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Home » Recipes » Main Dish Recipes

Steak & Asparagus Stir Fry Recipe

Published: Jun 13, 2020 · Modified: Nov 3, 2020 by Colleen 44 Comments

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Steak and Asparagus stir-fry is a quick and delicious weeknight dinner and a great way to extend a steak. Mushrooms and red peppers are tasty additions and a delicious sesame ginger sauce completes it all.

Steak & Asparagus Stir Fry with Red Pepper and Mushrooms in a cast iron pan

 

What Kind of Beef is Used For Stir Fry?

Any tender cut of beef will work for stir fry. Sirloin is a good choice because it's economical. You can also use flank steak, which is less tender, but when sliced thinly and cooked quickly can be made very tender, and really flavourful.

A pan of stir fry

 

Which Oils Are Best for Stir Fry?

Because you are going to be cooking quickly over high heat, you will need an oil with a high smoke point. My favourite is peanut oil, here are a few more that work well for cooking over high heat:

  • Peanut Oil
  • Vegetable Oil
  • Safflower Oil
  • Canola Oil
  • Corn Oil

A cast-iron skillet with meat and vegetables

 

How To Make Stir Fry Beef Tender

You know how the beef or chicken that comes from a Chinese restaurant has that wonderful silky, melt-in-your-mouth tenderness? They achieve that texture through a technique called velveting. To do this, they coat the meat in a mixture of egg white, cornstarch, rice wine and oil. They then blanch it in either oil or water and dry it before cooking. To me, doing this, although it does work, takes the quick and easy out of stir fry.

Instead, I use this baking soda technique that I learned from Cook's Illustrated. It's so much easier, and it works!

Cast ron pan with steak & asparagus stir fry and one serving of stir fry on a black plate

 

 

Tips For Stir Fry Success

  • A Stir Fry is all about fast cooking over high heat, so it's important to have all of your ingredients prepped and close by before you begin to cook.
  • Slice the meat very thinly across the grain. Partially freezing the meat for 15-30 minutes makes slicing much easier.
  • In addition, cook the meat in batches so as not to crowd the pieces in the pan. Crowding will result in steaming the meat, rather than browning it. 
  • The same goes for vegetables. The goal is to keep some crispness, so cook them in batches as well. Alternatively, you can blanch the vegetables in boiling water prior to stir-frying them.A bowl of food on a plate, with Steak and vegetables

 

What to Serve With Stir Fry

We actually love this Steak & Asparagus Stir Fry just the way it is. However, you can serve it with rice or noodles if you want to add carbs. Or, with Cauliflower Rice or in Lettuce Wraps if you don't. Rice or noodles are also a good choice if you want to feed more people.

A bowl of food on a plate, with Steak

Recipe

Steak & Asparagus Stir Fry with Red Pepper and Mushrooms in a cast iron pan

Steak & Asparagus Stir Fry

This healthy, colourful and delicious stir fry can be on the table in 20 minutes.
5 from 22 votes
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Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Chinese
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 20 minutes
Servings: 4
Calories: 239kcal
Author: Colleen Milne

Ingredients

Sauce

  • ½ cup orange juice
  • 3 tablespoon tamari sauce or gluten-free soy sauce
  • 2 tablespoon brown sugar
  • 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
  • 1 tablespoon ginger minced
  • 2 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
  • 1 garlic clove minced
  • 1 tablespoon cornstarch
  • 1 teaspoon chilli paste sambal oelek or sriracha

Stir Fry

  • 2 tablespoon peanut oil
  • 8 oz top sirloin steak thinly sliced
  • 12 oz asparagus trimmed & sliced in half on the diagonal
  • 8 oz cremini mushrooms sliced
  • 2 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
  • 1 large red bell pepper cored, seeded and sliced into ½ inch strips
  • ½ cup cherry tomatoes halved

Instructions

Sauce

  • Whisk all sauce ingredients in a bowl, or put them in a jar with a lid and shake*

Stir Fry

  • Heat a wok or large skillet over high heat.
  • Add 1 tablespoon of the peanut oil, heating until just beginning to smoke
  • Add the mushrooms and thyme and stir fry until tender and browned about 2-3 minutes. Transfer mushrooms to a plate.
  • Add the remaining tablespoon of oil & heat, spreading around the pan.
  • In batches, add the meat, spreading pieces out.
  • Sear the meat for 30 seconds, turn and sear 30 seconds more. Transfer to the plate with the mushrooms
  • Add asparagus and red pepper to the pan and stir fry 1 minute
  • Add 1 tablespoon water to the pan and cook until the water evaporates
  • Add the sauce to the pan along with the meat and mushrooms
  • Cook, stirring just until the sauce starts to thicken, about 1 minute
  • Transfer to a platter, stir in cherry tomatoes and serve immediately

Notes

This recipe is gluten-free. If gluten is not an issue for you, feel free to use regular soy sauce.
Shaking the sauce ingredients in a jar is an easy way to dissolve the cornstarch.
Cremini mushrooms are simply brown mushrooms. Any variety of mushrooms can be used here
To trim asparagus, gently bend each spear until it snaps. Discard the woody pieces or save them for stock.
Keep in mind that the sauce will thicken as it cools

Nutrition

Serving: 1g | Calories: 239kcal | Carbohydrates: 19g | Protein: 17g | Fat: 11g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 33mg | Sodium: 443mg | Potassium: 768mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 11g | Vitamin A: 1728IU | Vitamin C: 53mg | Calcium: 52mg | Iron: 4mg
Tried this Recipe? Pin it for Later!Mention @TheFoodBlog or tag #thefoodblog!

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Coralia Varga

    June 30, 2020 at 1:02 am

    I haven't made stir fry in such a long time so I'm really excited I came across this recipe. Really delicious!

    Reply
    • Colleen

      June 30, 2020 at 6:18 am

      So glad you loved it Coralia. Thanks for letting me know!

      Reply
  2. Cynthia Priest

    June 28, 2020 at 9:19 pm

    I love stir fried! Avocado oil is another good oil to add that has a high smoking point.

    Reply
    • Colleen

      June 29, 2020 at 7:19 am

      Great tip, Cynthia. Thanks for sharing.

      Reply
  3. Mikayla

    June 28, 2020 at 3:32 pm

    We probably make a stir fry once a week and we really enjoyed this one, great tips on preparing the steak, and the vegetable choices here are spot on! Thanks for sharing!

    Reply
    • Colleen

      June 28, 2020 at 7:16 pm

      You are so welcome, Mikayla! I'm thrilled that you all loved this recipe!

      Reply
  4. Leslie

    June 27, 2020 at 10:21 am

    There are two things that really caught my attention with this recipe. First, is your ingredients with the sauce! It looks amazing! Second, is the fact that you used asparagus. I've used asparagus in my sir-fry. I've got to try this!

    Reply
    • Colleen

      June 27, 2020 at 10:37 am

      Hi Leslie! The sauce really ties everything together in this recipe, and yes, you must try this. Asparagus is delicious in a stir fry!

      Reply
  5. Denise

    June 27, 2020 at 9:02 am

    This is my kind of dinner, easy, quick and one pan! The flavors are amazing, this will be made often.

    Reply
    • Colleen

      June 27, 2020 at 10:35 am

      Hi Denise, you can beat quick, easy and one pan, plus delicious. I'm so happy that you loved it!

      Reply
  6. Erin

    June 27, 2020 at 2:30 am

    That's interesting about velveting! I didn't know that. But you're right in that it sounds like a pain in the butt. Your method sounds way easier!

    Reply
    • Colleen

      June 27, 2020 at 7:53 am

      Hi Erin. Making things easier in the kitchen is always good, right?

      Reply
  7. Lisa Day

    June 26, 2020 at 11:50 pm

    Looks delicious, Colleen! I can imagine diving into this straight from the pan!

    Reply
    • Colleen

      June 27, 2020 at 7:51 am

      Thanks Lisa! Hope you give this recipe a try!

      Reply
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