
- Peel the onions and cut them into quarters. Separate the petals.
- Wipe the mushrooms with a damp cloth to remove any bits of dirt and slice them thickly.
Slice the beef thinly against the grain, coat it in bicarbonate of soda and leave it to marinate for 15 minutes. After 15 minutes, rinse the meat in cold water to remove the bicarbonate of soda then pat it dry with paper towels.
Heat the oil in a wok then fry the meat in batches for 1 to 2 minutes per side until it is browned. Remove it to a plate lined with kitchen paper to absorb excess oil.
Tips for frying the meat
- Don't put the meat into cold oil. The oil should sizzle lightly when you add the meat.
- Let the meat brown on one side before turning it over to brown on the other side.
- Avoid overcrowding the pan. You should add the meat in a single layer. If you can't fit all the meat at once, fry it in two batches.
Fry the onions in the same pan, stirring to pick up any brown bits left by the meat. Add an extra splash of oil if necessary. Stir often and fry on quite a high heat until the onions just start to turn translucent. This should take around 2 minutes.
Stir the mushrooms and garlic into the onions, and continue to fry, stirring continuously, until the mushrooms change colour and are just starting to release their moisture.
Stir the stock to loosen the cornflour that may have settled on the bottom then pour it into the mushrooms and onions.
Stir the stock until it boils and thickens. At this point I taste the sauce and add a teaspoon of sugar if I think it needs it.
Finally, mix the meat into the stock and cook for a further minute to heat the meat through.
Transfer to a serving dish and garnish with chopped spring onions. Serve hot, spooned over rice or noodles.
Variations
You can add additional vegetables to your taste. Why not try some of these? Make sure they are all cut into similar-sized pieces so that they finish cooking at the same time.
- sugar snaps or snow peas
- julienned carrots
- sliced red pepper (capsicum)
Instead of the Sichuan peppers, why not fry a finely chopped chilli pepper with the onions for extra heat? And if you enjoy very spicy food you could add both!
Storage
This dish can be cooled and frozen in a suitable freezer container for up to 3 months. Defrost in the refrigerator and then reheat in a saucepan on the stove until piping hot. Once hot, remove from the heat and serve immediately. Do not allow it to overcook or you run the risk of the meat turning tough.
Leftovers can be stored in a covered container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Reheat as above.
FAQ
Marinating the meat in bicarbonate of soda helps tenderise the meat, and is known as 'velveting'. This is a well-known technique, especially in Chinese cooking, where meat is sometimes velveted in a mixture of cornflour and soy sauce.
Velveting meat raises the pH level making it harder for the protein molecules to stick together when the meat cooks, resulting in a more tender texture.
I find the soy sauce and oyster sauce, along with the Sichuan peppercorns provide sufficient saltiness. If you would like to add extra salt I would advise you to taste the sauce once it has boiled and add salt to your taste.
The reason for frying the garlic with the mushrooms rather than the onions is to prevent the garlic from burning.
Save for later
If you would like to try this beef and mushroom stirfry, why not save the recipe to one of your Pinterest boards so you can find it easily? Just click on the image below.
Alternatively, you can save the recipe by clicking on the floating heart icon on the right-hand side of the screen.
Related
Perhaps you'd like to try some of my other Chinese-inspired recipes too:
You can find these and other similar recipes on my Asian-inspired recipes page.
📋The recipe
Beef and mushroom stirfry with onions
(Click the stars to rate this recipe)
Equipment
- Sharp Knife
- Chopping Board
- Wok OR
- Saute pan
Ingredients
- 1 pound / 450 gram rump or sirloin steak
- 8 ounces / 225 grams mushrooms
- 1 large white onion
- 1 tablespoon bicarbonate of soda (baking soda)
- 1 teaspoon crushed garlic
- 2 - 3 tablespoons sunflower oil for frying
- 1 - 2 spring onions (scallions) for garnish
For the sauce
- 1 cup beef stock you can make it with a stock cube
- 2 tablespoons cornflour / cornstarch
- 2 tablespoons sweet sherry or Shaoxing wine
- 2 tablespoons dark soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons oyster sauce
- ½ teaspoon sesame oil
- 1 teaspoon Sichuan peppercorns or ½ teaspoon white pepper
- 1 teaspoon sugar optional
Instructions
Preparation
- Cut the meat into thin slices (approximately ¼-inch) against the grain. Rub with bicarbonate of soda (baking soda) and set aside to marinate for 15 minutes.1 pound / 450 gram rump or sirloin steak, 1 tablespoon bicarbonate of soda (baking soda)
- Dissolve a stock pot or bouillon cube in boiling water and let it cool. Mix in the remaining sauce ingredients (except the sugar) and set aside to allow the flavours to mingle. The reason the stock should be cool is so that the cornflour can dissolve properly. If you add cornflour to hot liquid you will end up with lumps.1 cup beef stock, 2 tablespoons cornflour / cornstarch, 2 tablespoons sweet sherry, 2 tablespoons dark soy sauce, 2 tablespoons oyster sauce, ½ teaspoon sesame oil, 1 teaspoon Sichuan peppercorns
- Peel the onions and cut them into quarters. Separate the petals.1 large white onion
- Wipe the mushrooms with a damp cloth to remove any bits of dirt and slice them thickly.8 ounces / 225 grams mushrooms
Beef and mushroom stirfry
- Rinse the meat in cold water to remove the bicarbonate of soda. Pat it dry with paper towels.
- Heat the oil in a wok then fry the meat in batches for 1 to 2 minutes per side until it is browned. Remove it to a plate lined with kitchen paper to absorb any excess oil.2 - 3 tablespoons sunflower oil
- Fry the onion petals in the same pan, stirring to pick up any brown bits left by the meat. Add an extra splash of oil if necessary. Stir often and fry on quite a high heat until the onions just start to turn translucent. This should take around 2 minutes.
- Stir the mushrooms and garlic into the onions, and continue to fry, stirring continuously, until the mushrooms change colour and are just starting to release their moisture.1 teaspoon crushed garlic
- Stir the stock to loosen the cornflour that may have settled on the bottom then pour it into the mushrooms and onions.
- Stir the stock until it boils and thickens. At this point I taste the sauce and add a teaspoon of sugar if I think it needs it. If the stock is too thick, thin it down with a splash of water.1 teaspoon sugar
- Finally, mix the meat into the stock and cook for a further minute to heat the meat through.
- Transfer to a serving dish and garnish with chopped spring onions. Serve hot, spooned over rice or noodles.1 - 2 spring onions (scallions)
Notes
- Don't put the meat into cold oil. The oil should sizzle lightly when you add the meat.
- Let the meat brown on one side before turning it over to brown on the other side.
- Avoid overcrowding the pan. You should add the meat in a single layer. If you can't fit all the meat in at once, fry it in two batches.
- This dish can be cooled and frozen in a suitable freezer container for up to 3 months.
- Defrost in the refrigerator and then reheat in a saucepan on the stove until piping hot.
- Once hot, remove from the heat and serve immediately. Do not allow it to overcook or you run the risk of the meat turning tough.
- Leftovers can be stored in a covered container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Reheat as above.
Nutrition
I am not a nutritionist. The nutrition information has been calculated using an on-line calculator, and is intended for information and guidance purposes only. If the nutrition information is important to you, you should consider calculating it yourself, using your preferred tool.
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John
Fantastic and the tip regarding tenderising the beef with bicarbonate of soda is worth 3 stars alone.
VJ
Thank you John - so pleased you enjoyed it!