Stir-fried Green Beans with Beef
Stir-fried green beans with beef is a staple in many Vietnamese families due to its simplicity, quick preparation, and the way it perfectly complements a bowl of steamed rice. You can easily put it together in under 30 minutes. We call it “bรฒ xร o ฤแบญu que” or “ฤแบญu que xร o thแปt bรฒ” in Vietnamese.
An Easy Stir-fry to Add More Veggies to Dinner
For me, stir-fries are an excellent way to make vegetables more flavorful, which in turn makes them more enjoyable to eat. This recipe is an example of how a simple stir-fry can elevate basic ingredients like green beans and beef.
In this dish, tender slices of beef are tossed with crisp green beans, minced garlic and optionally, a bit of julienned carrot for added color and sweetness. My favorite cut for stir-fry is flank steak which is super easy to slice thinly against the grain to ensure the meat turns out tender and juicy.
To prepare the green beans, slice them in half on a sharp diagonal. This not only makes them look more attractive in the final dish but also increases their surface area, allowing them to soak up more flavors from the beef and seasonings. In stir-fries, the way you slice vegetables can sometimes make a difference in both presentation and flavor absorption. For example, we roll-cut zucchini for our sautรฉed shrimp and zucchini.
Another step you should not skip is blanching the green beans before stir-frying. Blanching first helps retain their bright color and crisp texture.
Like many other Vietnamese beef recipes such as this beef noodle salad and lemongrass beef stir-fry, this dish uses traditional seasonings and familiar, straightforward cooking steps. Viet cooks usually stir-fry the green beans slightly past the crisp-tender stage, allowing them to absorb more of the beefโs flavor. However, feel free to cook them to your desired doneness.
Make It A Meal
For a complete meal with rice, I recommend pairing this stir-fried beef and green beans with the following soups and sides:
- Vietnamese Sour Shrimp Soup (Canh Chua Tรดm)
- Lotus Root Soup with Jujubes and Goji Berries
- Pork Rib Soup with Potatoes and Carrots
- Vietnamese Grilled Eggplant with Scallion Oil (Cร Tรญm Nฦฐแปng Mแปก Hร nh)
Depending on how many people youโre serving, you can add one or two more savory dishes to the meal, such as:
- Vietnamese Caramelized Pork Belly
- Vietnamese-style Caramelized Salmon
- Ginger Braised Duck
- Lemongrass Roast Chicken
Stir-fried Green Beans with Beef
Ingredients
- 8 oz beef, thinly sliced against the grain (preferably flank steak)
- 1ยฝ tablespoons minced garlic, divided
- ยฝ teaspoon salt, divided
- black pepper
- ยพ teaspoon cornstarch
- 2 teaspoons water
- cooking oil
- 10.5 oz green beans, sliced in half on a sharp diagonal
- half a medium carrots, peeled and julienned
- 1ยฝ teaspoons oyster sauce
- ยผ teaspoon fish sauce (or soy sauce, to taste)
Instructions
- Place beef slices in a mixing bowl, then add half of the minced garlic, half of the salt, some black pepper, cornstarch and water. Toss well, then add 1 teaspoon cooking oil and give everything another toss. Set aside to marinate while preparing other ingredients.
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil, then add the sliced green beans and julienned carrots. Blanch for a couple of minutes, then give them a quick rinse under cold water. Drain and set aside.
- Heat a skillet over medium heat until hot. Add enough cooking oil to coat the bottom and then add the remaining minced garlic. Sautรฉ briefly until fragrant.
- Add the blanched vegetables to the skillet. Stir, then add the remaining salt and cook for 3-4 minutes or until they are crisp-tender or slightly past that stage. Increase the heat if needed. Transfer to a plate.
- Maintain the skillet at medium-high heat and add the beef slices in a single layer. Let them sear undisturbed briefly, then add the oyster sauce. Stir and cook until the beef is still slightly pink, up to a minute.
- Return the vegetables to the skillet. Stir-fry until the flavors meld and the beef is cooked through. Add the fish sauce and give everything a final toss. Adjust seasonings to taste.
- Transfer the stir-fried green beans and beef to a serving plate. Sprinkle more black pepper and enjoy.
Notes
Nutrition
โญ๏ธ Iโd 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 letโs connect onย Facebook,ย Youtube,ย Pinterestย andย Instagramย for the latest updates.ย You can find my collection ofย Vietnamese recipesย here.
