When I’m craving smoky, wok-fired Chinese takeout, I check my fridge before picking up the phone. If I’ve got beef (or these days a vegan meat substitute), a bell pepper and some green onions, I’m good to go on making this salty, spicy and mildly sweet stir fry at home instead.
My fiery stir fry beef recipe is savory, sweet, vinegary and spicy. I quickly marinate sliced beef to tenderize and infuse bold sharp and salty flavors into the meat. Then I pan fry it with peppers and green onions. But the secret is the sauce: an umami and slightly sweet mix of miso paste and hoisin sauce.
For me, it’s always about the sauce. Whether I’m making Chinese eggplant with garlic sauce or stir fried napa cabbage, the moment I spoon a luscious brown sauce over steamed white rice, I’m a goner. This beef stir fry has a classic Chinese flavor profile – and can be made spicy or mild depending on how many chilis I use.
Table of Contents
Ingredients
Scroll to the recipe card at the bottom of the page for the full recipe steps and measurements.
- Beef. Lean cuts work best when stir frying. I thinly slice it so the marinade can do it’s work in a short time.
- Oil. Any neutral oil works. Vegetable, avocado and grapeseed oil are my go to choices for neutral flavored oils with a high smoke point.
- Green Onions and Red Bell Peppers. Thinly slice the red peppers – and chop the green onions into roughly 2-inch pieces.
- Garlic and Thai Chilis. I treat these as my aromatics. Thai chilis are super spicy and bring great heat. Careful though!
- Hoisin Sauce and White Miso Paste. This is my 2 ingredient stir fry sauce. White miso is lightly salty and umami with an almost fruity edge to it. I use store bought hoisin sometimes – but just as regularly make my own homemade hoisin sauce from scratch.
The Marinade
4 ingredients. Dark soy sauce, regular soy sauce, shaoxing wine and cornstarch.
Why it works: The cornstarch tenderizes the meat and will keep it moist when it goes into the hot wok. Dark soy delivers mild sweetness and a rich caramel color. Regular soy brings the salt – and shaoxing wine is sharp, helps with tenderizing and can neutralize some of the gamey properties of the meat.
Variations
While this classic preparation is fairly perfect as is, these days I typically swap out the meat for a vegan substitute. Here are both protein and flavor options.
Make it vegan. Use soy curls or Beyond Steak for a proper meaty texture. Crispy tofu works like a dream as well.
Swap proteins. Seafood like shrimp or scallops are plug and play options. Chicken works as well. Marinate these as you would beef.
Add or subtract spice. Spice averse? Just leave the chopped chilis out. For more heat, use more Thai chilis – or go with jalapeno, dried red chiles or even peppercorns.
How to Make Hoisin Beef Stir Fry
- Marinade the beef for at least 30 minutes. Longer equates stronger flavors.
- Stir fry. Start with the aromatics – and add ingredients in stages. Check the recipe card below for timing recommendations.
- Add the sauce once the heat is off, but while the pan is still hot. Make sure the beef and peppers are evenly coated.
- Serve over rice.
Expert Stir Fry Tip
Stir fry over high heat. This allows the meat to sear on the outside while remaining juicy and tender. And the peppers will retain a pliant crunch. If the heat is too low, it’ll take longer to cook – and essentially steams the ingredients, overcooking them in the process.
Storage and Reheating
Store leftovers in the refrigerator (covered) for up to 3 days.
Reheat in the microwave – or in a hot pan with a little oil until piping hot.
Frequently Asked Questions
Dark soy has a bit of sweetness that regular soy doesn’t. But the main reason for using dark soy sauce in Chinese stir fries is that it imparts a rich brown, almost caramel color to the sauce. It’s a lot of what gives Chinese brown sauces their look. That said, it’s optional. If you don’t have it, just use regular soy sauce. Just keep in mind that regular soy is saltier.
Yes! Store bought hoisin sauce is usually vegan. However, as always, read the labels at the grocery store. I’d definitely recommend checking the ingredients on both the hoisin sauce and miso paste before buying just to make sure.
No it isn’t. Both dark and light soy sauces contain wheat. And many store bought hoisin sauces do as well.
This is to keep the sugars in the hoisin sauce and miso paste from burning in a screaming hot wok or frying pan. The pan will still be hot – but won’t continue to deliver scorching heat if the burner is off.
Did you like this recipe? Are there changes you made that you would like to share? Share your tips and recommendations in the comments section below!
Print
Stir Fry Beef with Spicy Hoisin Sauce
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 6 minutes
- Total Time: 16 minutes
- Yield: 2 people 1x
- Category: Main
- Method: Stir fry
- Cuisine: Chinese
Description
Make this spicy, authentic Szechuan hoisin stir fry beef recipe in less than 20 minutes!
Ingredients
- 1/2 pound lean beef, thinly sliced (or vegan meat substitute)
- 1 red bell pepper, cored, seeded and sliced into thin strips
- 4 green onions, chopped
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 Thai chilis, finely chopped
- 2 tablespoons hoisin sauce
- 1 teaspoon white miso paste
Marinade:
- 1 tablespoon dark soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon regular soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon shaoxing wine or dry sherry
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
Instructions
- Marinate the beef. Put all the ingredient for the marinade in a bowl and mix well. Add the sliced beef and throughly coat the pieces. Set aside for 30 minutes.
- Stir fry. Start with the aromatics. In a medium size pan over high heat, add oil, garlic and chiles and cook for 1 minute. Then add the beef and cook for 3 minutes. Finally add the bell pepper and green onions and cook for 2 more minutes, stirring often.
- Turn the heat off and season with sauce. Add hoisin sauce and miso paste, stir well until paste has dissolved.
- Serve with brown or white rice.
Notes
Store leftover beef stir fry in a storage container and refrigerate for up to 3 days.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving
- Calories: 345
- Sugar: 10.9g
- Sodium: 593mg
- Fat: 12.4g
- Saturated Fat: 7.3
- Unsaturated Fat: 1g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 22.8g
- Fiber: 3.2g
- Protein: 36.g
- Cholesterol: 87.1mg
This recipe caught my eye because of the hoisin, something that I rarely use, and one that always takes back seat to the more popular (and expensive) oyster sauce. The combo with the miso was outstanding!! So much so that I plan to use it instead of oyster wherever that’s called for. Love the addition of the chili peppers, too. (I added 2 more). I love your recipes, which are always unique.
Thank you so much Phyllis! 🙂
Can this be made without the miso paste?
Hi Lisa, yes it can be made without it 🙂 I hope you like it!
What is white miso paste?which store do you get this paste?
Miso paste is made from fermented soybeans. It’s a thick paste you can buy at your local grocery store as it’s become quite popular these days. If you cannot find it there, try an Asian supermarket or Amazon 🙂
This is soooo delicious! And very quick and easy. Thank you Caroline. It is now one of my family favourite mid week dinners!
Thank you Katia!
Hi Caroline! Any chance of getting the nutrition information for this recipe please?
Sure! I’ve added it 🙂