Beef and flat bean stir fry is a quick main dish featuring juicy tender beef and thick romano beans brought together with a fragrant brown sauce. {Gluten-Free adaptable}
Beef and flat bean stir fry is a dish I’m obsessed with recently, since our local Chinatown market started to carry flat beans. The beef is marinated in a simple sauce for a juicy texture. The flat beans are blanched until tender, then stir fried with the beef, along with some ginger and garlic. It’s finished with a delicious brown sauce that’s just enough to coat all the ingredients. It’s a dish that’s easy to put together and goes perfectly with steamed white rice for a quick meal.
What is flat beans
Flat beans, also called Romano beans, or Italian beans, are quite similar to green beans. They are quite big, about 9” to 10” (25 cm) long. They are wider and flatter than green beans. Once cooked, they will become delightfully crisp when al dente, or soft with a buttery tender texture when cooked through. When I can find them in the market, I prefer them to green (string) beans because of their nice texture.
Flat beans can be used to replace the green beans in a stir fry dish, or vice versa. I want to introduce this dish to you, so you can enjoy these delicious flat beans when you find them in the market next time.
Ingredients
When you’re ready to cook, your table should have:
- Marinated beef
- Mixed sauce
- Sliced flat beans
- Chopped ginger and garlic
What if I cannot find flat beans?
It’s totally OK to use regular green beans to cook this recipe! The cooking process is exactly the same. The only thing to be careful of is the blanching time. It takes 3 to 5 minutes to blanch the green beans depending on their size and the texture you’re looking for. You should taste the green beans while blanching them, to make sure they are cooked to your desired texture.
How to make beef and flat beans
To make beef and flat beans is very easy:
- Blanch the flat beans until tender
- Sear the beef slices until just cooked
- Cook the aromatics
- Saute the blanched flat beans
- Add back the beef and pour in the sauce
- Mix everything together until the sauce thickens
Once cooked, the beef will be juicy and tender. The flat beans will have a nice meaty texture, and go well with the beef and the sauce.
TIP
Always taste the flat beans while you blanch them. They are quite thick and take some time to cook through. If you prefer a crisper texture, you can cook until they turn al dente. For a tender texture, you should boil them until they turn quite soft, because they won’t get cooked very long in the stir frying process.
What frying pan / wok to use?
I’ve written in detail about making Chinese stir fries in a wok vs. skillet and why I recommend using a skillet for making fries, for most home cooks based in the US. But often I get questions from readers on wok cooking, including on how to choose a wok and how to cook with it. So I want to take this chance to introduce my favorite wok from The Mala Market.
I like to use this lightweight cast iron wok because it is easy to handle (I’m very short lol) and holds heat better than the common carbon steel wok. Currently I only have a 8000 BTU burner in my apartment’s kitchen, which is not quite powerful enough for wok cooking. But with this cast iron wok, I can cook proper stir fries that have a wonderful smoky flavor (wok hei).
On the other hand, you can totally use a large flat skillet to make this dish. And the techniques are the same. I highly recommend the Debuyer 12.6” carbon steel skillet and OXO 12” nonstick pan.
Other delicious stir fry recipes
Beef and Flat Bean Stir Fry
Servings: 2 to 3 servings
Ingredients
Meat and Marinade
- 300 g (10 oz) boneless flank steak , skirt steak, or other cut (*see footnote 1)
- 1 teaspoon soy sauce
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon peanut oil (or vegetable oil)
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch
Sauce
- 2 tablespoons chicken broth (or beef broth)
- 1 tablespoon Shaoxing wine (or dry sherry)
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1/2 teaspoon dark soy sauce (*footnote 2)
- 1/4 teaspoon sugar
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch
Stir-fry
- 300 g (10 oz) Chinese flat beans , cut to 1” (1.5 cm) pieces
- 1 tablespoon peanut oil (or vegetable oil)
- 1 clove garlic , sliced
- 1/2 thumb ginger , sliced
Instructions
-
Slice the beef against the grain into 0.5 cm (1/4 inch) thick slices or 1-cm (1/2 inch) sticks. Transfer to a small bowl. Add soy sauce and salt (*Footnote 1). Gently mix well by hand until all the slices are coated. Add the peanut oil and cornstarch. Mix again to combine evenly. Marinate for 15 minutes while preparing the other ingredients.
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Combine all the ingredients for the sauce in a medium-sized bowl. Mix well.
-
Bring a medium pot of water to a boil. Add the flat beans and boil for 5 minutes, or until the beans turn tender. Drain and run the beans with tap water for a few seconds, to stop cooking. Then drain again thoroughly and set aside.
-
Heat oil a large skillet or a wok until hot. Swirl to coat the bottom. Spread the steak in a single layer. Allow to cook without touching for 30 seconds, or until the bottom side is browned. Flip to cook the other side for a few seconds. Stir and cook until the surface is lightly charred and the inside is still a bit pink. Transfer to a plate.
-
The pan should still have some oil left. If not, add 2 teaspoons of oil. Add the garlic and ginger. Stir a few times to release the flavor and fragrance.
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Add the flat beans to the pan. Stir and cook for 1 minute. Add the beef back to the pan.
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Stir the sauce again to dissolve the cornstarch completely and pour it into the skillet. Cook and stir until the sauce thickens. Transfer everything to a plate immediately. Serve hot as a main dish.
Notes
- If you need to use a cheaper or tougher cut of beef, for example, chuck, brisket, or round roast, add 1/4 teaspoon of baking soda to the marinade and marinate the beef for 30 minutes before cooking. This method tenderizes the beef and will create a very juicy result.
- Dark soy sauce will add an appetizing dark color to the sauce with a hint of caramel taste, but you can skip it if you don’t have it. If you skip the dark soy sauce, you can add 1/2 teaspoon molasses to enhance the flavor.
Nutrition
Serving: 1serving, Calories: 321kcal, Carbohydrates: 18.2g, Protein: 32.5g, Fat: 13.3g, Saturated Fat: 4.4g, Cholesterol: 55mg, Sodium: 618mg, Potassium: 637mg, Fiber: 3.8g, Sugar: 3.5g, Calcium: 59mg, Iron: 3mg
