I’m excited to share my take on Beijing Beef, inspired by the famous Panda Express dish. It has crispy beef strips, onion, and red bell pepper tossed in a tangy, sweet, and slightly spicy sticky sauce.
What’s great about this recipe is that it’s made fresh, not sitting in a warming tray like at the restaurant. Plus, it’s super quick and easy to make – perfect for a weeknight dinner. So grab your wok and get ready for a delicious meal in no time!
With the Beijing Olympics just about to wrap up, I though it a perfect time to bring you this Beijing Beef. Even if this dish did actually originate in the west, it deserves a medal!
I love stir fry dinners, just a bit of chopping and I am ready for a meal that cooks up in minutes. From my Mongolian Beef to Kung Pao Chicken and Hunan Shrimp, I am always firing up that wok. I’ve even made Sweet and Sour Meatballs!
This is another quick and easy one to stash in your bookmark folder for those busy days. And it has some seriously great Asian flavors that I just can’t get enough of!
Check out our collection of favorite Stir Fry Recipes!
What cut of meat to use?
When it comes to stir fry, I typically go for flank steak. It’s just perfect for quick cooking and turns out wonderfully tender if you do it right. Another favorite of mine is flap meat. It’s not as famous as flank, but it’s quite similar, just with a bit more marbling.
If you can’t find either of those cuts, chuck steak will also work well.
Ingredients Needed
- Steak
- Marinade – soy sauce, rice vinegar, black pepper
- Beijing Sauce – oyster sauce, rice vinegar, ketchup, brown sugar, sambal oelek (see note in recipe card for substitutions)
- Corn starch – for coating the beef before frying
- Onion
- Red bell pepper
- Garlic
Beijing Beef Recipe
I always make sure to cut the beef super thin, about ⅛ of an inch thick, slicing against the grain. It’s a crucial step for getting that melt-in-your-mouth tender beef in my stir fry.
TIP: Freeze the beef for 30-60 minutes prior to cutting. This helps make thin, precise cuts. And use a very sharp knife!
I combine the beef with the marinade in a bowl and set it aside to marinate while I chop the veggies and mix the sauce. This way, the beef gets plenty of time to soak up all those delicious flavors before I start cooking.
Once everything is prepped, I heat up some oil in my wok until it’s nice and hot. Then, I dredge the beef strips in corn starch and fry them for about 6-7 minutes. It’s important not to overcrowd the wok, as that can cause the beef to steam instead of getting crispy. If necessary, I work in batches. After frying, I remove the beef from the wok and set it aside.
Next, I remove most of the oil from the wok and turn up the heat. I add in the onion, bell pepper, and garlic, and stir fry them for about a minute. Then, I pour in the sauce, stir everything together, and let it simmer for another minute. Finally, I add the fried beef strips back into the wok and toss everything together until the beef is well coated with the sauce. Done!
What to serve it with
I went with with steamed white rice today. The other options at Panda express are fried rice, chow mein, or “super greens”, which are a seasoned blend of kale cabbage and broccoli.
It goes really great with my easy Spicy Noodles.
Whatever side you choose, I also like to garnish Beijing beef with sesame seeds for added flavor, texture and eye appeal.
So there you go, another quick stir fry to make your life easier. When you try my version of Beijing Beef, please leave a comment and star rating, I love to hear from you.
Beijing Beef, on our Gypsy Plate… enjoy!
Try these other great Asian recipes!
Sweet and Sour Sauce
Bun Cha (Vietnamese Meatballs)
Teriyaki Chicken
Korean Beef Tacos
Pork Stir Fry
Japanese Beef Curry
Tuna Tataki Bowl
Panda Express Beijing Beef
My Beijing Beef is based off of the hugely popular Panda Express dish. Crispy beef strips with veggies in a tangy and sweet sticky sauce!
Ingredients
Marination
- 1.5 pounds steak (flank, flap or skirt), cut into ⅛ inch strips
- 1.5 Tbsp soy sauce
- ½ Tbsp rice vinegar
- ½ tsp black pepper
Sauce
- 3 Tbsp oyster sauce
- 3 Tbsp rice vinegar
- 3 Tbsp ketchup
- 3 Tbsp brown sugar
- 1 Tbsp sambal oelek (see note 1)
Stir Fry
- ½ cup corn starch
- ½ cooking oil
- 5-6 cloves garlic, finely chopped
- 1 small onion, chopped
- 1 red bell pepper, chopped
Instructions
- Combine beef with other marination ingredients in a bowl and set aside to marinate while preparing other ingredients.
- Combine sauce ingredients in a bowl.
- Heat oil in a wok over medium heat to 350°F.
- Dredge beef strips in corn starch and fry in wok 6-7 minutes. Do not overcrowd them, as they will steam. Work in batches if needed. Remove from the wok and set aside.
- Remove all but about 2 tablespoons of oil from the wok. Increase heat to medium high. Add in onion, bell pepper and garlic. Stir fry for one minute. Pour in sauce, stir and simmer for a minute. Toss in fried beef strips and serve with your preferred side.
Notes
- On absence of sambal, you can use 1 tablespoon of sriracha or gochujang, one one teaspoon of red chili flakes.
- Leftovers: You can store leftover Beijing in the fridge for up to 3-4 days in an airtight container. Simply reheat on the stovetop with a splash of extra water, or in the microwave.
Nutrition Information
Yield 6 Serving Size 1Amount Per Serving Calories 419Total Fat 22gSaturated Fat 8gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 11gCholesterol 110mgSodium 657mgCarbohydrates 22gFiber 1gSugar 9gProtein 31g
Nutrition information calculated by Nutritionix.
Welcome to GypsyPlate! I'm Alpana, former wordwide tour manager and professional caterer, now full time blogger. I love exploring cuisines from around the world, and my recipes have been featured on sites such as MSN, Parade, Brit + Co, CNET and AOL. You can explore my entire collection of sortable recipes in my Recipe Index or learn more about me here.
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