Saucy Korean Beef Stir Fry

Last weekend, Dude realized it had been awhile since he had cooked dinner and blogged about his experience!

Dude has 3 favorite meals to cook: Chicken Noodle Soup, Spaghetti & Meat Sauce (here, here, here, and here) and Beef Stir Fry (here and here).

He decided that his night was going to be stir fry, but he wanted to blog, so we set off to find a new recipe for him to try!  He knew he wanted beef, red peppers, zucchini, and mushrooms.  So we has a quick lesson is Googling and key words, and web browsing as he chose his recipe.

It was actually quite fun, especially since he first found a photo that he liked, with (as he said) “stir fry with a moat of rice around it.”  Immediately, he wanted to make the recipe that belonged to that photo, but we slowed down and he realized that he really didn’t care for most of the ingredients.  We talked about how he could style his own dish after the photo he liked, only with a different recipe that he liked as well.

The whole family enjoyed the stir fry recipe!  It was the perfect balance of salty, sweet, and just a hint of spice.  The sauciness felt exactly like take-out stir fry, only better because it’s homemade.  I loved it and can see this becoming a new family favorite!

Here’s Dude:

My Mom and Dad loved this stir fry!  I loved it too! It was the greatest stir fry I've ever had!

Saucy Korean Beef Stir Fry

Adapted from Carlsbad Cravings

Marinade

1 ½ lb top sirloin beef, sliced thin

1 small onion, sliced thin

6 garlic cloves, minced

1 tbsp freshly grated ginger

¾ cup low sodium soy sauce

¼ cup water

½ cup mirin or rice wine

1/3 cup white sugar

1 tsp sriracha

¼ tsp black pepper

2 tbsp cornstarch, divided

Stir Fry

2 tbsp toasted sesame oil, divided

1 small zucchini, thinly sliced

1 red bell pepper, sliced

1 yellow bell pepper, sliced

8 oz button mushrooms, quartered

8 oz baby bella mushrooms, quartered

Place the sliced steak and onions in a large zipper bag.

In a large measuring cup (or bowl), whisk together the garlic, ginger, soy sauce, water, mirin, sugar, sriracha, and black pepper.

Ladle out 1/3 cup of the marinade.  Whisk 1 tablespoon of cornstarch into the 1/3 cup and pour over the steak and onions.  Zip the bag and turn to coat.  Set the steak aside to marinate for at least 15 minutes.  Or place in the refrigerator to marinate for several hours or up to overnight, removing from the refrigerator about 45 minutes before cooking, to allow the steak to come to room temperature.

In a wok or large skillet, heat the sesame oil over high heat until very hot and shimmery.  Add the marinated steak and onions and cook until browned and nearly cooked through. 

Move the steak to a plate and quickly wipe the skillet clean with a paper towel.

Immediately, add the remaining tablespoon of sesame oil and heat until shimmery.  Add the vegetables and cook until the mushrooms begin to release their liquid, about 3 minutes.

Whisk the remaining tablespoon of cornstarch into the remaining marinade mixture.  Pour into the vegetables and cook until the sauce is thickened, about 2 minutes.  Add the meat mixture and heat through.

Serve over rice.