Beef Noodle Stir-fry (Mì Xào Bò)
This beef noodle stir-fry features tender beef, flavorful noodles and crisp vegetables. You can make this quick and easy noodle dish at home and it will be as delicious as (and healthier than) what you get at the restaurants.
In Vietnam, we call this beef stir-fry with egg noodle dish “mì xào bò“. The taste is a bit different from some Vietnamese noodle stir-fry recipes I have shared before such as nui xào bò (beef pasta stir-fry) or phở xào bò (beef pho stir-fry). The flavors are closer to Chinese beef chow mein or beef lo mein. This dish is great for daily lunch and dinner as well as family celebration.
Ingredients
To make mi xao bo, you will need the following key ingredients:
🥩 Beef: in the past, I usually recommend using flank steak in my stir-fried beef recipes. Though I still do, my newest favorite beef cut for stir-frying is oyster blade. I think it is also called flat iron steak. If you can find this cut, I hope you will give it a try. You will need to slice the beef thinly against the grain.
🍝 Noodles: Viet cooks use egg noodles in this dish. I use dried egg noodles. You can also use refrigerated or frozen ones sold at Asian grocery stores. Those labeled lo mein or chow mein stir-fry noodles will also work. You can even try using Japanese udon or ramen noodles or Korean glass noodles. The texture will be different but it will still be tasty.
🥬 Your choice of vegetables: I like to use napa cabbage, onion and carrot. I also throw in some baby bok choy to add more colors to the dish. They are my usual choices for stir-fried noodles. Please feel free to use your favorite vegetables such as bell pepper, beansprouts, scallions or snow peas. They should be cut to about the same length so that the final dish will look appealing.
🧂 Seasonings: you will need salt, pepper, sugar, oyster sauce and soy sauce. If you want it to taste more like Chinese beef lo mein, add a splash of Shaoxing wine and dark soy sauce.
Tips for Tasty Beef Noodle Stir-fry
1️⃣ Marinate for tender and velvety beef: my favorite way to marinate beef for stir-fries is using a little bit of cornstarch and water, which I learned from Fuchsia Dunlop’s cookbook. The beef will turn out so tender and juicy.
2️⃣ Prepare all ingredients and cook them separately: it is important to cook the beef and veggies separately since they require different cooking times. We don’t want to end up with dry beef and mushy vegetables. The dish also comes together quickly, so it’s best to prepare everything and line them up nearby your stove.
3️⃣ Don’t overcrowd the pan since we want to stir-fry the ingredients, not steaming them. So depending on how big your pan is and how powerful your stove is, you may need to work in batches.
⭐️ I’d love to hear what you think about the dish, so please feel free to leave a comment and a rating if you have tried it. New recipes are added every week so let’s connect on Facebook, Youtube, Pinterest and Instagram for the latest updates. You can find my collection of Vietnamese recipes here.
Beef Noodle Stir-fry (Mi Xao Bo)
Ingredients
For the Beef
- 7-8 oz beef, preferably flank steak of oyster blade (200-220g)
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper (and more to serve)
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch
- 1 tablespoon water
- 1/2 tablespoon cooking oil
For the Stir-fry Sauce
- 1 tablespoon oyster sauce
- 1/2 tablespoon soy sauce
- 2 1/2 tablespoons water or stock
- 1/4 teaspoon sugar
Other Ingredients
- 4 oz dried egg noodles (120g)
- cooking oil
- 2 teaspoons minced garlic, divided
- 1/2 cup julienned carrots (about half a medium carrot, 60g)
- 1/2 cup thinly sliced yellow onions (about half a medium onion, 60-80g)
- 5.5 oz chopped napa cabbage (about 4-5 leaves, 150g)
- 3.5 oz chopped baby bok choy (100g)
Instructions
- Slice the beef thinly against the grain. Toss the beef slices with ¼ teaspoon salt, ¼ teaspoon pepper, 1 teaspoon cornstarch and 1 tablespoon water. Then add ½ tablespoon oil and mix well. Set aside to marinate for 15-30 minutes depending on how much time you have.
- Add all ingredients for the stir-fry sauce to a bowl and stir well to combine. Set aside.
- Cook the egg noodles according to package instructions but undercook for a minute. Then rinse under cold water and drain thoroughly. Set aside.
- Place a pan over medium heat. Once it is hot, add some oil and increase the heat to medium-high. Add the beef slices in a single layer and let them cook undisturbed for about 20-30 seconds. Then add half of the minced garlic and stir-fry the beef for a few more seconds until it is 80% cooked and still a bit pink. Transfer to a plate and set aside.
- Add some more oil to the pan and adjust the heat to medium. Add julienned carrots and cook for about 30 seconds. Then add onions, stir and cook for about 45 seconds until fragrant. Add the remaining minced garlic and cook for a few more seconds until fragrant.
- Turn up the heat to medium-high to high, and add the napa cabbage and baby bok choy. Stir-fry for about 1-2 minutes until the vegetables have wilted but are still crisp.
- Add the prepared noodles to the pan and toss with the vegetables briefly, about 30 seconds, until the noodles have warmed up. Add the stir-fry sauce and continue to stir-fry briefly.
- Add the beef along with any juices back to the pan. Stir and toss everything together quickly until flavors are combined, beef is cooked through and vegetables are crisp-tender. Adjust seasonings to your taste.
- Transfer the stir-fried noodles to a serving plate. Sprinkle black pepper on top and serve immediately.
Hi Sophie, what a tasty recipe!! I turned out just as I expected. We have just came back from a 2 week holiday in Vietnam. We fell in love with people and food, so needless to say, upon my return home I was browsing the net to find recipes for the food we ate there. I’m so grateful I came across your blog. Thank you for all these wonderful and authentic recipes, I shall be trying many of those. Keep up the good work❤️❤️
Hi Ramune,
Thank you for your kind words which are greatly appreciated! I’m glad it turned out as you expected. If you try other recipes, I look forward to hearing how they turn out.
Which cities did you visit on your trip? It sounds like you had a great time :). My husband and I are from Northern Vietnam, but we’ve been living in Saigon for over 6 years now. Our goal is to feature more regional recipes that are eaten on a regular basis in Vietnam but lesser-known abroad.