Easy | Prep: 10 min | Cook: 10 min | Serves: 2

A good stir fry happens in about five minutes of actual cooking. Everything before that is prep. Thin beef, crunchy peppers, a sauce that’s salty and slightly sweet — it’s the kind of dinner that takes less time to cook than it does to decide what to order from the takeaway. And it’s better. Because your wok is hotter than theirs.

Ingredients

  • 300g sirloin or rump steak, sliced thin
  • 1 red pepper, sliced
  • 1 green pepper, sliced
  • 1 onion, sliced into half-moons
  • 3 garlic cloves, minced
  • 2 tbsp soy sauce
  • 1 tbsp oyster sauce
  • 1 tsp cornflour mixed with 2 tbsp water
  • 1 tsp sugar
  • 1 tsp sesame oil
  • 2 tbsp neutral oil
  • Black pepper
  • Rice, to serve

Method

  1. Prep the beef Season the sliced steak with a pinch of salt, pepper, and a splash of soy sauce. Toss to coat.

  2. Sear the beef Heat 1 tbsp oil in a wok over the highest heat you’ve got. Add the beef and sear for 1–2 minutes until browned. Don’t stir too much — you want colour. Remove and set aside.

  3. Cook the veg Add the remaining oil. Stir fry the peppers and onion for 2–3 minutes until slightly charred but still crunchy. Add the garlic for the last 30 seconds.

  4. Make the sauce Add the soy sauce, oyster sauce, sugar, and sesame oil. Stir. Pour in the cornflour slurry and stir until the sauce thickens and goes glossy.

  5. Combine Return the beef to the wok. Toss everything together for 30 seconds.

  6. Serve Over steamed rice with a crack of black pepper on top.

Cook With Your Senses

Inspired by Ethan Chlebowski’s sensory approach to cooking — the idea that your senses should tell you more than a timer ever could.

  • Look: The beef should have char marks — actual browning, not just grey cooking. The peppers should be bright and slightly blistered, not limp.
  • Listen: The wok should sound angry the entire time you’re cooking. If it goes quiet, you’ve added too much too fast and the temperature dropped.
  • Smell: Oyster sauce has a deep, almost mushroomy savouriness. When it hits the hot wok, you’ll smell it immediately — that’s the backbone of the dish.
  • Touch: The peppers should still have crunch. Bite one — if it snaps, you’re good. If it bends, you’ve gone too far.
  • Taste: Stir fries need to be seasoned boldly. Taste a piece of sauced beef before serving. If it doesn’t make you want more immediately, it needs more soy or a pinch of sugar.

Notes

  • High heat is everything. If your wok isn’t smoking, you’re not ready.
  • Slice the beef against the grain and as thin as you can manage. Freezer trick: 20 minutes in the freezer firms it up for cleaner cuts.
  • Oyster sauce adds a savoury depth that soy sauce alone can’t replicate. It’s a store cupboard essential for stir fries.
  • The veg should still have crunch when you serve. If they’re soft, you’ve gone too far.

Inspiration

Adapted for Ryan’s kitchen. Original inspiration: khinskitchen.com