Beef with King Oyster Mushrooms Stir Fry (杏鲍菇炒牛肉)

Beef with King Oyster Mushrooms Stir Fry recipe is a new creation in Chinese cuisine in recent decades. In Chinese cuisine, beefsteak is not a usual way for daily food. It would be difficult to use chopsticks to eat a beefsteak, would it?

I like the meaty flavour of king oyster mushrooms. Their stalks aren’t woody to eat. A common way to eat king oyster mushrooms is to grill in butter, which I like to do for the BBQ meal. Another way is to stir fry with vegetables, for example, the King Oyster Mushroom and Snow Pea Stir-Fry recipe. 

The mushrooms have an umami flavour, and their texture is similar to abalone or scallops. Since the king oyster mushrooms do not lose their shape when cooked, they make the beef dish looking better.  

What are the main ingredients?

The main ingredients are king oyster mushroom, beefsteak, and oyster sauce. 

King oyster mushroom

When buying king oyster mushrooms, I choose mushrooms with firm, flawless stems. They usually come nicely trimmed and free from dirt or soil. The king oyster mushroom’s natural umami flavour is unleashed once cooked. For this recipe, I use mushrooms of large sizes since I have to cut them into cubes. 

Beef chunk

I use either flank steak, sirloin tip side steak, or ranch steak in my stir fry recipe because I can tenderize the beef easily. Choose the steak with fewer connective tissues. 

Oyster sauce

Oyster sauce is frequently used in Chinese cooking because it can build flavour quickly in a stir-fry dish. It is dark brown with a thick consistency. You should be available in big supermarkets. If not, you could find it in Asian shops.

How to cook Beef with King Oyster Mushrooms Stir Fry recipe

Beef cutting

If there is a silver membrane, then cut it off to get a neat chink of beef. To slice the beef, you need to look for the way the grains are running. Then slice across the grain for the most tender meat. Cutting beef against the grain is essential to get tender pieces in stir-fry dishes.

It is difficult to handle and cut the soft beef steak. I usually freeze the beef for about 30 minutes until it is partially firm. This step makes the cutting easier, and the cubes are in good shape.

But for this recipe, I need to cut the beef chunk into a small one cubic cm cube. Therefore, it does not matter how to cut. Use black pepper, Chinese cooking wine (or red wine), and salt to marinate the beef cubes for 10 minutes.

King oyster mushroom chopping

Meanwhile, I clean the mushrooms. If mushrooms have any dirt, I brush them off gently instead of washing them.

In Chinese stir-fry cooking, the cutting of ingredients should be consistent with each other. In my Shiitake Shrimp Fried Rice recipe, it requires small chunks of meat and ingredients to go with the small grains of rice. Therefore, I cut the mushrooms into cubes.  

Cooking

Heat the cooking oil in a frying pan over a medium-high level. Then add the ginger slices and the finely chopped onion. When the onion turns translucent, quickly fry the beef until the beef changes colour. 

Then, add mushrooms and stir fry for two minutes. Add oyster sauce and coat the beef and mushrooms evenly. I also add some sugar. I enjoy it with a bowl of rice.

Tips for the recipe

Instead of small cubes, you can also cut the beef and mushrooms into small thin slices, as long as the shape ensures the mushrooms cook more evenly and get seasoned thoroughly. 

Did you make the recipe?

You can save the recipe or pin it for future cooking. I’d love to know how it turned out for you! Please let me know by leaving a review below and tag @cuisinereinvented on Instagram and hashtag it #cuisinereinvented.