How to Stir Fry Beef - Three Basic Flavors and Recipes (姜葱牛肉/豉汁牛肉/野山椒牛肉) 

It is wonderful how you focus on the food, present all the information in an orderly and clear manner, without distractions of music, personalities, and blah, blah, blah. It tried your method of stir frying Chinese greens, and result was stupendous, so simple and so delicious.

If I may venture a suggestion, since we're breaking an egg to use the white in the marinade, I used the yolk as a way to finalize the sauce by adding it at the very end, off the flame into the steaming food and tossed. It worked really well, adding even more to the smoothness of the sauce.

Hey, so a few notes: 1. It bears emphasizing just how short of a time we actually stir-fried the beef. I obviously cut these videos, but honestly not that much was cut from the stir fries after the beef was put in. Like, the time between putting the beef in and shutting off the heat should be ~20 seconds max. 2. After the quick ten second pass through oil, some pieces will be slightly pink-ish. This is normal (especially if using a smaller quantity of oil which heats less evenly) ... we're aiming for 80-90% done. Again, ten seconds then out! 3. So, your eyes aren't deceiving you. That first beef dish - the beef with scallions and ginger - is a bit overcooked. Basically, it was really tough to do the pass through oil shots on our balcony with one camera (thus why we didn't do any pouring out shots for the other beef dishes). The beef was sitting in the hot oil for an extra ~15 seconds or so while the camera was focusing as such. Not good, c'est la guerre. 4. Usually, in the kitchen cooking for myself I'd adapt to that sort of screw up by adding in the beef at the *very* end of the stir-fry, basically off the heat with the green onions. But, we wanted to show the process, so sacrifices were made :) Was still totally edible in the end. 5. Huge thanks to Rob over on Patreon for suggesting the Hunan beef with yeshanjiao. Super tasty dish and was great as a change of pace in this video, I think. 6. Another stir-fry that's classic with that fermented black bean flavor profile is squid :) So right, I gotta pound out this written recipe. Apologies if I'm less responsive here than usual... I got like three hours to do it before I gotta do work for my actual job lol. Word of warning that that recipe *might* end up being posted to an unpaid, public Patreon post in place of reddit at first. Basically, if I can't sort the whole recipe post this morning, I gotta wait til Friday to post to /r/cooking cuz SoupedUp recipes posts there Thursdays and I don't wanna steal any of her thunder just cuz we were a bit busy and couldn't keep our schedule :) I'm working as hard as I can on it, promise!

I could see Chris's reflection off the half cup of oil he poured in. LOL!

Exceptional brevity and clarity in these recipes and their presentation. Brilliant to watch.

Great video. I have been cooking asian food for almost 2 decades and will never forget my first girlfriend's dad. He was from shanghai and taught me how to "Velvet" proteins. It's basically marinating beef in shaoxing wine, baking soda, eggwhite, soy sauce and potato starch. Then the beef is gently blanched in oil. The eggwhite and starch layer protects the beef from overcooking and makes sure the meat won't lose texture when added to sauces.

Made the beef with black bean and garlic sauce last night for the fam and we were all blown away by the complexity of fresh flavors, especially compared to the jarred stuff. Passing through oil is a huge faff though and for some reason the egg white on beef curdled up during this phase making the beef look dreadful. It was all covered up by the glorious sauce though at the end and the beef was super tender. I may try this recipe again and use a smaller quantity of oil and fry the beef in batches. It was worth the hassle of going to several Asian markets to find the beans and the tangerine peels. Anyway, thank you for this wonderful channel! This recipe is going on a card in my box, that's how highly I think of it.

My only grievance is that you aren't spreading these gospels further. Love your work and hope it grows BIG!

Just stopped by to tell you both you do an EXCELLENT JOB teaching us Asian Cooking 👍 Which as an Italian , makes me Love the Asian Culture and Cuisine , amazing People. Thank you for your work ❗ 👍

I absolutely love watching your videos. I have access to many of the ingredients you use, and your recommendations for substitutes fill in the gaps of what I am not able to find. Easy to follow, authentic and delicious recipes!! Thank you for helping me expand my knowledge of Chinese cuisine

With deep frying, it counter intuitive: the more oil in the pan, the less is absorbed because the meat shrinks uniformly and closes pores so not much oil gets in. If you put just a bit of oil (my mom used to do this :) ) the meat will not heat up evenly and the colder parts absorb the oil, to the point that by the end there is little left in the pan. You also need to get the oil hot so it will shrink the muscle fibers. Helpful video, btw, thanks.

I’m just doing a dive of your videos after getting them recommended by YT recently and I’m loving how informative and entertaining they are, only used to semi-Western ‘Chinese’ food from restaurants that are run by Chinese owners but have probably adjusted their offerings for more Western taste (such as toning down the spice in some dishes), here in Australia. I will admit I sorely miss the chicken and corn soup I used to get at the Chinese restaurant in a town I used to live in, being just the right thickness that it slid down smoothly whilst coating and soothing a sore throat from having a cold.

Thank you Chris and Steph. These videos are so much more helpful than reading Fuchia Dunlop. Everyone else, support them on Patreon! I believe they are more deserving of our support than all the other false purveyors of Chinese cuisine on RU-vid.

Hey I've been watching your videos for over 3 years now and just wanted to say, a BIG THANK YOU You have the most recipes I use of anyone else and your explanation style is on-point, written recipes are also great to follow. So, please keep up the good work, many like me are here and watching and thankful!

Excellent video as always - love the ones like this where we learn multiple recipes with the same technique!

I just got into your channel and I LOVE IT!. I live in Korea and many of the ingredients you use are found here fairly easily but some have to be bought online. I've tried a few of your dishes with some slight variations due to local products, but I've loved everything I've made so far. Keep up the great work!

Honestly Chinese food is very hard to cook… your videos help me a lot… 🥰🥰🥰

As a Chinese borned and raised in China, I certify this as authentic Chinese cooking.

Love Chinese food more than any other and this series of videos is superb! Have you guys thought about making a DVD set or recipe book? I'd buy :)

I like these recipes but I feel it would be more helpful talking about the theory of different dishes. Once you have the building blocks and a few rules, any number of dishes become possible to create. Everything you’ve done so far though feels accurate and certainly like good information. 👏 Also, there’s an angled cut based on the grain of the meat that makes it muuuuch more tender. It would be worth exploring and or talking about imho.

Dude,love your easy style. Keep your technique. Don't change.

Passing through oil is v tasty but you can also poach in boiling water and it delicious, healthier and an authentic chinese method.

I love how detailed and exact your recipes are! Love ❤️ u guys channel!!

Absolutely love your show , thank you for sharing your knowledge

I marinate with corn starch like you said and a complete sticky wok. Marinate without and its great. I guess my wok isnt right.

Interesting tip about the water, I have never heard of that before. Another way to tenderise meat is to use a little corn flour without the egg, just a teaspoon and mix it well into the meat.

I'm hugely enjoying your videos and I'm hoping to try out the ginger/scallion/oyster sauce beef recipe for tomorrow's dinner!

Loved the recipes! Can't wait to try all 3! Say hello to your newest subscriber ... eagerly awaiting your next vlog

Nice home cook food. Juz need 1 bowl of rice. Nice.

I did this with beef heart and it was good

Just made the oyster sauce one. Again. Delicious.

You guys are doing great work this short video really does a good job of explaining things for a home cook

love that image in the wok at 2:45

I want to dine in a restaurant where you know your meal is coming when the chef says "And.... out."

Thanks

This is really excellent video, like all you videos...love the way you describe the process. Super professional. Thanks for posting great job!

First~Steph. I love your top! So pretty. You look lovely in that colour. Second ~OMIGAWD OMIGAWD OMIGAWD! An entirely new and different way to marinate beef! I love this. As I've said, beef costs a fortune right now, so new ways to cook less tender cuts is perfect. The first two recipes are right up my alley. The third? Too spicy for our plebian tastes I'm afraid, lol. But I was literally bouncing in my seat telling hubby about it. I'm going to buy a small wok as there's just the two of us, but my electric stove just won't work. Not hot enough. Are you using a propane powered portable burner here? Is it just a readily available type of burner or a specific one? They aren't expensive and I see them used on so many cooking shows. I'll purchase one as well if it is one I can find on Amazon. Another great one Steph and Chris! Thank you. Jenn 💖 in Canada 🍁 (Being Canadian I'm always unsure if maybe you don't roll your eyes when you see my questions. If I'm ever just to damn much, say so, ok?)

You don't so much "cook" food in a wok . . . . As you "threaten" it! Great videos.

I prefer the third one. Really good with rice.

.... that's the way to do it, folks! Bon appetit the Chinese way!

Amazing content, I love watching you guys and the dog is also the star of the show, soooo cute! Quick question though, bicarb or cornflour in the marinade? I see you use bicarb for this beef but cornflour for your stir fry pork lessons video? BIG thanks

Hey Chris/Steph! Two quick questions! The first is, could I substitute fermented black bean paste for the beans themselves in the bean flavour dish? I've never seen fermented beans separate like that at any asian markets, but the paste is prevalent. Also, in the pickled chilis flavour dish what exactly is Chinese Celery?? I've never really heard of that ingredient before, though I've seen a number of different (very different) plants labelled as that at my Chinese supermarket. And as always I'm thoroughly enjoying your videos, I've made a ton of your dishes for friends and they've gone over supremely!!! I've even used some of your techniques and ideas to come up with my own versions of certain Chinese dishes and they've gone really well too, thanks to your help. I think I should also mention, I have quite a few pictures of dishes I've made from your recipes, so if you want any of those I'd be glad to send them over!

Another great video. I will modify my timing and ingredient amount to see if I get even better results. It helps to see the prep as well as cooking - thanks. Today is the first time I've seen the cook's face - in the reflection in the oil... Lmao. I was like I didn't think those are Chinese hands. :P

Terrific but I didn't know Richard Dreyfuss narrated cooking videos

I always use more water and sodium bicarbonate then soak the meat for 10-15 minutes and then drain it well. It tenderises perfectly and doesn't seem to leave any flavour in the meat. I'm not sure why, noone else seems to do it this way though. 🙄

That Liaojiu must be delicious for it to be in almost every recipe. You guys must go through a ton of it... wonder if my asian market has some....

Great video , really easy to understand 👌👌

2:47 - I see you in the reflection

Great work, as always. Keep it up!

Do a video that explain the corn starch.

Hi keep up the good work.love your technique in cooking.thank you😙😙😙

You guys should do some classic Taiwanese dishes like braised pork rice or three cup chicken or beef noodle soup!

What material is your cutting board? I remember from my childhood my father and uncle who were chefs used a large yellow cutting board. But I’m not sure what material it was. I’m trying to return to my Asian roots, so any insight you can give is appreciated.

Not knowing where to find the fermented black beans, could one substitute with a tiny bit of black bean paste?

So you don't mix up one big sauce together with wine, soy sauce, cornstarch, oil etc...everything is layered so ingredients can be caramelized

Thank you sir. I learned a lot from u channel

Can you even make all this stuff without a wok and with just an electric stove?

I marinate my beef with soy sauce, bourbon whiskey, sugar, ginger and cornstarch mixture.

Many thanks for such a lovely video. I have one question though. When you use beef meat without any fat for stir frying, do you boil the meat in high heat prior to frying/marinating in order to get rid of scum,bacteria,etc ?

Please show the bottle of stock concentrate

Love your videos. Do you save your velveting oil for reuse? I saw in another video you have a designated pot for it. If so, i would imagine you let the non oil stuff settle and then strain and maybe only use it once or twice more? Any help would be appreciated. Best

What's the purpose of cornstarch slurry and egg whites in stir-fry cooking ? if you add cornstarch to tenderize the beef, and the egg whites do the same thing, why not just add the eggs ?

You are so cool! Thx for the videos

Ginger really is magic, I have to pass the small mince tho and stick to slices ill take out later, it's just too much ginger taste for me if it's in every bite lmao 😭

i wish you had a list of the ingredients as I don't know how to spell them to look them up online

nice vids dude

Good people Amazing food.

Great video! Few qs: what is a good sub for dark soy sauce? Would giardinera be a sub for pickled chilis?

Nice. Question, why do you need to deep fry for 10 seconds? Why not stir fry directly? Thanks.

How can you eat the last one without dying from heat shock? o.O

Please make authentic salt and pepper ribs :(

theres gotta some chino latino brother out there that has produced the mexican version of the chilli stir fry, that looks delicious!

2:25 you sure that egg whites? I sure have seen something closely similar to that coming out of somewhere y'all know where, but definitely not chicken's...

that old cleaver though. any idea where i could find one like that?

yum!

Nice vedio! I recommend the 'chef' to learn the traditional hand position when cuting the meat. Much more efficient and safety.

For a white guy your chinese cooking is legit

👌👌

Also, what's a good brand for the stock concentrate?

What is the power rating of your portable gas hob? I have an Iwatani is labelled as 3.3kw

that reflection on 2:47

I’m a little confused by the perpendicular comment do you just mean against the grain?

My only "beef" with this RU-vid channel is that the cooking is not authentic. WHERES THE MSG!!

any chance that we'll see cumin lamb in the future? it's not an immediate need but i would like to know the spice ratios

Welp. Apparently Chris isn't a Simpsons fan. POPEYE! PAPAIN! POPEYE! PAPAIN!

Does this work with chicken as well?

3:28 Do you have any suggestions for a comparable replacement for the oyster sauce for those who can't do shellfish? I imagine soy sauce wouldn't do it justice and fish sauce wouldn't have the right consistency.

What knife is that please

3:53 Are you saying lan yiou as in cold oil?

What's liao jiu? Is that the same as shaoshing wine? ;)

what do they do with the oil after deep frying beef? is it garbage?

Where do I get a list of these ingredients, specifically the wines that I cannot pronounce nor spell plz

You should probably be more specific with your oil descriptions as using Olive oil for this would be horrible.

MSG in a last one?

I can never find a recipe for this yummy dish I had when I was really little. I grew-up in a small town in CA and we had a few Chinese Restaurants that I'm sure cooked a LOT of Americanized Dishes, Egg Foo Young, of course. But my fave dish was called Green Pepper Beef and as far as I can discern was jut sliced Beef with Bell Peppers and Onions and likely White Pepper. I'm sure it was simplified for American tastes. Have you folks ever made something like that?

You sound like swagkage

Would I get a similiar result using lard or tallow instead of oil?

What do you do with the yolks though ?

Time to get my knives seriously sharpened!

worcester-shire sauce, what did u call it?! whistcher?