This is an easy, delicious, and hot beef-and-lettuce stir-fry. I know this might be a weird combination, but it is so good that I feel it necessary to introduce this to those who love well-combined sweet and hot flavors.
Two weeks ago, I introduced a new way of stir-frying mushrooms with pork belly. This dish has a similar taste but a different texture because of the addition of celtuce. When cooked over high heat, the lettuce can retain a pleasant crunch and a faint sweetness, which pair well with the beef.
Since we will fry the lettuce in the beef-infused oil after stir-frying the beef, the lettuce will absorb the rich, savory meat flavor. The meaty flavor of the lettuce with its crunchy texture is the true star of this dish.
Taiwanese lettuce, also known as A-choy, is a very popular dark leafy vegetable on the Chinese table. We call it You Mai Cai in Mandarin Chinese. I don’t know where it comes from before introducing this dish. It has been so popular on our table for years. According to Wikipedia, it’s classified as a variety of lettuce (Lactuca sativa). But previously, I thought it was celtuce leaves.
It is loved for its thick, crunchy stems and tender leaves. Our daily cooking method is to cook it with minced garlic or dress it with a sesame paste-based dressing as a salad.
Step by Step
Marinating beef is always the first step if you plan to stir-fry or even steam. In Chinese cooking, this process is called “velveting.” It can give the beef a silky, tender texture that stays soft even after high-heat stir-frying.
My way is to marinate beef with salt, oyster sauce, light soy sauce, white pepper, starch, and water. Mix for a while until all the liquid is well absorbed and then coat with vegetable cooking oil.
The cooked beef slices. They are shining and super tender. Remember to transfer them out when they’re almost cooked.
Prepare the ingredients. Wash, drain, and cut the lettuce into long sections. Then, roughly mince the garlic and cut the Thai pepper into circles.
- Heat your wok, then add vegetable oil. Add the beef in when the oil is still warm but not hot, cook until the beef slices change color, and transfer them out.
- Leave the oil in, fry garlic and Thai pepper until aromatic.
- Add the lettuce in.
- Lastly, return cooked beef slices, chili pepper flakes, light soy sauce, and rice wine. Fry for a while and drizzle sesame oil to coat.
- 1/2 lb beef cut into slices against the grain
- 1/2 lb. lettuce
- 5 garlic cloves roughly chopped
- 2 Thai peppers cut into circles
- 3 tbsp. vegetable cooking oil
- 1 tbsp. light soy sauce
- 1/2 tbsp. pepper flakes optional
- 1 tbsp. rice wine
- 1 tbsp. sesame oil
Beef Marinating
- 1/2 tsp. salt
- 1/2 tsp. sugar
- 1/8 tsp. white pepper
- 2 tbsp. cornstarch
- 1 tbsp. light soy sauce
- 1 tbsp. oyster sauce
- 2 tbsp. water
- 1 tbsp. cooking oil
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Cut beef against the grain, add salt, sugar, light soy sauce, oyster sauce, white pepper, water and cornstarch. Mix well until well combined. Then add vegetable cooking oil, remixing again. Set aside.
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Wash, drain, and cut the lettuce into long sections. Then, roughly mince the garlic and cut the Thai pepper into circles.
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Heat your wok, then add vegetable oil. Add the beef in when the oil is still warm but not hot, cook until the beef slices change color, and transfer them out.
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Leave the oil in, fry garlic and Thai pepper until aromatic.
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Add the lettuce in.
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Lastly, return cooked beef slices, chili pepper flakes, light soy sauce, and rice wine. Fry for a while and drizzle sesame oil to coat.