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Home / Cuisines / Asian

Sesame Garlic Beef Stir Fry

5
/5
27 minutes
17 Comments
Jump to Recipe Print Pin
By: The Chunky Chefpublished: 04/08/2018

This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy.

This easy sesame beef stir fry is incredibly flavorful and easy! Serve with authentic ramen noodles, over rice, or in a lettuce cup for a lower carb version!

Tender slices of beef are stir fried with vegetables and tossed with authentic ramen noodles to make the most amazing 30 minute meal.  Put down that takeout menu, this beef stir fry is WAY better!

Chinese takeout is something we all love right? Sesame Beef Stir Fry is a guilty pleasure and takes so little time to arrive to your door!  But what if I told you that you could make something every bit as tasty, in just about the same amount of time… and YOU get to control the ingredients?  Sounds amazing right?

Besides being amazingly flavorful, this beef stir fry is actually fairly healthy as well, since it doesn’t use gobs of oil and a serving rings in at under 350 calories!

Beef stir fry recipe in skillet

IS STIR FRY GOOD FOR YOU

In many ways, yes!  The tender crisp vegetables actually retain more nutrients by cooking quickly in a wok or skillet than they would if they were boiled.  This particular stir fry uses two different kids of oils, but in relatively small amounts, which is much healthier than cooking in a large amount of oil (like most takeout Chinese restaurants do – at least in my area).

WHAT DO YOU PUT IN A STIR FRY

Just about anything you want!  The basics of a stir fry are as follows:

  • Protein – beef, pork, chicken, shrimp, tofu, etc.
  • Vegetables – snow peas, mushrooms, carrots, bell peppers, onions, broccoli, water chestnuts, etc.
  • Sauce – broth, soy sauce, vinegar, sugar, and oil.  Play around with added flavor by adding garlic, ginger, green onions, etc.

Stir fry recipe with beef, vegetables in skillet with chopsticks

WHAT FOOD GOES WITH A STIR FRY

Usually stir fries are served with rice or noodles.  But two great healthy options are lettuce cups and cauliflower rice!  For this particular beef stir fry recipe, I chose some authentic ramen noodles (not the ones from a packet, which is why they’re not curly).  I’ll link to the ones I buy at the end of the post, they taste great!

WHAT KIND OF BEEF DO YOU USE FOR A STIR FRY

Because stir frys cook so quickly, you want a cut of beef that’s already tender.  I nearly always use flank steak, but a thinly sliced ribeye, sirloin, tenderloin or tri-tip would work as well.

Serving of beef stir fry in black bowl

TIPS FOR MAKING THE PERFECT BEEF STIR FRY

  • Slice the flank steak when it’s still partially frozen.  This lets you get the slices super thin, with minimal effort!
  • Make sure to slice the steak against the grain.  When you look at the flank steak, you’ll see thin white lines running across it.  By slicing perpendicular to the lines, you make the steak super tender, instead of chewy and tough.  I have a few step by step photos here so you can see exactly how to do it.
  • Prepping ahead is key for a stir fry.  Stir fry’s cook SO quickly, the best thing you can do to stay stress-free is to have all the veggies chopped and sauces whisked.

Stir fry with beef and vegetables with chopsticks

The next time you’re craving some amazing Chinese take-out, try whipping this stir fry up instead!  The tender strips of beef, crisp-tender vegetables, and authentic ramen all wrapped in a luscious stir fry sauce thats loaded with ginger, garlic and sesame make for a meal that’s WAY better than anything from a takeout restaurant!

HELPFUL TOOLS

  • Cast Iron Skillet – I don’t own a wok yet, so I make this stir fry in my big cast iron skillet.  It gives the beef an amazing sear!
  • Stainless Steel Tongs – Perfect for so many things in the kitchen, I use these daily.
  • Ramen Noodles – I like these a lot, but if you’d rather, the packs of curly dried ramen (that are like 10 cents at the grocery store) work too.  Just use the noodles, NOT the seasoning.

Want to try this Beef Stir Fry?

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Recipe originally published on Cafe Delites

Did you make this? Be sure to leave a review below and tag me @the_chunky_chef on Facebook and Instagram!

Tender slices of beef are stir fried with vegetables and tossed with authentic ramen noodles to make the most amazing 30 minute meal.  Put down that takeout menu, this beef stir fry is WAY better! | #stirfry #beefstirfry #chinese #chinesefood #takeout #30minutemeal #beef

Sesame Garlic Beef Stir Fry

5 from 12 votes
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 12 minutes
Total Time: 27 minutes
Calories: 345
Servings: 4 - 6 servings
(hover over # to adjust)
Print Rate Pin
This easy sesame beef stir fry is incredibly flavorful and easy! serve with authentic ramen noodles, over rice, or in a lettuce cup for a lower carb version!

Ingredients

Beef Marinade

  • 2 Tbsp reduced sodium soy sauce
  • 1 Tbsp rice vinegar
  • 1 Tbsp sesame oil
  • 1 Tbsp fresh ginger, grated
  • 1 Tbsp sesame seeds
  • 2 tsp minced garlic
  • 1/2 tsp Chinese 5 spice powder
  • 1/4 tsp black pepper

Stir Fry

  • 1 lb. flank steak, thinly sliced across the grain
  • 1 cup snow peas, sliced in half
  • 1/2 cup shredded carrots
  • 8 green onions, sliced
  • 1/4 cup beef broth
  • 2 Tbsp reduced sodium soy sauce
  • 2 Tbsp light brown sugar
  • 1 Tbsp rice vinegar
  • 1/2 Tbsp minced garlic
  • 2 tsp sesame oil
  • 1 tsp fresh ginger, grated
  • 1 tsp cornstarch
  • 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
  • 2 Tbsp vegetable oil (for cooking) , divided

Instructions

  • Combine marinade ingredients in a bowl and add flank steak.  Turn to coat and set aside for 15 minutes.
  • Heat 1 Tbsp vegetable oil in a large skillet over MED HIGH heat.  Remove excess marinade from steak and cook in a single layer for 2-3 minutes, stirring to cook both sides.  Depending on the size of your pan, you might need to cook the beef in batches.  Remove steak to plate.
  • Heat remaining 1 Tbsp vegetable oil in skillet, then add peas, carrots and green onion and cook, stirring often, for 2-3 minutes.
  • Whisk together broth, soy sauce, brown sugar, rice vinegar, garlic, sesame oil, fresh ginger, cornstarch and red pepper flakes.  Add steak and sauce to skillet, stirring to combine.  Sauce will thicken.
  • Stir in cooked ramen noodles, if using, and serve!

Want to save this recipe for later? Click the heart in the bottom right corner to save to your own recipe box!

Nutrition Disclaimer

The Chunky Chef is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. If calorie count and other nutritional values are important to you, we recommend running the ingredients through whichever online nutritional calculator you prefer. Calories can vary quite a bit depending on which brands were used.

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Tender slices of beef are stir fried with vegetables and tossed with authentic ramen noodles to make the most amazing 30 minute meal.  Put down that takeout menu, this beef stir fry is WAY better! | #stirfry #beefstirfry #chinese #chinesefood #takeout #30minutemeal #beef

Tender slices of beef are stir fried with vegetables and tossed with authentic ramen noodles to make the most amazing 30 minute meal.  Put down that takeout menu, this beef stir fry is WAY better! | #stirfry #beefstirfry #chinese #chinesefood #takeout #30minutemeal #beef

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Meet The Chunky Chef

Hey there! I'm Amanda. Wife, mother, photography nerd, and bacon lover! I believe that delicious meals should be easy to make. Now that you’re here, stay a bit, browse a few recipes, and let’s get cookin’!

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Recipe Rating




  1. TWest says

    Posted on 12/8 at 6:40 am

    Wonderful, easy, tasty recipe! Whole family ate it up!

    Reply
  2. Jodi says

    Posted on 6/24 at 12:28 am

    Excellent! The whole family enjoyed it!

    Reply
  3. Stacey says

    Posted on 8/13 at 12:04 am

    YUM! It will be hard to eat Chinese take out after this. I used broccoli and white onions and sliced carrots on the diagonal (I made it on the fly and didn’t have pea pods and green onions—but next time I’ll buy those ingredients ahead of time!) It wash SO good (and I’m picky, lol). Thank you!

    Reply
  4. Denise Lambert says

    Posted on 8/9 at 9:02 am

    This was simply amazing. I took your advice and served it over ramen noodles (I never knew you could buy just the noodles!). The noodles with the stir fry was the perfect combination. My husband said it tasted like a dish from one of our local Thai restaurants…only better!

    Reply
  5. Noam says

    Posted on 5/22 at 3:08 pm

    Made this recipe last night, substituting the thin-cut flank steak for cubed flank steak and cooking a little longer in step 2. Was super super flavorful. I would recommend not skipping the noodles/rice. I did so for time constraints and ended having the sauce taste a little too strong (but delicious!).

    Reply
  6. Joy Johnson-Dyer says

    Posted on 3/12 at 7:20 pm

    This is an amazingly delicious recipe. Husband called it fantastic!

    Reply
  7. Matt Rogers says

    Posted on 11/20 at 8:07 pm

    Fantastic! We loved it. I almost never follow a recipe verbatim but I did this one. Except I had 1.5 lbs flank steak. Also used Hokan lo mein noodles. This one is going to the “a list”!

    Reply
  8. Brenda says

    Posted on 7/9 at 4:48 am

    Instead of rice vinegar, can you substitute it for water?

    Reply
    • The Chunky Chef says

      Posted on 7/9 at 8:42 pm

      I wouldn’t substitute it with water, as it wouldn’t add any flavor. Apple cider vinegar would be a decent substitute though.

      Reply
  9. Sandra | A Dash of Sanity says

    Posted on 4/11 at 11:43 am

    We love stir-fry recipes! This one is a must-make!

    Reply
  10. Allyson Zea says

    Posted on 4/10 at 11:45 am

    Wow this stir fry looks like the perfect weeknight dinner! I love how easy it is!

    Reply
  11. Toni | Boulder Locavore says

    Posted on 4/10 at 3:46 am

    This looks really delicious! I would love to try this! Great tips, too! 😀

    Reply
  12. Demeter says

    Posted on 4/9 at 11:23 pm

    Stir frys are such a great way to get a flavorful meal on the table fast! Looks fantastic!

    Reply
  13. Renee - Kudos Kitchen says

    Posted on 4/9 at 3:32 pm

    All that flavor and still under 350 calories? Amazing! I simply can’t wait to make this delicious looking stir fry!

    Reply
  14. Wendi @H20 Bungalow says

    Posted on 4/9 at 3:06 pm

    Wish I had a big bowl of this right now! Looks delicious! I can’t wait to try out the recipe! 

    Reply
  15. Krista says

    Posted on 4/9 at 1:04 pm

    You can never go wrong with a delicious stir fry!

    Reply
  16. Jamielyn Nye says

    Posted on 4/9 at 9:59 am

    One of my favorite dinners! So much flavor!

    Reply

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