Stir-Fry Beef Tenderloin

 

Do you ever get bored of the dishes you make night after night?  I know I do.  Even though I cook a lot, I still tend to repeat the dishes my family gravitates to until they get boring.  So tonight I decided on stir-fry, a dish I blogged about back in 2010, but thought I’d share it again.

When I make stir-fry I serve it on top of brown rice, raw spinach or some variety of lettuce. Tonight I felt like a plate of veggies so I served it on top of raw spinach. I’m sure this would taste delicious and be healthy over barley, quinoa or any other grain you like –  be creative!

The key when making stir-fry is to mise en place your ingredients, so they’re ready when it’s time to toss into your wok. Since stir-frying is a quick process, this alleviates any mistakes, and overcooking.

Be sure your flame is high, and use an oil with a high smoke point such as canola, peanut or grapeseed oil. If possible use a heavy flat bottom wok, allowing a larger surface area to come in contact with the heat,  rather than a round-bottom wok.

Stir-fry can be made with beef, chicken, fish or all vegetables, even tofu.  However, this evening I purchased beef tenderloin and used veggies I had on hand to add to the mix. If you’re not a fan of the veggies I selected, use those that appeal to you and your family.

Leftovers can be warmed up the next day and wrapped into a tortilla, adding spinach, or your favorite grain, making for a delicious and hearty lunch.

Note: Before preparing this dish be sure to read the directions at least two times, familiarizing yourself with each step.   This dish is simple to prepare.  Mise en Place is key!

Stir-Fry Beef Tenderloin

Ingredients:

  • 1 pound beef tenderloin
  • 1 tablespoon heavy soy sauce
  • 1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon rice wine (Mirin)
  • 2 teaspoons dark sesame oil
  • 1 pound mushrooms (I used baby bellas)
  • 3 whole green onions
  • 4 asparagus spears
  • baby carrots, large handful
  • 3 tablespoons cooking oil (I use canola)

Seasonings:

  • 3 cloves garlic, minced or 1 1/2 teaspoons jarred roasted garlic
  • 1 tablespoons minced ginger, optional

Sauce:

  • 1/4 cup chicken stock
  • 2 tablespoons rice wine (Mirin)
  • 1 tablespon thin soy sauce (I used low sodium soy)
  • 1 tablespoon oyster sauce
  • 1 tablespoon dark sesame oil
  • 1 tablespoon cornstarch
  • 1/2 teaspoon sugar
  • 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Directions:

  1. Mise en Place: Cut beef into 1/4 inch rectangular slices about 1/2 inch wide and 1 inch long.
  2. In a bowl combine the soy sauce, 1 tablespoon of rice wine, and sesame oil. Blend well and set aside to marinate for at least 15 minutes but no longer than 8 hours, refrigerated. Set aside the remaining 1/4 cup of rice wine.
  3. Trim stems off mushrooms and slice into 1/4 inch pieces. Cut green onion on a diagonal into 1-inch long pieces. Cut the same with the asparagus. Slice baby carrots in half lengthwise. Combine all veggies together on a plate and set aside.
  4. Combine the seasonings if using both and set aside until ready to use. In a separate bowl combine the sauce ingredients and set aside.
  5. Cooking Instructions: Place the wok over the highest heat. When the wok becomes very hot, add 2 tablespoons of the cooking oil. Roll the oil around the wok and when the oil starts to smoke, add the beef. Stir and toss the beef until it loses its raw exterior color, about 2 minutes. Then slide beef onto a plate and set aside.
  6. Immediately return the wok to the highest heat. Add the remaining 1 tablespoon of cooking oil, and the Seasonings. Stir-fry the Seasonings for about 5 seconds, then add vegetables until they brighten in color. This should only take about 3 minutes.
  7. Just after adding the veggies add the 1/4 cup of rice wine, this will help the veggies to soften more quickly giving them a richer flavor and stir.
  8. Stir the Sauce, and then pour it into the wok. Return the beef to the wok. Stir and toss until all the ingredients are glazed with the sauce and thickened.
  9. Transfer stir-fry immediately to a serving platter. Place on top of spinach, lettuce or grains.

Enjoy!!!

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15 comments

  1. Hi Vicki, this stir fry beef tenderloin look very inviting and delicious. Even thou lots of recipes to try but sometimes I do get stuck don’t know what to cook. Especially I hardly eat out, most meals are all prepared at home. Sometimes get bored too if keep repeating the same dish. LOL

    Have a nice day.

    • I think we all get into a rut. That’s what makes blogging so nice. Now I get to try recipes that others claim to be delicious and get to see their photos. It helps to increase the variety. Even still, somehow I still repeat many of our favorites.

  2. This looks beautiful and delicious Vicki, I love all the wonderful veggies and bright colors, well done!

  3. Yup, I cook the same things over and over as well. We love stir fry and your beef version sounds delish!!

  4. Well, that happens to me all the time. My husband doesn’t eat the food he doesn’t know. So the food on his plate is always the same.
    The beef looks really tender and I bet the stir-fry tastes delicious.

    • My husband isn’t adventurous at all when it comes to food. He’d be happy with chicken and a baked potato every night.

      The beef is really tender and I know it’s tenderloin and more expensive but it’s just a pound so it’s not too bad and makes the dish that much more tasty.

  5. I love how this is a great stir fry mix between greens and protein and with tasty results 🙂
    Wonderful job!

    Cheers
    Choc Chip Uru

    • Thank you. The great thing about stir-fries is that you can add whatever veggies and protein you like to the mix. Then whatever’s leftover you can wrap up in a tortilla the next day for lunch!

  6. Reading this lovely blog and some of the comments in so far, it really strikes me how much geography makes a difference to food choices. I honestly do not think there is any Australian family which does not make stirfries at least once a week and beef and chicken ones would be the commonest. The cookery pages of even the simplest women’s magazines would have a number of stirfry recipes every week 🙂 ! Living alone and loving both healthy and well spiced food I would make a stirfry of some sort [no two ever the same] at least 2-3 times a week! Often with marinated tofu or just vegetables alone 🙂 ! Yep, we think Asian first!!! Yours is classically lovely: perhaps a couple of handfuls of Chinese veggies like choi sum, pak or bok choi etc would add a lovely contrast!

    • That’s so interesting Eha. Yes I agree adding those Chinese veggies would be a nice addition. I’ll have to try those next time. Thank you for the suggestion.

      Also, do you have a blog? I don’t see a link to your page and just wanted to be sure i wasn’t missing it.

      Thank you for your comments.

  7. No, I am the little cuckoo in everyone’s nest 😀 ! Am seriously thinking about it, but living rurally, working and studying fulltime and working for a lot of organizations + wanting something resembling ‘real life’ does not leave much time 🙂 !

  8. I usually don’t put mushrooms and asparagus in a stir-fry so what a pleasant change! Love the combinations of vegetables with the beef and the sauce – YUM!

  9. I love stir-fry, and we make it often. We’re pretty traditional in using rice, however. Love the idea of a bed of greens – the sauce will serve as their dressing! Really good stuff – thanks.

  10. I repeat my dishes a lot of time and I am never bored with stir frys. But I don’t have a good wok that can cook meat.

  11. My husband is a meat and potatoes man! He really is not at all adventurous! Your stir-fry looks wonderful and would definitely please my very fussy husband!

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