I love a good stir-fry, but especially in the spring because it’s a great way to cook and highlight those tender green veggies. This one gets spiked with lemon (zest and juice) for brightness, lots of black pepper for a little kick, and soy sauce for that classic savory stir-fry flavor.
P.S. Stir-fry recipes are very adaptable – easily use your protein and veggies of choice.
(Recipe inspired by this NYT Cooking recipe)
Ingredient highlight
Beef! Is an extremely nutrient-dense animal protein with lots of iron, vitamin B12, zinc, and selenium to name a few. Try to buy 100% grass-fed and/or organic beef if it’s accessible to you.
Servings 4
Prep Time 15 minutes 
Cook Time 15 minutes Ingredients
- 2 cups rice of choice
- 16-24 oz flank skirt, sirloin, or flat iron steak, cut against the grain into very thin slices
- ¼ cup + 2 tsp soy sauce or tamari, divided
- 2 tsp toasted sesame oil
- ½ tsp kosher salt, divided
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 1 tbsp cornstarch or tapioca starch
- 2 tbsp olive oil, divided
- 1 bunch scallions, thinly sliced, white/light green parts separated from dark green parts
- 4 celery stalks or 1 fennel bulb, thinly sliced (about 2 cups)
- 1 lemon, zest peeled off, then cut into wedges
- ½ cup water, divided
- ½ large bunch asparagus, cut into 1-2-inch pieces (about 10-12 oz or 2 cups)
- Sesame seeds, for topping
- Pro tip! ~ You want the slices to be as thin as possible. Just do your best and use a sharp knife! To make it easier, place it in the freezer for 20-30 minutes, then slice immediately. Slicing the steak is honestly the most time consuming part!
Instructions
- Cook the rice (instructions here).
- Toss the steak in 2 teaspoons soy sauce, sesame oil, ¼ teaspoon salt, and pepper to coat.
- Sprinkle the cornstarch (or other starch of choice) all over the steak and toss again to coat.
- In a large skillet over medium-high heat, warm 1 tablespoon oil. Once the skillet is hot, add the steak and spread out into an even layer. Let it cook, undisturbed, for about 2 minutes or until browned in spots, then give it a stir and cook for 1-2 more minutes, stirring often, or until mostly cooked through. Transfer back to the plate or bowl or cutting board you tossed it in.
- Reduce the heat to medium, then add the remaining 1 tablespoon oil along with the white/light green scallions, celery or fennel, lemon zest, and remaining ¼ teaspoon salt. Stir everything together and cook for 30 seconds, then pour in ¼ cup water and scrape up anything stuck to the bottom of the skillet.
- Cook until the water has evaporated, about 1-2 more minutes. Add the beef back into the skillet along with the asparagus.
- Increase the heat back up to medium-high and add the remaining ¼ cup soy sauce and ¼ cup water. Stir everything together, and let it simmer rapidly until the sauce reduces and thickens a bit, about 3-5 more minutes, stirring occasionally. Turn off the heat and stir in half of the dark green scallions.
- Serve on top of warm rice and top with the remaining green scallions, sesame seeds, more black pepper, and lemon wedges for squeezing.
Items you can prep ahead (optional)
- Cook 2 cups rice of choice
- Thinly slice 16-24 oz steak against the grain
- Thinly slice 1 bunch scallions and store white/light green parts separately from dark green parts
- Thinly slice 1 fennel bulb or 4 celery stalks (about 2 heaping cups)
- Cut ½ bunch asparagus into 1-2-inch pieces (2 cups)
Substitutions:
- To make vegetarian/vegan, substitute drained, pressed, and sliced or cubed tofu for the steak.
- Replace asparagus with green beans, snap peas, radish, or any other quick cooking veggies.
- Replace the steak with thinly sliced pork or chicken.
- You can replace the scallions with 2-3 cloves of garlic and just top with any herbs.
Storage:
- Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge or freezer:
- Stir-fry: up to 4 days in the fridge or 2 months in the freezer
- Rice: up to 4 days in the fridge or up to 3 months in the freezer
Leftovers + Repurposing:
- Warm up the rice first (covered with a very wet paper towel) in the microwave. Then top with the stir-fry and microwave again or reheat them both separately.
- Turn it into fried rice! Add the cold rice to a skillet with plenty of oil and cook until the rice becomes slightly crispy and golden in spots. Add the stir-fry and cook, stirring everything together. You could fry some eggs in the skillet for more protein/to stretch the recipe.
- Top with a fried egg and/or avocado.
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