Thinly sliced shaved beef is perfect for a quick stir-fry dinner you can make in minutes including a crave-worthy sauce that rivals any takeout order.
Beef and broccoli is a classic stir fry combination and chances are you’ve ordered it from a Chinese restaurant at some point in your life.
This shaved beef recipe takes the pairing to a new level though. If you’re a fan of Mongolian beef (either the mall food court version or P.F. Chang’s famous dish), you will love this meal.
It’s healthier than takeout but with that coveted stir fry sauce that coats every ingredient with its sweet and salty decadence.
Why shaved beef? Well, it’s the perfect cut of meat to cook up in a skillet and create those addicting crispy edges usually reserved for deep-fried food only.
It’s also incredibly quick cooking when compared to cubed steak like this steak potato and pepper skillet recipe uses making it great for fast weeknight meals.
INGREDIENTS TO MAKE THIS SHAVED BEEF STIR FRY
- shaved beef
- tapioca starch (arrowroot powder or cornstarch can be substituted)
- avocado oil
- broccoli florets (fresh or frozen)
- scallions
- sesame seeds
For the stir fry sauce, you’ll need:
- coconut aminos (or soy sauce/Tamari)
- coconut sugar (substitute brown sugar if desired)
- avocado oil
- minced garlic
- minced ginger
WHAT IS SHAVED BEEF?
Shaved beef or shaved steak as it’s sometimes called, is simply thinly sliced meat that can come from any part of the cow. Typically, however, it will be a flank or skirt steak. The cut really doesn’t matter too much though as it’s so thin.
It’s sometimes referred to as “sandwich steak” because of the popular Philly cheesesteak that uses it.
Shaved beef is also featured in Asian dishes like Chinese hot-pot recipes or Mongolian beef.
I’ve even seen it labeled “braciole meat” in Italian delis or grocery stores.
Basically, it can be labeled for all its different cuisine uses so if you can’t find anything called “shaved beef” or “shaved steak”, just look for paper thin sliced beef or ask the butcher.
HOW TO MAKE SHAVED BEEF & BROCCOLI
Start by making the stir fry sauce.
Add the avocado oil to a small sauce pot over medium heat. Once hot, add the minced garlic and ginger and sauté until fragrant, about 1 minute.
Pour in the coconut aminos (or soy sauce) and coconut sugar. Stir until the sugar fully dissolves then cook over medium-low heat for another 3-4 minutes to slightly reduce and thicken the sauce. Turn off the heat and set aside.
Toss the shaved beef with the tapioca starch in a large bowl. Make sure to separate the shaved beef so none of the slices are sticking together and the tapioca coats each one.
Place a large skillet with avocado oil thinly coating the surface over medium-high heat. Once hot, add the shaved beef slice by slice into the pan in a single layer. Make sure not to overcrowd the pan, cooking in batches. Cook for about 1 minute per side until browned and crispy then transfer to a plate.
Leave any residual oil in the skillet and add the broccoli florets. Cover and cook until tender then add the shaved beef back into the skillet.
Pour the stir fry sauce into the skillet along with the scallions and stir to combine. Cook for a couple of minutes until the sauce is thickened and coating all the ingredients.
Remove from the heat and garnish with sesame seeds before serving.
TIPS & TRICKS
- Be quick! – Don’t overcook the beef! Because it’s so thin, the shaved beef really only needs 30 seconds to 1 minute max per side when cooking.
- Don’t skip the tapioca (or cornstarch) coating – This extra step really helps crisp up the beef to get those coveted golden brown edges!
- Double the sauce or make ahead – The stir fry sauce can easily be made in advance for an even quicker dinner. It’s also easily doubled and great to have on hand for another stir fry meal. You can use it in this pork and cabbage stir fry or this ramen stir fry with pork.
HOW TO SERVE SHAVED BEEF STEAK SKILLET
The easiest and most traditional way to serve this dish is over white rice.
White rice is my typical go to for any quick skillet meal because it easily cooks up in under 20 minutes unlike brown rice or some other grains.
Cauliflower rice is good lower carb option if preferred.
A rice noodle of your choice is also a great pairing. Udon noodles, pad thai noodles or soba noodles are some favorites.
SWITCH UP THE VEGETABLES
Beef and broccoli may be a classic combination but this shaved beef recipe can be made with any vegetable or vegetables you like!
Try green beans (love them in this honey orange sesame chicken recipe), bell peppers, shredded carrots, snow peas or bok choy. Even shredded cabbage would work well in this recipe. Or, try this ground beef and cabbage stir fry instead.
Frozen or fresh vegetables can be used. If using frozen, just cook a few minutes longer.
You can also switch up the protein and try this shrimp and broccoli stir fry. It has a very similar ginger, garlic and soy sauce and works great with frozen shrimp for a quick meal.
MORE RECIPES LIKE THIS:
Chinese boneless spare ribs
Sweet and sour tofu
Kung pao chickpeas
General Tso shrimp
Shaved Beef Stir Fry
Ingredients
- 1 pound shaved beef
- 2 tablespoons tapioca starch, or arrowroot powder
- 2 tablespoons avocado oil, plus more as needed
- 2 cups broccoli florets, fresh or frozen
- 2 scallions, chopped
- sesame seeds for garnish
For the stir fry sauce
- 1/2 cup coconut aminos, or soy sauce/Tamari
- 3 tablespoons coconut sugar
- 1 teaspoon avocado oil
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tablespoon minced ginger
Instructions
- Start by making the stir fry sauce. In a small sauce pot, heat the avocado oil with the garlic and ginger over medium heat. Let cook for a minute until fragrant. Add the coconut aminos and coconut sugar. Stir until the sugar is dissolved then cook on low for about 3 minutes until slightly reduced. Turn off heat.
- Place the shaved beef into a large bowl, separating the pieces one by one if necessary. Add tapioca starch and toss to combine using tongs so that each piece of beef is coated.
- Pour avocado oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Once hot, add the shaved beef piece by piece in a single layer and cook until browned and crispy on each side. This will only take about 1 minute per side as the shaved beef is extremely thin. Work in batches until all the beef is browned. Transfer to a plate and set aside.
- Leaving any residual oil in the pan, add the broccoli florets. Cook covered until tender.
- Add the shaved beef back into the pan and pour the stir fry sauce on top. Stir to combine and coat the beef and broccoli in the sauce. Add the scallions. Cook for 1-2 minutes until sauce thickens and coats all the ingredients.
- Garnish with sesame seeds before serving.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Gina Matsoukas is an AP syndicated writer. She is the founder, photographer and recipe developer of Running to the Kitchen — a food website focused on providing healthy, wholesome recipes using fresh and seasonal ingredients. Her work has been featured in numerous media outlets both digital and print, including MSN, Huffington post, Buzzfeed, Women’s Health and Food Network.
The recipe was Devine. I made it this afternoon During the misty rain. It was easy to make and tasted
even better. I’ll be making it again soon. I’m a long-time retired IBM Maintenace tech. Doing a little cooking is a way to help around the house. Wife lets me cook now and then. We really enjoyed it.
Keep up the great creatively, and be safe at it too.
Retired in South Ga.
I think y’all must live in a different universe than me. This took well over an hour to make! Yes I added carrots but dang…not an hrs worth. I chop my own. Maybe y’all buy pre chopped? Just peeling & mincing garlic & ginger takes almost 10 mins. It took way more starch than listed to dredge\toss the meat because it soaked in so fast it would never cover it all. More like 4+ Tbsp. I think I’d skip it altogether and just go for well cooked meat. I didn’t really enjoy the starchy taste. And avocado oil .. way more there too. Had to keep adding small amounts to each batch. And getting it hot enough that the starch doesn’t glue itself to the pan… Oy vey! It’s like an oil bomb went off in my kitchen, even w the mesh cover I used. I’d suggest using a deeper pan than a reg fry pan or even a wok.FYI. Also, way too salty for my taste… Salt should enhance flavor… Not be the flavor in my book. But that’s certainly subjective. Prob could cut the tamari w water by half. Otherwise great sauce! Def flavorFULL.🤣 My 2¢. I’ll prob still try this again w my tweaks in place and see if I can not coat everything in sight w oil🤣 But hey, if you don’t make a mess… Are you even cooking?
Gerty- Sorry you had such a tough time with this recipe. I actually just remade it this week with a package of thinly sliced beef I found at the bottom of the freezer and definitely say it only took me time stated in the recipe. It definitely shouldn’t take 10 minutes to mince garlic and ginger. Maybe try a grated instead if that’s the case for you? I think that’d be a lot faster. Also, 4+ tablespoons is definitely too much starch. It’s not intended to fully coat the meat like if you were breading something. While it will “melt” into the meat, that’s ok, it helps it crisp and thicken up just fine in the hot pan. You also shouldn’t have to add that much additional oil especially if you’re using an enamel coated or nonstick skillet.
Yum! Next time I’ll add more stir fry behest and water chestnuts… but it was delicious!
I tried this and unfortunately had to substitute dark soy sauce…bad choice. I’ll have to try it again, but definitely DO NOT substitute dark soy sauce, it made the sauce way too intense and salty.
Hope you’re able to give it a go again with regular soy sauce or tamari, Cyndi!
This was delicious. I also had to make substitutions…corn starch, olive oil when I ran out of avocado oil, regular sugar, sweet onions, added in a sweet pepper at the end. …but it was freaking amazing. My fiancé didn’t want to share with his sister, who stopped by, and divided up what was left to have lunches to take to work the next two days. 😊
So glad you enjoyed it. It’s definitely a flexible recipe!
This was the best beef and broccoli I have ever made, thanks for the recipe! Unfortunately I had to substitute many things like canola oil, ginger powder, brown sugar, etc but it still turned out so yummy. I threw in a bunch of baby corn at the end. Will definitely be making this again.
Everyone enjoyed and was satisfied with this shaved beef stir fry! It was packed with flavors and so scrumptious! We love to have this with soda!
This beef was so flavorful and tender. Lovely recipe, kids loved it too.
This was so flavorful and delicious. The meat was tender and well cooked. Will definitely make again.