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Stir-Fried Beef with Cilantro and Pickled Chilies — finished dish, ready to serve.

Stir-Fried Beef with Cilantro and Pickled Chilies (Xiao Chao Huang Niu Rou)

小炒黄牛肉 · hunan cuisine · Hunan

25 min total10 min cooking13 steps spice level 3/5savoryspicy

The author calls this a VIP among rice-friendly dishes: fragrant, spicy, and appetizing enough to go through multiple bowls of rice. The key technique is keeping the heat on high the entire time and stirring constantly so the thin beef slices never overcook. Cilantro stems go in first for structure, leaves at the end for freshness. If you dislike cilantro, celery works as a substitute.

Tasha Greenleaf's profile photoTasha GreenleafVegan baker converting skeptics one chickpea brownie at a time. Allergic to boring vegetables. Aquafaba evangelist, sorry in advance.

Nutrition & allergens

Contains:SoyWheat

Per serving (4 servings)

Energy (kcal)
Unknown
Protein (g)
Unknown
Fat (g)
4.4(Main ingredients only; seasoning not counted)
Carbs (g)
Unknown
Sodium (mg)
695.4(Main ingredients only; seasoning not counted)

Estimated from verified ingredient data for the original formula — not lab values, and one dish is not a full meal.

  • beef ingredient

    beef牛肉

    7.05 oz

  • Cilantro ingredient identification photo

    cilantro香菜

    3.0 stalk

  • Fresh ginger ingredient identification photo

    ginger姜

    as needed

  • Bird's eye chiles ingredient identification photo

    Bird's eye chiles小米辣

    as needed

  • Pickled red chiles ingredient identification photo

    Pickled red chiles红泡椒

    as needed

  • Light soy sauce ingredient identification photo

    light soy sauce生抽

    0.6 oz

  • Dark soy sauce ingredient identification photo

    dark soy sauce老抽

    0.6 oz

  • Oyster sauce ingredient identification photo

    oyster sauce蚝油

    0.37 oz

  • Ground white pepper ingredient identification photo

    white pepper powder白胡椒粉

    0.11 oz

Techniques you'll use

Steps

  1. 1

    Step 1

    Stir-Fried Beef with Cilantro and Pickled Chilies — step 1 visual checkpoint.

    Slice the beef into thin slices against the grain.

    ✅ Done when: Slices are thin and cut across the grain, ready to marinate.

  2. 2

    Step 2

    Marinating ↗
    Stir-Fried Beef with Cilantro and Pickled Chilies — step 2 visual checkpoint.

    Add 1 spoonful of light soy sauce to the beef.

    ✅ Done when: The soy sauce is added and the beef is evenly coated.

  3. 3

    Step 3

    Marinating ↗
    Stir-Fried Beef with Cilantro and Pickled Chilies — step 3 visual checkpoint.

    Add 1 spoonful of dark soy sauce.

    ✅ Done when: The beef takes on an even darker color from the dark soy sauce.

  4. 4

    Step 4

    Marinating ↗
    Stir-Fried Beef with Cilantro and Pickled Chilies — step 4 visual checkpoint.

    Add half a spoonful of oyster sauce.

    ✅ Done when: The oyster sauce is fully mixed into the beef.

  5. 5

    Step 5

    Marinating ↗
    Stir-Fried Beef with Cilantro and Pickled Chilies — step 5 visual checkpoint.

    Add 1 spoonful of white pepper.

    ✅ Done when: The pepper is evenly distributed through the marinade.

  6. 6

    Step 620 min

    Marinating ↗
    Stir-Fried Beef with Cilantro and Pickled Chilies — step 6 visual checkpoint.

    Pour in a little oil to seal in moisture, and marinate for 20 minutes.

    ✅ Done when: After 20 minutes, the beef is coated in marinade with a thin oil film on the surface.

  7. 7

    Step 7

    Stir-Fried Beef with Cilantro and Pickled Chilies — step 7 visual checkpoint.

    Prepare the aromatics and other accompaniments.

    ✅ Done when: Garlic, ginger, chilies, and cilantro are prepped and within reach.

  8. 8

    Step 8

    High heatAromatic blooming (bao xiang) ↗
    Stir-Fried Beef with Cilantro and Pickled Chilies — step 8 visual checkpoint.

    Heat the wok with oil, add the garlic and ginger, and stir-fry until fragrant.

    ✅ Done when: The garlic and ginger smell aromatic and sizzle without burning.

  9. 9

    Step 9

    High heatStir-frying ↗
    Stir-Fried Beef with Cilantro and Pickled Chilies — step 9 visual checkpoint.

    Add the bird's eye chilies and pickled chilies and stir-fry until their flavor releases.

    ✅ Done when: The chilies are fragrant and their aroma fills the wok.

  10. 10

    Step 10

    High heat
    Stir-Fried Beef with Cilantro and Pickled Chilies — step 10 visual checkpoint.

    Add the marinated beef to the wok.

    ✅ Done when: All the beef is in the wok in a single sizzling layer.

  11. 11

    Step 11

    High heatStir-frying ↗
    Stir-Fried Beef with Cilantro and Pickled Chilies — step 11 visual checkpoint.

    Stir-fry until the beef just changes color.

    ✅ Done when: The beef slices have just turned from red to brown — no longer pink but not yet firm.

  12. 12

    Step 12

    High heat
    Stir-Fried Beef with Cilantro and Pickled Chilies — step 12 visual checkpoint.

    Immediately add the cilantro stems, give it a few more tosses, then turn off the heat.

    ✅ Done when: The cilantro stems are just wilted slightly and evenly distributed after a few tosses.

  13. 13

    Step 13

    High heat
    Stir-Fried Beef with Cilantro and Pickled Chilies — step 13 visual checkpoint.

    Add the cilantro leaves, toss to combine evenly, and plate.

    ✅ Done when: The cilantro leaves are just wilted and everything is evenly mixed, ready to serve.