Basic Stir Fry Beef

1 steak
1 clove garlic, peeled and minced
1 slice ginger, minced
1-3 spring onions, cut to roughly 5cm lengths
1 tsp rice wine
2 tsp light soya sauce
1 tsp flour (cornstarch or plain)
1 1/2 tbsp vegetable oil
1/2 tbsp oyster sauce

Slice the steak thinly, place in a bowl and mix with rice wine, soya sauce and flour. Stir to coat, leave to marinade for at least 10 minutes (it can be left overnight, covered, in the fridge). Heat half a tablespoon of oil in a frying pan, add the spring onions and stir for about 2 minutes until they are beginning to soften but still bright green. Transfer the onions to a plate. Heat the remaining oil and add the ginger and garlic, add the steak and allow it to seal for about a minute, stir, allow to seal on the other side for a minute. Stir for another minute or two until beginning to brown. Add the onions, stir, add the oyster sauce, stir. Drizzle on a little water (approximately four tablespoons). Stir rapidly so the water releases the tasty bits that have stuck to the bottom of the pan. Serve over rice for one serving or as part of a larger Chinese meal.



A little flour is used to seal the meat and keep it moist. The flour will also start to stick to the bottom of the pan, when water is added it softens and thickens to a tasty sauce. The trick is not to over-crowd the pan so vegetables are half cooked before everything is mixed together (harder vegetables such as beans, carrots etc. can be blanched and refreshed with cold water).

This is the basic recipe. It can be modified by:

• Increasing, decreasing or omitting the ginger
• Using different kinds of vegetables, just ensure they are cut to a uniform size
• Using different kinds of meats: chicken, pork, lamb, prawns (they don't need to be cut) would work
• Using different kinds of sauces: hoisin, chilli, black bean etc. would work, add in place of or in addition to the oyster sauce