Recipes › Radish › Radish and Beef Stir-Fry with Black Bean Sauce
Radish and Beef Stir-Fry with Black Bean Sauce
Chunky radishes hold their own in a high-heat wok alongside tender strips of beef, picking up a savoury char while keeping a pleasing bite. Black bean sauce brings a deep, umami backbone that ties the whole thing together. Serve over steamed rice for a proper weeknight dinner that is on the table in under half an hour.
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Ingredients
- 400 g radishes, trimmed and halved lengthways
- 400 g beef sirloin or rump steak, cut into thin strips against the grainor use flank steak
- 3 tbsp jarred black bean sauce
- 1 tbsp dark soy sauce
- 1 tbsp light soy sauce
- 2 tsp cornflour
- 1 tsp sesame oil
- 3 garlic cloves, finely sliced
- 3 cm fresh ginger, peeled and cut into fine matchsticks
- 4 spring onions, cut into 3cm lengths
- 3 tbsp vegetable oil
- 60 ml cold water
- 1 tsp toasted sesame seeds (optional)
Contains: cereals gluten, sesame, soya.
Method
- In a bowl, toss the beef strips with the dark soy sauce and cornflour until evenly coated. Leave to sit while you prepare everything else.About 2 min
- Mix the black bean sauce, light soy sauce, sesame oil and cold water together in a small bowl or jug to make your stir-fry sauce. Set aside.About 1 min
- Heat a wok over the highest heat you have for 2 minutes until it is very hot. Add 2 tablespoons of the vegetable oil and, when it just begins to smoke, add the beef in a single layer. Cook without stirring for 90 seconds, then toss and cook for a further 60 seconds until browned. Remove to a plate.About 4 min
- Add the remaining tablespoon of oil to the wok. Add the garlic and ginger and stir-fry for 30 seconds. Add the radishes cut-side down and leave them undisturbed for 90 seconds so they get a bit of colour, then toss and cook for a further 2 minutes.About 4 min
- Return the beef to the wok along with the spring onions. Pour over the sauce, toss everything together and stir-fry for a further 90 seconds until the sauce has thickened and coats everything well.About 2 min
- Tip onto a serving plate, scatter over the sesame seeds if using, and serve immediately with steamed rice.
Tips
- The wok must be genuinely, aggressively hot before anything goes in. If you have a gas hob, turn it up full and be patient — this is what gives you colour rather than steam.
- Do not cut the radishes too small. Halves of medium radishes are ideal — they hold their structure and give you something to bite into.
- Marinating the beef in cornflour is a classic Chinese technique called velveting. Even this short marinade makes the meat noticeably more tender.
Ring the changes
- Swap the beef for thinly sliced pork shoulder or firm tofu for an equally satisfying result.
- Add 150g of shredded Chinese cabbage or pak choi with the radishes if you want to bulk it out further.
Keeping it
Best eaten straight away. Leftovers will keep in the fridge for 1 day — reheat in a hot pan rather than the microwave to avoid the radishes going soft.
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