Beef and Spring Onion Stir-Fry
Ground beef browned hard with ginger, garlic and curry powder, then tossed in a glossy soy sauce with spring onions and sesame seeds. A fast, savory stir-fry.
- Total
- 15 min
- Prep 7 · Cook 8
- Serves
- 1
- Difficulty
- Easy
You'll practice: Stir-frying · Blooming spices
- Savory
- Quick
- Asian
- Spicy
- Stovetop
Instructions
-
In a small bowl, stir together 1.5 tbsp soy sauce, 1 tsp curry powder and 0.25 tsp salt until smooth. This is the sauce.
~2 min
Dissolving the curry powder and salt into the soy sauce first prevents dry clumps and distributes seasoning evenly.
-
Peel and finely chop 2 cloves garlic and 10 g ginger. Slice 2 spring onions, keeping the white parts and green tops separate.
~4 min
-
Heat 1 tbsp vegetable oil in a wok over high heat until it shimmers. Add the garlic and ginger and stir for 30 seconds, just until fragrant, not browned.
~1 min
High heat and a brief 30-second stir release the garlic and ginger aromatics without scorching them, which would turn them bitter.
Stir-frying Keep the wok very hot and keep food moving in small batches; crowding or low heat makes it steam and stew instead of searing.
Blooming spices Fry the garlic and ginger just until fragrant, about 30 seconds; the moment they smell sweet and sharp, add the next ingredient before they brown.
-
Add 150 g ground beef and the white spring onion parts. Break the beef into small pieces and spread it in one layer. Cook undisturbed for 2 minutes, then stir-fry for 2 to 3 minutes until no pink remains and the edges are browned.
~5 min
Spreading the beef in one layer and leaving it undisturbed lets the surface hit high heat and brown through the Maillard reaction instead of steaming.
Let the beef sit untouched for the first two minutes so it browns instead of steaming; that crust is where the savory depth comes from.
If your wok is small, cook the beef in two quick batches so it browns rather than stews.
Stir-frying Keep the wok very hot and keep food moving in small batches; crowding or low heat makes it steam and stew instead of searing.
-
Pour in the sauce and toss for 1 minute until it coats the beef and turns glossy. Stir in the green spring onion tops and 1 tsp sesame seeds, then take the pan off the heat.
~1 min
Tossing off the heat stops the cooking so the beef stays tender and the sauce stays glossy rather than drying out.
Stir-frying Keep the wok very hot and keep food moving in small batches; crowding or low heat makes it steam and stew instead of searing.
-
Taste and add a pinch more salt if needed. Serve straight from the pan.
~1 min