Cross-Cultural · China

Beef with Oyster Sauce (蠔油牛肉)

Name: Beef with Oyster Sauce (蠔油牛肉)
Prep time: 18 minutes
Cook time: 12 minutes
Total time: 30 minutes
Yield: 4 servings
Ingredients: 11 oz beef (tri-tip or flank), thinly sliced against the grain (310g); 2 oz snow peas, de-stringed (57g); 2 oz celery, cut diagonally (57g); 3 oz seafood mushrooms, root ends trimmed (85g); 3 oz brown mushrooms, stems removed, cut in thirds (85g); 3 oz carrot, thin slices (85g); 1 oz green onion, whites in chunks, greens in 1-inch segments (28g); 2 garlic cloves, sliced; 1/2 oz fresh ginger, sliced; 1 tbsp oyster sauce, for marinade; 2 tsp light soy sauce, for marinade; 2 tbsp cornstarch, for marinade; 3 tbsp water, for marinade; 1/4 tsp white pepper; 1/2 tsp baking soda; 1/2 tbsp oyster sauce, for sauce; 1/2 tbsp dark soy sauce, for sauce; 1 tsp sugar; 3 tbsp cooking oil, divided; 1 tbsp cooking wine; 2 tsp dark soy sauce, for finishing; 1 tsp sesame oil; 1/2 tsp potato starch, mixed with 1 tbsp water for slurry

Velveted beef stir-fried with snow peas, celery, mushrooms, and carrots in a savory oyster sauce finished with dark soy

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Jump to Recipe

Beef with oyster sauce is one of the most ordered dishes in Cantonese restaurants, and the technique behind it is the same one that makes every Chinese restaurant stir-fry taste different from what most home cooks produce: velveting. The beef is marinated with cornstarch, baking soda, and a little water, which creates a protective coating that keeps the meat silky and tender during high-heat cooking. Without velveting, sliced beef toughens and dries out in seconds in a hot wok. With it, the beef stays impossibly soft.

The stir-fry itself is a study in Cantonese restraint. The vegetables are chosen for texture and color: snow peas for snap, celery for crunch, mushrooms for earthiness, carrots for sweetness and visual brightness. Each goes into the wok at a different time based on how long it needs. The beef cooks first to about 80 percent, comes out, and goes back in at the very end so it does not overcook. The sauce is oyster sauce, dark soy sauce, and sugar, simple but deeply savory. A potato starch slurry at the finish pulls everything together into a glossy coating.

Dark soy sauce goes on at the very end as a finishing touch. It adds color and a faint bitterness that balances the sweetness of the oyster sauce. Sesame oil follows, and the green parts of the scallions go in last so they barely wilt.

At a Glance

Yield

4 servings

Prep

18 minutes

Cook

12 minutes

Total

30 minutes

Difficulty

Medium

Ingredients

4 servings

11 ozbeef (tri-tip or flank), thinly sliced against the grain (310g)
2 ozsnow peas, de-stringed (57g)
2 ozcelery, cut diagonally (57g)
3 ozseafood mushrooms, root ends trimmed (85g)
3 ozbrown mushrooms, stems removed, cut in thirds (85g)
3 ozcarrot, thin slices (85g)
1 ozgreen onion, whites in chunks, greens in 1-inch segments (28g)
2garlic cloves, sliced
1/2 ozfresh ginger, sliced
1 tbspoyster sauce, for marinade
2 tsplight soy sauce, for marinade
2 tbspcornstarch, for marinade
3 tbspwater, for marinade
1/4 tspwhite pepper
1/2 tspbaking soda
1/2 tbspoyster sauce, for sauce
1/2 tbspdark soy sauce, for sauce
1 tspsugar
3 tbspcooking oil, divided
1 tbspcooking wine
2 tspdark soy sauce, for finishing
1 tspsesame oil
1/2 tsppotato starch, mixed with 1 tbsp water for slurry

Method

1
Soak sliced beef in cold water, drain, squeeze dry. Marinate with oyster sauce, soy sauce, cornstarch, water, white pepper, baking soda. At least 30 min. Add 1 tbsp oil just before cooking.
2
Mix sauce: oyster sauce, dark soy sauce, sugar. Mix slurry: potato starch + water.
3
Sear beef in smoking wok, 30-35 sec undisturbed, flip, stir-fry 50 sec more (80% done). Remove.
4
Stir-fry ginger, garlic, scallion whites 30 sec. Add mushrooms 30 sec. Add carrots and celery 20 sec. Add snow peas and seafood mushrooms 20 sec.
5
Add cooking wine along wok edge. High heat 40 sec. Return beef. Pour in sauce, stir. Add finishing dark soy. Stir in slurry. Turn off heat, drizzle sesame oil, add scallion greens.