Beef, Shiitake, and Green Bean Stir Fry

Sergi and I both really enjoy green beans and I serve them as a side dish almost every week. I decided to make them the star in a beef stir fry, which just happens to be my favorite protein to use. With just a few other simple ingredients, this dinner is just chock-full of flavor.

Stir frys hardly take any time at all to be cooked. Cutting and preparing all the ingredients takes more time than the actual cooking process, and since there aren’t that many ingredients, you can be sure that this dinner should be to on your menu for busy days. One of my biggest time savers is to cut up all the ingredients in advance and then it all comes together so quickly. The flavors are spot on and 50 times better than any take out you can ever get. 

Ingredients:

1 lb Beef sirloin or flank steak

2 Tablespoons soy sauce (I really like Tamari)

1 1/2-2 Tablespoons oil

1 red onion, sliced

1 large bell pepper or 4-6 mini peppers, thinly sliced or julienned

7 oz (2 packages 3.5 oz each) shiitake mushrooms or 8 oz any other fresh mushrooms, sliced

1 lb green beans, ends trimmed and green beans cut in half

3 cloves garlic, minced

1/4 – 1/2 teaspoon grated or minced fresh ginger

1/2 cup chicken broth

green onions, to garnish

Sauce:

1/2 cup chicken broth

1/4 cup oyster sauce

2 Tablespoons soy sauce (1 Tablespoon if it’s not reduced sodium)

2 teaspoon sherry (or mirin or rice vinegar)

1 teaspoon cornstarch

Instructions:

To cut the beef into thin strips, it really helps to place it in the freezer for about 15-30 minutes, which will make it easier to cut. Cut the beef in half lengthwise, with the grain. Then slice each half of beef against the grain, into thin pieces, about 1/4-1/8 inch thin strips.

Marinate in 2 Tablespoons soy sauce. I really like the taste of Tamari. Set aside for 15 minutes, while prepping the rest of the ingredients.

Whenever you are making a stir fry, it’s important to have all your ingredients prepped before you start stir frying. Everything cooks so quickly, you won’t have time to be slicing and chopping in between. You can even prep all the ingredients earlier in the day, or even a few days in advance. Prepping all the ingredients actually takes more time than cooking them.

In a 12 inch nonstick skillet, heat 1/2 Tablespoon of oil on high heat.  Drain the beef and sauté on high heat in two batches for about 3 minutes, until the beef is spotty brown on one side. You will have some of the oil left each time, just add a bit more to the skillet if needed. Set the beef aside in a large bowl.

In the same skillet, add the onion and peppers. Saute on high heat for 3-5 minutes, until tender. Set aside with the beef.

Using the same skillet again, add another 1/2 Tablespoon of oil and add the shiitake mushrooms, cook for about 3 minutes. When prepping the shiitake mushrooms, cut off the mushroom stems and discard (or save them and use them in broth, etc.). The stems are too tough and woody and won’t become soft like the mushroom caps. Slice the mushrooms caps thinly.

Add the green beans, mix to combine and cook for 1-2 minutes on high heat, until the green beans are spotty brown. Make a space in the middle of the skillet and add the garlic and ginger, cooking for about 30 seconds, until fragrant.

Mix to combine and pour in 1/2 cup of chicken broth, reduce the heat to medium, cover the skillet and cook until most of the broth is absorbed and the beans are as tender as you like them.

Meanwhile, combine all the sauce ingredients together.

When the beans are cooked through, pour in the sauce into the skillet, increase the heat to high and cook for just a few minutes until the sauce thickens up.

Return the beef, onion and peppers to the skillet, mix to combine and just heated through.

Serve with noodles or rice. Garnish with green onions.

Beef, Shiitake, and Green Bean Stir Fry

Olga Klyuchits

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Total Time 15 minutes mins

Course Entree

Servings 4 -6

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• 1 lb Beef sirloin or flank steak
• 2 Tablespoons soy sauce I really like Tamari
• 1 1/2-2 Tablespoons oil
• 1 red onion sliced
• 1 large bell pepper or 4-6 mini peppers thinly sliced or julienned
• 7 oz 2 packages 3.5 oz each shiitake mushrooms or 8 oz any other fresh mushrooms
• 1 lb green beans ends trimmed and green beans cut in half
• 3 cloves garlic minced
• 1/4 - 1/2 teaspoon grated or minced fresh ginger
• 1/2 cup chicken broth
• green onions to garnish

Sauce:

• 1/2 cup chicken broth
• 1/4 cup oyster sauce
• 2 Tablespoons soy sauce 1 Tablespoon if it's not reduced sodium
• 2 teaspoon sherry or mirin or rice vinegar
• 1 teaspoon cornstarch

Instructions

 

• To cut the beef into thin strips, it really helps to place it in the freezer for about 15-30 minutes, which will make it easier to cut. Cut the beef in half lengthwise, with the grain. Then slice each half of beef against the grain, into thin pieces, about 1/4-1/8 inch thin strips.
• Marinate in 2 Tablespoons soy sauce. I really like the taste of Tamari. Set aside for 15 minutes, while prepping the rest of the ingredients.
• In a 12 inch nonstick skillet, heat 1/2 Tablespoon of oil on high heat. Drain the beef and sauté on high heat in two batches for about 3 minutes, until the beef is spotty brown on one side. You will have some of the oil left each time, just add a bit more to the skillet if needed. Set the beef aside in a large bowl.
• In the same skillet, add the onion and peppers. Saute on high heat for 3-5 minutes, until tender. Set aside with the beef.
• Using the same skillet again, add another 1/2 Tablespoon of oil and add the shiitake mushrooms, cook for about 3 minutes.
• Add the green beans, mix to combine and cook for 1-2 minutes on high heat, until the green beans are spotty brown.
• Make a space in the middle of the skillet and add the garlic and ginger, cooking for about 30 seconds, until fragrant.
• Mix to combine and pour in 1/2 cup of chicken broth, reduce the heat to medium, cover the skillet and cook until most of the broth is absorbed and the beans are as tender as you like them. Meanwhile, combine all the sauce ingredients together. When the beans are cooked through, pour in the sauce into the skillet, increase the heat to high and cook for just a few minutes until the sauce thickens up.
• Return the beef, onion and peppers to the skillet, mix to combine and just heated through.
• Serve with noodles or rice. Garnish with green onions.

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