Chinese celery stemscut into 1-inch-long stalks; can substitute with Western celery113 g (4 oz)
Garliccrushed and chopped8 cloves
Thai bird's-eye chiliesdiced6
Gingercrushed and roughly chopped1 inch
Scallionscut into 1-inch-long stalks2
Oyster sauce½ tbsp
Light soy saucefor seasoning½ tbsp
Chinese cooking wine½ tbsp
Fermented black beansoptional; for Hunan-style variation1 tbsp
Pickled chilies
More like this
diced, optional; for Hunan-style variation
10-12
Steps
1
Slice beef to about 1/8 inch thickness. Marinate with soy sauce, salt, and white pepper. After mixing well, drizzle with oil and toss to coat, preventing the slices from sticking together during cooking. Set aside.
2
Prepare all ingredients by cutting Chinese celery stems into 1-inch pieces, crushing and chopping garlic, dicing Thai chilies, crushing and roughly chopping ginger, and separating white and green parts of scallions (only white parts go into the initial stir-fry).
3
Set heat to maximum and preheat wok until smoking hot. Add oil, then add celery stems, garlic, Thai chilies, ginger, and scallion whites. Stir over high heat for 30 seconds.
4
Add the marinated beef and continue stirring over high heat until the meat slices are separated and cooked through, about 1-2 minutes given the high heat and thin slicing.
5
Season with oyster sauce, soy sauce, and Chinese cooking wine by pouring along the wok's edge and tossing quickly. Embrace the flames as they kiss the ingredients directly, creating the characteristic 'wok hei' with its smoky aroma and toasty flavor.
6
Add the reserved scallion greens and toss to combine. The basic Chinese beef stir-fry is now complete.
7
For Hunan-style variation: include fermented black beans and pickled chilies by adding them with the other aromatics in step 3 for 30 seconds. Proceed with steps 4-6, seasoning only with oyster sauce and soy sauce (omit the cooking wine).
PrimedTableBETA
