Stir-fried Beef with Bamboo Shoots
This stir-fried beef with bamboo shoots (măng xào thịt bò) is one of the popular Vietnamese homestyle beef main dishes. It can be eaten on its own or served with some steamed rice.
Beef stir-fries are excellent choices for quick and easy weeknight dinners. Some of the ones I have shared are:
- Beef and potato stir-fry
- Lemongrass beef stir-fry
- Beef fried rice with pickled mustard greens
- Beef pasta stir-fry
This beef and bamboo shoot stir-fry is my husband’s childhood favorite. The star of the dish is crisp-tender bamboo shoots that are infused with beef flavor and garlic aroma, which makes it so addictive. The name of the dish in Vietnamese is bò xào măng or măng xào thịt bò.
Ingredients
To make this Vietnamese beef stir-fry recipe, you’ll need:
- beef: different cuts of beef can be used. Just make sure to slice it thinly against the grain. I often use flank steak or sirloin, which is tender and flavorful.
- bamboo shoots: there are fresh and dried bamboo shoots sold at Asian grocery stores. For this particular recipe, it is best to use fresh bamboo shoots which are tender. We call it măng lá in Vietnamese.
- seasonings: oyster sauce, soy sauce, fish sauce, salt and pepper.
- aromatics: garlic and scallion.
I like to squeeze some lime juice over the dish right before serving. I’m not sure if all Viet families do this, but it is a must for us.
Note: I don’t recommend using dried bamboo shoots in this recipe. If you have dried bamboo shoots, try this chicken glass noodle soup (miến gà) or duck vermicelli noodle soup (bún măng vịt) instead.
Marinating Beef for Stir-fries
Marinating beef slices with minced garlic, salt, pepper, and oil before stir-frying is a common cooking practice in Vietnam. In addition, you can take an optional step by adding a bit of cornstarch and water to give the beef a juicier and more velvety texture. I have used this method in other recipes such as black pepper beef.
Preparing Bamboo Shoots
Preparing the fresh bamboo shoots will require boiling them first to remove unwanted smell, bitterness, preservatives and toxins. The packaged fresh bamboo shoots sold at grocery stores like the one I buy are often pre-boiled and packed in liquid. I still recommend rinsing and boiling them in plenty of water before using.
How long to boil will vary since not all brands are the same. It may take just 5-10 minutes, but it is sometimes necessary to boil up to 20-30 minutes or you may even need to boil 2-3 times. Generally speaking, you should boil them until they no longer have strong smell or taste bitter.
After boiling, either shred or slice the bamboo shoots into thin strips and they can now be used in the stir-fry.
Cooking Steps
As with any other stir-fries, the common steps here are stir-frying protein and veggies separately and then combining everything together at the end of the cooking process.
1️⃣ First, heat you pan until it is very hot and then sauté the beef. Transfer to a plate while the beef is still slightly pink.
2️⃣ Next, sauté minced garlic until fragrant and then add the prepared bamboo shoots. Add the seasonings and cook for several minutes until they are flavorful.
3️⃣ Now, add the beef back to the pan and toss everything together. Lastly, stir in chopped scallion and some black pepper.
Transfer to a clean plate and serve right away. I hope you will enjoy this stir-fried beef with bamboo shoots.
⭐️ 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.
Stir-fried Beef with Bamboo Shoots
Ingredients
- 7 oz beef, thinly sliced
- 1/2 teaspoon salt, divided
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper (plus more for serving)
- 2 teaspoons minced garlic, divided
- 1 teaspoon cooking oil (plus more for cooking)
- 12 oz fresh bamboo shoots
- 1/2 tablespoon oyster sauce
- 1 teaspoon soy sauce
- 1/2 – 1 teaspoon fish sauce, to taste
- 1-2 scallion stalks, chopped into short pieces
- a wedge of lime (for serving)
Instructions
- To a mixing bowl, add beef slices, ¼ teaspoon salt, ¼ teaspoon black pepper, ½ teaspoon minced garlic and 1 teaspoon oil. Toss well and set aside to marinate while preparing the bamboo shoots.
- Remove fresh bamboo shoots from the package and discard liquid in the package. Rinse and then boil in plenty of water to remove strong smell and bitterness. This can take 5-10 minutes of even up to 30 minutes. Then either shred or slice into thin strips.
- Place a pan over medium-high heat and add some cooking oil to coat the bottom. Once the oil is hot, add beef slices in a single layer and let them cook undisturbed for about 20-30 seconds. Then stir-fry for a few more seconds and transfer to a plate while the beef is still slightly pink.
- Return the pan to medium heat and add some more oil. Sauté the remaining garlic briefly until fragrant. Then add the shredded bamboo shoots. Stir and cook for a minute.
- Add the remaining salt, oyster sauce and soy sauce. Stir and cook the bamboo shoots for another 3-4 minutes until they have absorbed the seasonings and become flavorful.
- Add the beef back to the pan. Add the fish sauce and stir everything thoroughly. Taste and adjust seasonings to your liking.
- Stir in chopped scallion and some more black pepper. Give everything a quick toss and then transfer to a serving plate. Squeeze some lime juice over the dish if desired and serve right away.
Notes
- The packaged fresh bamboo shoots sold at grocery stores like the one I buy are often pre-boiled and packed in liquid. However, I still recommend rinsing and boiling them before using.
- You can use flank steak, sirloin or other beef cuts for stir-fries that you like. Just make sure you slice it thinly against the grain.
- When marinating the beef, you can take an optional step by adding a bit of cornstarch and water to give the beef a juicier and more velvety texture. For 7 oz (200g) beef, mix with ¼ teaspoon salt, ¼ teaspoon black pepper, ½ teaspoon minced garlic, 1 teaspoon cornstarch and 1 tablespoon water. Then toss with 1 teaspoon cooking oil. Set aside to marinate.
