Easy Recipe for Ground Beef and Asparagus

Beef Asparagus Stir fry

Posted:4/03/2014 Updated:3/29/2021

We're just starting to see spring asparagus in the markets these days, and I saw a really fresh selection today. In fact, the asparagus was so fresh that I decided to make a beef asparagus stir fry with some of our very valuable contraband USDA choice sirloin steak.

We usually prefer to pan-sear those steaks with just a little salt (we didn't carry them all the way over from our local NJ Costco for nothin'. They're perfect on their own), but the second we tried this beef asparagus stir fry dish, we had no regrets!

This beef asparagus stir fry recipe is one of those 15-minute, over-rice, easy-to-make, one-pan dishes with lots of nice sauce to soak into the rice. The fresh asparagus gives a fresh and unique favor with a texture similar to bamboo shoots.  You can also substitute chicken for the beef and make this dish into a chicken asparagus stir fry.

Happy spring!

Beef Asparagus Stir-fry: Recipe Instructions

In a small bowl, combine the sliced beef with 1 teaspoon oil, 1 teaspoon light soy sauce, and 1 teaspoon cornstarch. For more complete information on preparing beef, see Bill's post on How to Slice and Velvet Beef for stir fries.

Wash your asparagus, and cut about an inch off the bottom ends, depending on how tender they are. You can also use a vegetable peeler to peel the bottom of each stalk. Slice into 2-inch pieces on an angle.

Next combine the salt, sugar, the rest of the light soy sauce (4 teaspoons), dark soy sauce, sesame oil, and chicken stock or water into a bowl.

Mix well and set aside. Have your Shaoxing wine measured out, garlic ready, and the cornstarch slurry mixed up before you begin cooking, because this is all going to happen very fast!

Heat your wok until smoking. Add a couple tablespoons of oil and swirl it around to coat your wok. Quickly spread the beef slices around the wok in an even layer. Let it sear for 15-30 seconds without stirring.

Then give it a quick stir to sear the other side. The meat should be browned and no sticking should happen if you got the wok hot enough! Take the meat out of the pan and set aside.

Keep the wok on high heat and add another tablespoon of oil into the wok. Stir in your garlic and asparagus. Stir for about 10 seconds and add the shaoxing wine around the rim of the wok.

Cover, leaving the heat on high.  Let it cook for 20 to 30 seconds. Remove the cover. Add the beef back to the pan.

Everyone has their preferences on how to cook their veggies and for asparagus, I prefer mine ever so slightly crunchy but definitely not mushy so don't overcook your asparagus.

For that matter, don't over cook your beef either. Both of these key ingredients of this beef asparagus stir fry are best when cooked just until done.

Add the sauce mixture and a pinch of ground white pepper. Stir vigorously and let the liquid bubble up.

Stir up your cornstarch slurry to make sure the starch is dissolved and pour in about half of it. Stir for a few seconds. If the sauce is still thin, add more slurry. If it's too thick, add a little water or stock. Plate and serve immediately over rice!

Beef Asparagus stir fry is the perfect one-pan over rice quick and easy dinner!

Prep: 10 minutes

Cook: 5 minutes

Total: 15 minutes

• ▢ 12 oz. flank steak or sirloin steak (340g, sliced)
• ▢ 1 teaspoon oil (plus more for cooking)
• ▢ 5 teaspoons light soy sauce (divided)
• ▢ 1 teaspoon cornstarch
• ▢ 1 pound fresh asparagus
• ▢ 1/4 teaspoon salt
• ▢ 1/4 teaspoon sugar
• ▢ 2 teaspoons dark soy sauce
• ▢ 1/2 teaspoon sesame oil
• ▢ 1/4 cup hot chicken stock (or water)
• ▢ 3 tablespoons shaoxing wine
• ▢ 3 cloves garlic (sliced)
• ▢ 2 tablespoons cornstarch (mixed into a slurry with 2 tablespoons water)
• ▢ 1/8 teaspoon ground white pepper

• In a small bowl, combine the sliced beef with 1 teaspoon oil, 1 teaspoon light soy sauce, and 1 teaspoon cornstarch. Wash your asparagus, and cut about an inch off the bottom ends, depending on how tender they are. You can also use a vegetable peeler to peel the bottom of each stalk. Slice into 2-inch pieces on an angle.

• Next combine the salt, sugar, the rest of the light soy sauce (4 teaspoons), dark soy sauce, sesame oil, and stock or water into a bowl. Mix well and set aside. Have your wine measured out, garlic ready, and the cornstarch slurry mixed up before you begin cooking, because this is all going to happen very fast!

• Heat your wok until smoking. Add a couple tablespoons of oil and swirl it around to coat your wok. Quickly spread the beef slices around the wok in an even layer. Let it sear for 15-30 seconds without stirring. Then give it a quick stir to sear the other side. The meat should be browned and no sticking should happen if you got the wok hot enough! Take the meat out of the pan and set aside.

• Keep the wok on high heat and add another tablespoon of oil into the wok. Stir in your garlic and asparagus. Stir for about 10 seconds and add the shaoxing wine around the rim of the wok. Cover, leaving the heat on high. Let it cook for 20 to 30 seconds. Remove the cover and add the sauce mixture and white pepper. Add the beef back to the pan and stir. Let the liquid bubble up. Stir up your cornstarch slurry to make sure the starch is dissolved and pour in about half of it. Stir for a few seconds. If the sauce is still thin, add more slurry. If it's too thick, add a little water or stock. Plate and serve immediately!

Calories: 268 kcal (13%) Carbohydrates: 15 g (5%) Protein: 30 g (60%) Fat: 8 g (12%) Saturated Fat: 3 g (15%) Cholesterol: 69 mg (23%) Sodium: 1069 mg (45%) Potassium: 746 mg (21%) Fiber: 3 g (12%) Sugar: 4 g (4%) Vitamin A: 1145 IU (23%) Vitamin C: 9.4 mg (11%) Calcium: 66 mg (7%) Iron: 5.3 mg (29%)

nutritional info disclaimer

TheWoksofLife.com is written and produced for informational purposes only. While we do our best to provide nutritional information as a general guideline to our readers, we are not certified nutritionists, and the values provided should be considered estimates. Factors such as brands purchased, natural variations in fresh ingredients, etc. will change the nutritional information in any recipe. Various online calculators also provide different results, depending on their sources. To obtain accurate nutritional information for a recipe, use your preferred nutrition calculator to determine nutritional information with the actual ingredients and quantities used.

About Bill

Bill is the dad of The Woks of Life family. He grew up in upstate New York, working through high school and college in restaurants with his father, a chef. Rose from modest beginnings as a Burger King sandwich assembler to Holiday Inn busboy and line cook, to cooking at the family's Chinese restaurant, while also learning the finer points of Cantonese cooking from his immigrant parents. Specializes in all things traditional Cantonese and American Chinese takeout.

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