This Flank Steak Stir Fry is perfect for a midweek meal when asparagus are in season. It’s easy enough to make and everyone raves about it!
When it comes to stir-fry, it’s all about the prep. The dish itself cooks up so quickly that you need everything prepped and ready to go before you start adding the elements to the hot pan.
A couple elements of the recipe to note. We are blanching the asparagus in boiling water a couple minutes. This will ensure that the asparagus will be cooked in the short stir-frying time.
Flank steak is a lean cut of meat, which can be tough and chewy if it isn’t cut properly (across the grain of the meat) for this dish. It helps to freeze the meat for a few minutes before starting the recipe to make it easier to slice thinly.
Flank Steak Stir Fry with Asparagus and Red Pepper Recipe
PrintIf you are planning to serve this dish with rice, in a separate pan, prepare 2 cups of white rice, following the instructions on the rice package.
Ingredients
- 3 Tbsp canola or peanut oil
- 1/2 lb asparagus, trimmed, cut on the diagonal into 1 1/2 inch lengths (about 1 1/2 cups)
- 1 lb of flank steak, sliced in half lengthwise (along the grain) and then cut into thin strips (across the grain), 2 inches long and 1/4 inch wide (put the steak in the freezer for 15 minutes before slicing to make it easier to slice)
- 1 red bell pepper, seeded, de-ribbed, and cut into thin strips 2 inches long and 1/4 inch wide
- 2 teaspoons of cornstarch dissolved into 3 Tablespoons of water
Stir Fry Sauce
- 3 Tbsp soy sauce (use gluten-free soy sauce for gluten-free version)
- 1 teaspoon finely chopped, peeled, fresh ginger
- 1 small clove garlic, minced
- 1 green onion, including green tops, chopped
- 1/2 teaspoon chili oil
Method
1 Blanch the asparagus: Fill a medium sized saucepan halfway with water and bring to a boil. Blanch the cut asparagus for 2 minutes. Drain, rinse with cold water to stop the cooking, and set aside.
2 Assemble stir fry sauce: In a small dish, stir together the stir fry sauce ingredients—soy sauce, chopped ginger, minced garlic, chopped green onion, chili oil—and set aside.
3 Stir fry asparagus: Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a wok (or a thick-bottomed pot that can handle high heat) on high heat until shimmery. Add the asparagus and fry, stirring constantly, for 2 minutes or until lightly browned. Remove the asparagus from the pan and set aside.
4 Stir fry beef strips: Heat another tablespoon of oil in the pan on high heat until shimmery. Stir fry the beef strips in batches, for 2 to 3 minutes per batch, until they are browned but still a little pink inside.
5 Stir fry bell pepper: Return the first batches of beef strips to the pan along with the bell pepper strips. Stir and toss over high heat until the bell pepper strips are just beginning to wilt, 1-2 minutes.
6 Add cornstarch slurry and stir fry sauce: Quickly stir the cornstarch liquid and add it to the pan along with the stir fry sauce. Cook until sauce thickens, 1-2 minutes.
Return the asparagus to the pan, toss to evenly coat and serve with steamed white rice (unless you are going low-carb, in which case, leave out the rice).
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Instead of chili oil you can use a chili paste like Sambal Oelek. Also, add a splash of rice vinegar, two dashes of sesame oil and a pinch of ground white pepper.
For the ginger: Buy a small jar of organic minced ginger at Whole Foods or search “ginger people” on Amazon. If you insist on fresh, use the edge of a spoon to scrape the skin off ginger.
For the garlic: smash the clove with flat side of chef’s knife (blade facing away from you), then mince.
For the chili oil: Make chili oil from scratch. Google it..it’s very easy and cheaper than buying a bottle off the shelf.
Has anyone ever tried to make this with Skirt Steak instead of Flank Steak?
This recipe is definitely a part of my meal planning rotation, and I have served it often to guests. The chili oil I used is hot dark sesame oil, and I think the flavor of the sesame oil contributes positively to this great dish. Delicious over rice.
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I didn’t realize until after I made this that the dish would be so festive with its bold red and bright green. Simply Recipes continues to be a solid source of recipies and new ideas.