A delicious Malaysian beef stir-fry with ginger and spring onions
Just like the Malaysian fried pork and chicken with ginger and spring onions, this simple Asian dish traces its roots to Malaysia’s Chinese diaspora. You will also find a similar version in classic Cantonese cuisine.
Dai chow cuisine
In Malaysia this dish belongs to what is known as “dai chow” cuisine, a Cantonese term that literally means “big fry”. The category covers a vast array of dishes you can order, from simple stir-fried vegetables to slow-simmered soups, meats, seafood, steamed fish, and more.
Traditionally, Chinese families visited dai chow restaurants when cooking for the whole household felt like too much work. The format echoes a home meal, with several dishes placed in the centre of the table to share alongside rice.
Thanks to Malaysia’s cultural diversity, these restaurants now draw a far wider clientele. If you travel to Kuala Lumpur, you will almost certainly run into one.
Key ingredients for Malaysian stir-fried beef with ginger and spring onions
Light soy sauce: Do not confuse it with dark soy sauce; this is the standard salty soy sauce you find in most stores
Oyster sauce: Adds a wonderful salty, umami depth to the dish
Sesame oil: Lends a delicious nutty aroma to the dish
Shaoxing wine: Classic Chinese rice wine; if unavailable, replace it with dry sherry
The beef: Choose a quick-cooking cut such as rib-eye or sirloin
Stir-Fried Beef with Ginger and Scallions
Equipment
Ingredients
- 300 g beef very thinly sliced
- 30 g ginger thinly sliced
- 3 scallions white parts cut into segments
- 5 cloves garlic minced
- 0.5 onion cut into wedges
Marinade
- 1 tablespoon light soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon oyster sauce
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- white pepper
- 1.5 tablespoon cornstarch
Sauce
- 1 tablespoon light soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon oyster sauce
- 3 tablespoons Shaoxing wine
- white pepper
- 30 ml water
Garnish
- 3 scallions green parts thinly sliced
Instructions
- In a bowl, mix the marinade (except the starch) with the meat300 g beef, 1 tablespoon light soy sauce, 1 tablespoon oyster sauce, 1 teaspoon sesame oil, white pepper
- Next, add the cornstarch and mix to coat the meat.1.5 tablespoon cornstarch
- Let marinate for 15 minutes.
- Combine the sauce ingredients in a bowl and set aside.1 tablespoon light soy sauce, 1 tablespoon oyster sauce, 3 tablespoons Shaoxing wine, white pepper, 30 ml water
- Heat a little oil in a wok over medium-high heat and stir-fry the beef for 1 minute. Set aside.
- In the same wok over medium-high heat, sauté the ginger until golden.30 g ginger
- Add the garlic, the white parts of the scallions, and the onion.3 scallions, 5 cloves garlic, 0.5 onion
- Stir-fry until they are tender, then return the beef to the pan.
- Pour the sauce into the pan and simmer until it thickens slightly.
- Add the green parts of the scallions, remove from the heat, toss, and serve immediately over rice.3 scallions
