Beef Asparagus Stir Fry

This Beef Asparagus Stir Fry makes a delicious meal any day of the week! It's made with marinated beef, stir fried with tasty asparagus pieces, garlic in a delicious sauce!

Jump to:

• About the Ingredients
• How to cook Beef and Asparagus Stir Fry (Step by Step)
• Storage & Reheating
• FAQ
• Beef Asparagus Stir Fry Recipe
• More delicious Beef Stir Fry recipes
• Pin for later!

About the Ingredients

Here's some extra info about the ingredients that may help you boost your dish!

Beef

Ultimately the type of steak to use is up to you - you can pick your favorite cut of beef. However, I normally use flank steak, sirloin, or ribeye.

For this recipe, I used flank steak. Whatever you choose, just make sure to cut against the grain and try to cut it evenly in to strips or slices so that it cooks evenly!

Marinade

Marinating is a fantastic way to add flavor to your meat and tenderize it before you stir fry.

It is also known as 'velveting'.

Velveting is a Chinese cooking technique that marinates meat in an mixture to make it more tender and help it retain moisture while cooking. The mixture can include cornstarch, baking soda, egg whites, oil, vinegar, or rice wine. It also creates a protective barrier that seals in moisture and prevents the meat from drying out and becoming too tough.

While it is true that when it comes to marinating, the longer is better, even if you marinade for at least 15 minutes you will see and taste a difference!

Here is what we will use for this recipe:

• Rice wine vinegar: This adds acidity to the marinade which helps tenderize the meat. Also it balances the saltiness of the soy sauce.
• Sesame oil: Helps distribute flavors and prevents the protein from drying out.
• Soy sauce: This adds umami flavor and helps tenderize the meat by acting like a brine.
• Brown sugar: Helps balance out the rest of the marinade (sourness from vinegar, and saltiness of soy sauce)
• Cornstarch: Cornstarch helps to retain moisture in the meat, preventing it from drying out during the high-heat cooking process of stir-frying. It also helps the marinade cling to the meat

Asparagus

To prepare your asparagus, first wash the veggie to get rid of any dirt. Then, trim the tough ends. There are a few methods to do this:

• Bend and Snap method - you can hold the asparagus spear at both ends and gently bend it. The asparagus will naturally snap where the tough part ends.
• Knife method - You can also line up the asparagus spears on a cutting board and use a knife to cut off where the tough part is. It's usually about an inch or two from the bottom.

The next step is to cut the asparagus for the stir fry. You want to cut them about 1-2 inches long and in to similar sizes to make sure they cook evenly. If you feel fancy you can cut them diagonally 🙂

Oyster sauce

Oyster sauce is actually literally made by cooking oysters! It's usually made from oyster extracts, sugar, salt and cornstarch. If you think that's gross because you hate the taste of seafood, for some reason, the fishy seafood taste isn't actually… noticeable. I legit grew up not realizing that oyster sauce even had seafood in it. The flavor of oyster sauce is sweet and savory.

There are vegan / vegetarian oyster sauces - they are made with mushrooms instead of Oyster sauce. And this sauce is actually very tasty. I normally don't prefer the vegetarian/vegan version of things that are normally not vegetarian/vegan, but I actually prefer the mushroom oyster sauce to the normal one!

Black pepper and Sesame seeds

Black pepper and sesame seeds are optional. I do absolutely love the flavor black pepper adds to the dish though! It's like black pepper beef stir fried with asparagus! Add more or less depending on preference.

Sesame seeds is a great garnish and adds a tasty flavor as well, but if you don't have any you can skip it.

How to cook Beef and Asparagus Stir Fry (Step by Step)

First gather your ingredients:

• 1 lb beef, sliced or cut in to strips (I used flank)
• Marinade/Sauce:
  • 2 tablespoon soy sauce
  • 1 tablespoon sesame oil
  • 1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
  • 1 tablespoon cornstarch
  • 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1 tablespoon cooking oil
• 1 teaspoon garlic, minced
• 8 oz asparagus, cut in to 1-2 inch lengths
• 1 tablespoon oyster sauce
• 1 teaspoon black pepper (optional)
• 1 teaspoon sesame seeds (optional)

Combine beef and marinade/sauce ingredients in a large bowl or zip lock bag. If you are about to cook it, let it marinade at the very least 15-30 minutes. If you are making this ahead, cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes before cooking.

In a large cooking pan or wok, heat cooking oil over high heat. When the oil is hot, add beef, and stir fry until mostly browned. Remove the beef from cooking pan and set aside.

If the cooking pan is dry, add some cooking oil. Add garlic to the cooking pan and let it cook for about 30 seconds or until fragrant.

Add asparagus, and stir fry for about 2 minutes or until asparagus is to your desired tenderness. Don't cook it too long if you like it with some crisp.

Add beef back in to to cooking pan, and add oyster sauce, black pepper, sesame seeds. Stir fry everything for about 1-2 minutes or until steak is your desired tenderness (we like medium).

Remove from heat and serve!

Storage & Reheating

• Fridge: Store leftovers in an airtight container for up to 3-4 days.
• Freezer: Freeze in a freezer-safe container for up to 2 months. For best results, freeze without asparagus and add fresh when reheating.
• Reheat:
  • Stovetop (best): Stir fry in a skillet with a splash of oil over medium heat until hot.
  • Microwave: Heat in 30-45 second bursts, stirring between intervals.

FAQ

What kind of beef works best?
Flank steak, sirloin, or ribeye all work well. Just slice thinly against the grain so the beef stays tender.

Do I have to marinate the beef?
Technically no but do you want it to be TASTY? Lol seriously tho even 15 minutes of marinating makes the beef more flavorful and tender thanks to velveting. Just marinate it first, prep the other ingredients, and then you can get to cookin'!

Can I use a different sauce?
Definitely - hoisin sauce, teriyaki, or black bean sauce are delicious substitutes for oyster sauce.

What can I serve this with?
Steamed white rice is classic, but fried rice or noodles also pair well.

Can I make it vegetarian?
Yes! Replace beef with tofu or mushrooms and use a mushroom-based "vegetarian oyster sauce."

Can I add more veggies?
Absolutely! Bell peppers, mushrooms, or snap peas all work beautifully with asparagus.

More delicious Beef Stir Fry recipes

• Have you ever had Yu Choy (aka Choy Sum) before? It is a healthy and tasty Asian veggie! Try my Beef Yu Choy Stir Fry if you like it!
• If you love Korean food, you know how good Beef Bulgogi is! Try my tasty Beef Bulgogi which you can stir fry!
• Another super tasty beef stir fry dish is Mongolian Beef! This dish that consists of stir fried beef with onions!
• Or if you love Xinjiang Cumin Lamb, why not try with my Cumin Beef Stir Fry!

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