Beef, black bean and cashew stir-fry

Beef stir fry recipe

For a quick and satisfying dinner with a good balance of meat and veggies, a classic beef stir-fry is a surefire bet. Beef stir-fries are popular in Asian cooking – as well as Chinese or Thai beef stir-fry, you’ll find delicious stir-fries in Vietnamese, Korean and Japanese cuisines. We love them because they’re easy to make and you can pack in loads of flavour. There are lots of different variations depending on which cut of beef and combination of veggies you use. You can add noodles for a one-pot meal, or serve with steamed rice to soak up all the sauce. It’s also easy to change the flavour of the finished dish depending on the combination of aromatics and sauces that you add to the wok or frying pan during cooking.

Choosing the best beef stir fry sauce

Ready-made stir-fry sauces are a handy solution if you’re short on time and want to whip up a stir-fry at a moment’s notice. It’s good to have a choice of different Asian sauces in your pantry and fridge so you can easily put together your own beef stir-fry sauce, depending on what the recipe calls for. This recipe uses a combination of two sauces that are classic flavour matches for beef - black bean sauce and oyster sauce. Both of these sauces have rich savoury, salty flavours that bring out the best in stir-fried beef. Other good Asian beef stir fry sauces are teriyaki sauce, hoisin sauce and soy sauce. Sesame oil is also great for adding flavour to beef stir fries – you can add it with the sauce or use it as a stir-frying oil to cut back on excess oil in the recipe. Don’t add too much sesame oil though – it has a strong flavour, so a little goes a long way.

The best cut of meat for beef stir fry

There’s so much choice when it comes to choosing the type of beef for your stir-fry. For a sliced beef stir fry, you can save time by buying beef stir-fry strips or make your own by thinly slicing beef steaks. To avoid chewy beef pieces, make sure you slice across the grain – this shortens the fibres and makes the beef more tender. For a lean cut with a subtle flavour and maximum tenderness, go for thinly sliced beef fillet steak, or get tenderness and a richer flavour with thinly sliced beef scotch fillet or porterhouse steaks. Our top pick for everyday beef stir-fry is beef rump steak because it’s great value and full of flavour. Another quick budget option is to make your stir-fry with beef mince instead.

Top tips for this Thai beef stir fry

Thinly sliced beef cooks very quickly, so you have to be careful not to overcook it or the beef will be tough. The solution to this is to brown the beef first then remove it from the wok or pan before stir-frying your veggies. It’s also important to stir-fry the beef in small batches so it cooks evenly. If you add all the beef to the wok or pan in one go, it will be harder to keep it moving and the meat will start to release moisture and stew rather than fry.

To make sure the vegetables in a stir-fry cook evenly, try to cut them all into similar-sized pieces and add them to the wok or pan in the right order so they don’t overcook. Start by stir-frying onion wedges and ginger matchsticks for 1 minute – this creates an aromatic base for the stir-fry. Then add the green veggies and stir-fry for another 2 minutes - you want them to be tender but still crisp and bright green. 

Next, return the beef to the wok or pan with the sauces and keep stir-frying to heat through. Throw in some cashews too - these are great for adding extra texture and a sweet, nutty flavour to a Thai stir-fry. Then turn off the heat and add the finishing touch - the basil. Thai basil leaves have a peppery, aniseed flavour that’s delicious with beef. If you can’t find Thai basil, you can substitute regular basil, mint or coriander instead.

Fragrant and fluffy, steamed jasmine rice makes a traditional accompaniment to this beef stir-fry. Just before serving, sprinkle the stir fry with more cashews and herb leaves for extra freshness and crunch.

Now get cooking

Follow our easy recipe and tips to whip up a quick and tasty beef and black bean stir fry for dinner any time. Want more delicious beef stir fry ideas? Use beef scotch fillet steaks to make Curtis Stone’s steak and green bean stir fry recipe. For a tasty noodle stir fry made with beef stir fry strips, try his beef and green bean chow fun noodle stir fry. For an easy Korean beef stir fry using beef mince, try our Korean-style ginger beef recipe. For more easy beef recipes, check out our beef recipes collection. Need a vegetarian stir fry recipe? Try our tofu and green bean stir fry recipe. Plus, find more quick and easy dinner ideas in our What’s for Dinner recipe collection.