Easy and reliably delicious, stir-fry recipes are a great way to get dinner on the table in a flash. While some stir-fry ingredients may be high in soy, fructose, and other mystery ingredients, this stir-fry has all the flavor without the hidden sugars. Serve over cauliflower rice.
Serves 4
1 piece of flank steak (1 lb (454 g))
1 Tbsp (15 ml) gluten-free soy sauce
1 Tbsp (15 ml) Chinese rice vinegar
1 Tbsp (15 ml) sesame oil
1 Tbsp (15 ml) garlic, peeled and finely grated (use a rasp grater)
1 Tbsp (15 ml) fresh ginger, finely grated (use a rasp grater)
½ tsp Kosher salt
4 Tbsp (60 ml) coconut oil
1 small yam, peeled and thinly sliced lengthwise on a mandoline, about 1 cup (240 ml)
1 large red bell pepper, cut into thin strips, about 1 cup (240 ml)
3 scallions, halved lengthwise and cut into 1-inch pieces
1 cup (240 ml) broccoli florets
2–3 tsp (15 ml) chili garlic sauce
1 head of cauliflower
- Cut steak into 1/4-inch strips. In a medium bowl, add soy sauce, rice vinegar, sesame oil, garlic, ginger, salt, and stir. Add steak strips and marinate 20–30 minutes. Cut, sliced yams into thin strips about 1/4-inch wide.
- In large frying pan or wok, heat 2 tablespoons (30 ml) oil over high heat. Add beef, spreading in one layer. Cook beef undisturbed to brown, 1 minute, then stir-fry until meat is just brown but still pink in center, about 1 minute. Transfer meat and any juices to plate.
- Pour remaining 2 tablespoons (30 ml) oil in pan and heat on high. Add yam, bell pepper, scallions, and broccoli. Salt to taste. Stir-fry 1 minute, add re-served beef with any juices and chili garlic sauce. Stir-fry until combined well. Transfer to platter and serve if desired over Cauliflower Rice.
- Cauliflower Rice: cut one head of cauliflower into small florets. Steam briefly, 2–3 minutes. Run the florets through the food processor, using the grating blade. Add Kosher salt and unsalted butter to taste.
More Recipes You'll Love
Spicy beef with pepper and sweet potato is the weeknight stir-fry that tastes like your favorite takeout but stays entirely grain-free. Flank steak strips marinate in soy, ginger, and sesame oil, then hit a screaming-hot pan with yam matchsticks, red pepper, and broccoli. The chili garlic sauce at the end is what keeps you coming back to the platter.
Pro Tips
- Freeze the flank steak for twenty minutes before slicing. Firm meat cuts into clean quarter-inch strips; soft room-temperature meat tears and shreds.
- Marinate the full twenty to thirty minutes — the soy sauce and vinegar tenderize the flank and season it all the way through.
- Spread the beef in one layer and leave it undisturbed for a full minute before stirring. That first undisturbed sear is where the wok flavor lives.
- Cut the yam into thin matchsticks on a mandoline so it stir-fries in the same minute as the peppers instead of staying crunchy.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I make this spicy beef without a wok?
A large frying pan works fine — the key is high heat and not crowding the pan. Cook in two batches if your pan is small, so the beef browns instead of steaming.
How spicy is the chili garlic sauce here?
Two teaspoons give a noticeable hum of heat. Start with one teaspoon if you are cooking for kids, and let everyone add more at the table.
What can I serve instead of cauliflower rice?
The stir-fry is hearty enough to eat on its own, but extra vegetables or a simple cucumber salad alongside balance the heat nicely.
Recipe Card
Ingredients
Method
- Cut steak into 1/4-inch strips.
- In a medium bowl, add soy sauce, rice vinegar, sesame oil, garlic, ginger, salt, and stir.
- Add steak strips and marinate 20–30 minutes.
- Cut, sliced yams into thin strips about 1/4-inch wide.
- Pour remaining 2 tablespoons oil in pan and heat on high.
- Add yam, bell pepper, scallions, and broccoli. Salt to taste.
- Stir-fry 1 minute, add re-served beef with any juices and chili garlic sauce.
- Stir-fry until combined well.
- Transfer to platter and serve if desired over Cauliflower Rice.
