Chinese Ground Beef Cabbage Stir-Fry (Print Version)

Quick stir-fry with tender beef, crisp cabbage, and savory umami sauce. Low-carb and ready in 25 minutes.

# What You’ll Need:

→ Proteins

01 - 1 lb lean ground beef

→ Vegetables

02 - 1 small head green cabbage, cored and thinly sliced
03 - 3 green onions, sliced
04 - 2 cloves garlic, minced
05 - 1 inch piece fresh ginger, grated
06 - 1 medium carrot, julienned

→ Sauces and Seasonings

07 - 3 tablespoons soy sauce
08 - 1 tablespoon oyster sauce
09 - 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
10 - 1 tablespoon sesame oil
11 - 1 teaspoon Sriracha or chili garlic sauce
12 - 0.5 teaspoon ground white pepper
13 - 0.5 teaspoon sugar or sweetener

→ Oils

14 - 1 tablespoon vegetable oil

# How-To Steps:

01 - In a small bowl, combine soy sauce, oyster sauce, rice vinegar, sesame oil, Sriracha, white pepper, and sugar. Set aside.
02 - Heat vegetable oil in a large wok or skillet over medium-high heat. Add ground beef and cook, breaking it up with a spatula, until browned and cooked through, approximately 4 to 5 minutes.
03 - Add minced garlic, grated ginger, and white portion of green onions. Stir-fry for 1 minute until fragrant.
04 - Add sliced cabbage and julienned carrot. Stir-fry for 5 to 7 minutes until cabbage is tender but retains crispness.
05 - Pour prepared sauce over the mixture and toss thoroughly to coat. Cook for 1 to 2 minutes until heated through and sauce slightly reduces.
06 - Remove from heat and garnish with sliced green onion tops. Serve immediately while hot.

# Expert Hints:

01 -
  • It turns a handful of humble ingredients into something that tastes rich, complex, and restaurant-worthy without any fuss.
  • The cabbage wilts just enough to soak up the sauce but keeps its bite, giving you texture in every forkful.
  • You can have dinner on the table in the time it takes to scroll through takeout menus, and it costs a fraction of the price.
  • It reheats beautifully, so leftovers for lunch taste just as good, maybe even better after the flavors marry overnight.
02 -
  • Your wok or skillet must be hot before the beef goes in, or you'll end up with gray, boiled meat instead of the caramelized, flavorful bits you want.
  • Don't crowd the pan, if your skillet isn't big enough, cook the beef in batches so it browns instead of steams.
  • Slice the cabbage as thin as you can manage, thick chunks take forever to cook and won't soak up the sauce properly.
  • Have all your ingredients prepped and ready before you start cooking, stir-fries move fast and there's no time to chop garlic mid-sear.
03 -
  • Let your beef sit undisturbed for the first minute or two in the wok so it develops a deep, caramelized crust that adds serious flavor.
  • Taste your sauce before adding it to the stir-fry, some soy sauces are saltier than others and you might want to dial back or add a little water.
  • Use the biggest pan you own, stir-fries need space to breathe or everything steams instead of sears.
  • If you want restaurant-level glossiness, add a tiny splash of cornstarch slurry to the sauce in the last 30 seconds of cooking.
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