This Scallion Beef Stir-Fry is a flavorful Chinese restaurant-style dish featuring tender slices of flank steak, fresh scallions, ginger, and a savory soy-hoisin sauce. Cooked quickly over high heat, the beef develops lightly crisp edges while the scallions become fragrant and slightly charred. It’s a delicious homemade dinner that’s ready in approximately 45 minutes, including marinating time.
Inspired by the traditional Chinese dish cong bao ngau, this recipe focuses on the intense flavor that comes from cooking beef and green onions in a very hot wok. Unlike saucier Chinese takeout dishes, scallion beef should have very little liquid remaining when it’s finished. Instead, the sauce coats the beef and scallions, creating a rich, concentrated flavor.
The secret to tender, flavorful beef starts with thinly sliced flank steak. Cutting the meat against the grain helps keep it tender, while a simple marinade of soy sauce, oil, and cornstarch prepares it for quick cooking. After marinating for 30 minutes, the beef is lightly coated with additional cornstarch before searing.
For the best results, use a carbon steel wok that can handle high-heat stir-frying. A properly heated wok helps the beef brown quickly and gives the scallions the slightly scorched flavor that makes this dish special.
The sauce combines soy sauce, hoisin sauce, sesame oil, hot water, and white pepper. Fresh ginger adds aroma, while Shaoxing wine enhances the savory flavors as it sizzles against the hot wok.
Once the beef is seared, stir-fry the ginger and scallions, return the beef to the wok, and add the prepared sauce. Toss everything together until the liquid evaporates and the sauce coats the ingredients.
Serve your homemade scallion beef immediately over steamed white rice for a satisfying Chinese-inspired dinner. With its tender beef, aromatic scallions, and concentrated savory flavor, this classic stir-fry is an excellent addition to your weeknight recipe collection.
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Scallion Beef Stir Fry
- Total Time: :45
- Yield: 4 1x
Ingredients
For the beef marinade
- 1 pound flank steak (450g, sliced thinly against the grain)
- 2 teaspoons oil
- 1 teaspoon soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
For the rest of the dish
- ½ teaspoon sesame oil
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 2 teaspoons hoisin sauce
- 1 teaspoon hot water
- 1/8 teaspoon white pepper
- 3 tablespoons cornstarch
- 1 tablespoon ginger (finely julienned)
- ¼ cup vegetable or canola oil (60 ml)
- 4–6 scallions (cut into 2-inch lengths)
- 2 tablespoons Shaoxing wine (divided)
Instructions
- Mix the beef with 2 teaspoons oil, 1 teaspoon soy sauce, and 1 tablespoon cornstarch. Let marinate at room temperature for 30 minutes.
- Combine the sesame oil, soy sauce, hoisin sauce, hot water, and white pepper into a small bowl; mix well and set aside. Spread the beef out on a plate, and sprinkle on 3 tablespoons of cornstarch. Toss to coat the beef lightly, shaking off any excess.
- Heat your wok until just smoking, and spread a quarter cup of oil around the wok. Add the beef and let the beef sear in the oil on one side for 30 seconds. Flip and let sear for another 30 seconds, and transfer to a plate. Turn down the heat to medium low and remove/discard the excess oil (if there is too much) leaving about 2 tablespoons of oil in the wok.
- Add the ginger and let it cook for 15 seconds until it is just caramelized. Turn up the heat to the highest setting, and add the white portions of the scallions. Quickly add 1 tablespoon of Shaoxing wine, while continuing to stir-fry to deglaze the wok.
- Next, add the beef and the rest of the scallions. Stir fry everything together for about 30 seconds, and add the sauce you prepared earlier. Continue to stir-fry. Hopefully your wok is hot enough, and you can get a nice scorch on your scallions (we say this because not all stoves can get up to the same level of BTUs!). Continue to stir-fry until the liquid has evaporated, and all of the sauce is clinging to the beef and scallions (are you drooling yet?). Spread 1 tablespoon of shaoxing wine around the perimeter of the wok. It should be sizzling and evaporate immediately; toss the dish again until the wine is cooked off to generate more wok hay. Turn off the heat, plate and serve!
Notes
The Secret to Restaurant-Style Scallion Beef
The key to authentic scallion beef is cooking over high heat and allowing the sauce to reduce until it coats the beef and scallions.
This is not intended to be a saucy stir-fry. The beef should be lightly seared, the scallions should develop a little char, and there should be almost no liquid remaining in the wok.
Prepare all ingredients before cooking because the stir-frying process moves quickly. Avoid overcrowding the wok, which can cause the beef to steam rather than sear.
- Prep Time: :35
- Cook Time: :10
- Category: Entree
- Method: Wok
- Cuisine: Chinese