Easy Stir-Fried Beef With Mushrooms and Butter Recipe (2024)

  • Beef Stir-Fry
  • Chinese
  • Flank Steaks
  • Mushrooms
  • Beef Mains

By

Shao Z.

Easy Stir-Fried Beef With Mushrooms and Butter Recipe (1)

Shao Z.

Shao Zhi Zhong is a Chinese-born and Philadelphia-raised food writer and recipe developer who specializes in Chinese home cooking. She's also a web designer.

Learn about Serious Eats'Editorial Process

Updated April 29, 2022

WRITE A REVIEW

Trending Videos

Why It Works

  • Butter and soy sauce are a great combination that bring out the meaty richness of the meat while emulsifying into a creamy sauce.
  • Cooking the meat first, then removing it from the wok while the mushroom liquid reduces ensures that everything ends up perfectly cooked at the same time.

It may not be traditional in the strictest sense of the word, but the combination of soy sauce and butter is a favorite both in Asia and here at home. Koreans like to add a pat of butter to their Shin ramyun, while the Japanese serve ramen with sweet corn and butter. Even McDonald's in Japan has a soy-butter powder for their french fries. Want something a little more familiar? Check out this Grilled Corn with Garlic and Ginger and Soy-Butter.

One of my favorite ways to combine them? In a stir-fry, like this simple one with marinated flank steak and mushrooms.

Easy Stir-Fried Beef With Mushrooms and Butter Recipe (3)

To start, you'll want to thinly slice some flank or skirt steak against the grain, which will maximize its tenderness down the line (check out this video for a closer look at how to cut meat for stir-fries).

Next, it goes into a simple marinade of salt, sugar, pepper, Shaoxing wine, soy sauce, oil, and cornstarch. The salt and soy sauce serve to bring out flavor in the meat and keep it moist by breaking down muscle proteins. Sugar aids in quicker browning in the wok, while oil and cornstarch insulate the meat, preventing it from toughening up as it cooks. Finally, wine and black pepper add flavor.

A brief 30-minute marinade is all it takes.

Rather than overwhelm the dish with fresh ginger flavor, I like to use a milder approach: sizzling a chunk of fresh ginger in a little bit of oil before removing and discarding it. This allows its flavor to infuse the oil and coat each piece of meat as it cooks.

Next, the beef goes in. It's important to get your wok smoking hot before adding the beef so that it has a chance to sear and take on color instead of steaming and losing moisture. Cook it in a single layer until it browns, then stir-fry until it's about halfway cooked.

Easy Stir-Fried Beef With Mushrooms and Butter Recipe (4)

Remove the beef to a bowl and set it aside. We'll finish cooking it in the sauce later.

You need to remove the beef, because once the mushrooms go in (a mix of oyster and cremini is what I've got here), they'll start to steam away. If you leave the meat in the whole time, it'll overcook by the time the mushrooms are done.

Easy Stir-Fried Beef With Mushrooms and Butter Recipe (5)

Check out how much moisture they release! The key is to keep cooking them until all that moisture evaporates (this can take five to ten minutes).

Easy Stir-Fried Beef With Mushrooms and Butter Recipe (6)

Then they can finally start to brown.

To finish off the dish, stir in the butter, some soy sauce, and some minced garlic. The butter and soy sauce should emulsify into a nice creamy sauce. Add the beef back in, toss to coat, and you're ready to serve.

The beef and mushrooms come out tender, rich, and packed with flavor.

April 2014

Recipe Details

Easy Stir-Fried Beef With Mushrooms and Butter Recipe

Prep5 mins

Cook20 mins

Active15 mins

Marinating Time30 mins

Total55 mins

Serves2to 3 servings

Ingredients

For the Steak:

  • 1/2 pound flank steak, sliced about 1/8-inch thick

  • 1/4 teaspoon salt

  • 1/4 teaspoon sugar

  • 1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper

  • 1/2 teaspoon Shaoxing wine

  • 1/2 teaspoon soy sauce

  • 1 teaspoon plus 3 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided

  • 1/2 teaspoon cornstarch

  • 1 ginger piece, sliced quarter-inch thick

For the Mushrooms:

  • 1/2 pound mix variety of mushrooms, sliced about a quarter-inch or more thick

  • 2 teaspoons soy sauce

  • 1 tablespoon butter

  • 2 medium cloves garlic, finely minced (about 1 teaspoon)

  • Steamed white rice, for serving

Directions

  1. Place the beef in a large bowl. Add the salt, sugar, ground black pepper, Shaoxing wine, 1/2 teaspoon soy sauce, 1 teaspoon oil, and cornstarch. Mix well and set aside for 30 minutes.

    Easy Stir-Fried Beef With Mushrooms and Butter Recipe (7)

  2. When ready to cook, heat 2 tablespoons oil in a wok over high heat until smoking. Add the ginger. Cook for 30 seconds and then remove and discard the ginger.

    Easy Stir-Fried Beef With Mushrooms and Butter Recipe (8)

  3. If the wok is no longer smoking, reheat until it is, then add the beef. Spread the beef out with the spatula, cook without moving until lightly browned, about 1 minute. Continue to cook while stirring regularly until half cooked, about 2 minutes longer. Transfer to a bowl and set aside.

    Easy Stir-Fried Beef With Mushrooms and Butter Recipe (9)

  4. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in wok over high heat until smoking. Add the mushrooms. Stir and cook the mushrooms until they start releasing their water. Continue cooking, stirring frequently, until the water evaporates. Depending on the type of mushrooms you use, this can take 5 minutes or more.

    Easy Stir-Fried Beef With Mushrooms and Butter Recipe (10)

  5. Once the water evaporates, add 2 teaspoons of soy sauce. Stir and add in the butter and garlic. Toss the butter with the mushrooms until fragrant, about 1 minute, then return the beef to the wok. Cook, stirring, until beef is cooked through, about 1 minute longer. Transfer to a serving platter immediately and serve with white rice.

    Easy Stir-Fried Beef With Mushrooms and Butter Recipe (11)

Special Equipment

Wok

Read More

  • Chinese Cooking 101: How to Marinate Meat for Stir Fries
Nutrition Facts (per serving)
417Calories
30g Fat
6g Carbs
31g Protein

×

Nutrition Facts
Servings: 2to 3
Amount per serving
Calories417
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 30g39%
Saturated Fat 8g40%
Cholesterol 95mg32%
Sodium 509mg22%
Total Carbohydrate 6g2%
Dietary Fiber 2g6%
Total Sugars 2g
Protein 31g
Vitamin C 4mg19%
Calcium 30mg2%
Iron 3mg19%
Potassium 639mg14%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.

(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)

Easy Stir-Fried Beef With Mushrooms and Butter Recipe (2024)

FAQs

How do you make stir fry beef so it's tender? ›

How to tenderise beef – easily!
  1. Sprinkle 3/4 tsp baking soda (bi-carbonate soda) on 250g / 8oz sliced economical beef cuts.
  2. Toss with fingers, leave for 30 minutes.
  3. Rinse, pat off excess water.
  4. Proceed with stir fry recipe. It can be marinated with wet or dry seasonings, or cooked plain.
Feb 23, 2019

Do you cook beef or mushrooms first? ›

Cooking the meat first, then removing it from the wok while the mushroom liquid reduces ensures that everything ends up perfectly cooked at the same time.

What are the 3 rules of stir-frying? ›

The first is to cook your protein and your vegetable separately, and combine them only after both are fully cooked. A second rule of thumb for stir-frying: Choose one vegetable per stir-fry. Finally, always remember to add liquid only after everything is more or less finished cooking.

Do you marinate beef before stir-frying? ›

Marinating beef for your stir-fry is an important second step of velveting that should never be skipped. The marinade isn't as much about soaking the beef in a lot of liquid or adding a bunch of different flavorings like you may be used to. It's about giving the beef an extra juicy texture.

Why is Chinese stir-fry beef so tender? ›

Preparing velvet meat is a staple technique in Chinese cuisine that allows home cooks to tenderize tough, chewy cuts before stir-frying them over high heat in a wok.

What is the secret ingredient to tenderize meat? ›

Whether hosting a holiday cookout, serving up some stir-fry or tackling game meats, baking soda is the go-to meat tenderizer to help make your steak, chicken or turkey silkier, juicier and yummier.

Can you fry beef with butter? ›

Is it better to pan fry steak in butter or oil? A well marbled steak actually has enough fat in it that you don't need to put any extra oil or butter in the pan. For leaner cuts, use a fat with a high smoke point such as peanut or grapeseed oil, or clarified butter, depending on your taste preferences.

Can you cook raw meat and mushrooms together? ›

As long as the mushrooms are both fresh enough and of an edible sort, yes! A pork or veal filet mignon aux morilles, for example, us a classic here in Switzerland. That a pork or veal tenderloin with a rich cream and morel sauce… And there are tons of such recipes in French and Swiss and German (and…)

How to make beef tender like Chinese restaurants? ›

While there are several ways to velvet, a pound of meat needs about two teaspoons of cornstarch and two teaspoons of oil, says Leung. You may also include two to three tablespoons of water. For beef, add a 1/4-teaspoon of baking soda for tenderizing. Additional seasonings are optional and vary from recipe to recipe.

What is the secret ingredient in stir-fry? ›

According to Food & Wine, ketchup is the ultimate way to take the flavor of homemade stir fry up a level, thanks to its sweet and sour flavor profile. It just might be the easiest cooking hack to elevate your home cooking to that of your favorite take-out.

What should you not do when stir-frying? ›

Read on for the 10 most popular mistakes people make when stir-frying… and how to avoid them.
  1. But first… ...
  2. #1: Using the wrong pan. ...
  3. #2: Slicing ingredients too large or thick. ...
  4. #3: Being unorganised. ...
  5. #4: Not getting the wok hot enough. ...
  6. #5: Adding the oil before the wok is hot. ...
  7. #6: Throwing every ingredient in at once.

How do you make stir-fry taste like a restaurant? ›

Aromatic ingredients like garlic, ginger, green onions, chilies and spices. These ingredients are typically added to the oil first to infuse it with flavor. You won't need much; a few teaspoons to a tablespoon of total aromatic ingredients per person adds a serious amount of flavor.

Is Worcestershire sauce a meat tenderizer? ›

Recipe blog One Good Thing notes that the vinegar in Worcestershire sauce tenderizes steak, its sugar and molasses bring both sweetness and sheen, and ingredients such as onion, garlic, tamarind, and anchovy pack a wallop of umami flavor.

Does soy sauce tenderize meat? ›

It brings out meat's natural flavors and also tenderizes it by breaking down myosin, a tough protein found in meat, just like in a good brine. Just like salt, soy sauce is a flavor enhancer and builder. It is rich in glutamates, which makes meat taste more savory and improves juiciness.

Do you drain beef for stir-fry? ›

Drain beef strips well before stir-frying. usually about 5 minutes to start — before adding food. Reheat pan between batches. causes the beef to steam rather than brown.

How do you make beef super tender? ›

Marinate

Not only does marinating infuse flavor, but it can tenderize too. A key ingredient in most marinades is acid (in the form of vinegar, citrus juice or yogurt) that starts to "cook" or break down the meat before it hits the heat. Just don't let it marinate too long or you can over-tenderize and end up with mush.

How do you tenderize and marinate beef for stir fry? ›

Tenderize: In a bowl, sprinkle a small amount of baking soda over the beef and coat evenly with soy sauce, salt, starch, and oil (and optional ingredients, if using). Marinate: After sitting in the mixture for 15 to 30 minutes in the fridge, your beef is ready for stir-frying!

Do you need to rinse baking soda off meat? ›

From there, leave it in the refrigerator for at least 3 hours or overnight. Then take the meat out of the container and rinse it ensuring that all—or most—of the baking soda is off the steak.

How do you make stir fry not chewy? ›

Use tender, quick-frying meats or tofu. Meats such as chicken breast, shrimp, boneless pork or sirloin steak are all great for stir-frying. If the meat isn't tender, the pieces will become tough and chewy from being cooked too fast.

Top Articles
Latest Posts
Article information

Author: Terrell Hackett

Last Updated:

Views: 5847

Rating: 4.1 / 5 (72 voted)

Reviews: 87% of readers found this page helpful

Author information

Name: Terrell Hackett

Birthday: 1992-03-17

Address: Suite 453 459 Gibson Squares, East Adriane, AK 71925-5692

Phone: +21811810803470

Job: Chief Representative

Hobby: Board games, Rock climbing, Ghost hunting, Origami, Kabaddi, Mushroom hunting, Gaming

Introduction: My name is Terrell Hackett, I am a gleaming, brainy, courageous, helpful, healthy, cooperative, graceful person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.