What Is Beef Mushrom Chow Yoke

Beef and Mushroom Stir Fry is a quick and easy dish that will have you thinking of your mom's cooking, or your favorite Chinese restaurant's effortless rice plate lunch.

Some Brief Nostalgia

I remember we used to make this dish regularly when I was working as a teenager in upstate New York at my parents' Chinese restaurant.

Despite being an old favorite, somewhere along the way, this dish went out of vogue with Chinese restaurants. Perhaps it was because most restaurants would use canned mushrooms that resulted in a rubbery stir fry, or maybe the fresh mushrooms were better used elsewhere.

But that's beside the point, because you can still make this great beef and mushroom stir-fry at home!

A Quick & Easy Rice Plate

This humble Beef and Mushroom Stir Fry makes the perfect quick and easy weeknight rice plate meal. With a wok-full of sauce to pour over your rice, you really can't go wrong. Use the fresh mushrooms of your choice.

We used button mushrooms, but you could go fancy and use shiitake mushrooms, or even add other green veggies and maybe a sliced carrot. It's all up to you. That's the beauty of a simple stir fry like this—you can make it your own!

A little trick I've used to modify this recipe from the archives is stirring in a tablespoon or two of butter in at the end. Because we all know that beef and mushrooms love butter, and if you caught wind of our Soy Butter Ribeye Steak or Soy Butter Shrimp and Shiitake Mushroom Pasta , you also know that butter + soy sauce is a winning combo.

Note that the beef marinade in this recipe calls for ¼ teaspoon baking soda, which is optional. The baking soda will tenderize the beef and give it the texture you might be familiar with in stir-fries from your local Chinese restaurant. That said, you don't have to use it if you'd rather not have that texture.

Give this beef and mushroom stir-fry a whirl!

Beef & Mushroom Stir-fry Recipe Instructions

Prepare the Beef:

Combine 12 ounces of sliced beef, 1 tablespoon water, 1 teaspoon cornstarch, 1 teaspoon oil, 2 teaspoons oyster sauce, and ¼ teaspoon baking soda (if using). Mix all of the ingredients into the beef. Set aside for 10 minutes.

For more detailed information on preparing beef for stir fry just like restaurants do it, see our post on How to Prepare Beef for Stir Fry.

Prepare the Beef and Mushroom Sauce

Combine warmed beef stock or water with 2 tablespoons soy sauce , 1 teaspoon dark soy sauce , 2 tablespoons oyster sauce , ½ teaspoon sesame oil , ½ teaspoon salt, ¼ teaspoon sugar and 1/8 teaspoon ground white pepper .

Use pure beef stock only. Many are made with celery, tomato, and carrot, which will make this stir-fry taste like beef stew! If you can't find a purer stock, use water and/or a beef bullion cube.

Just remember to adjust the seasoning accordingly, as they can be salty. You can add more water and cornstarch slurry to offset this effect.

Assemble the Stir-fry

Heat your carbon steel wok until it's just smoking. Spread 2 tablespoons oil around the perimeter, and add the beef.

Use your wok spatula to spread the beef out, and sear for 30 seconds. Stir-fry the beef for another 30 seconds until it's 80% done, and transfer the beef back to the bowl.

Without washing the wok, turn the heat back on to medium. Add 1 tablespoon of oil to the wok, and immediately add the ginger, white portion of the scallions and garlic .

Stir-fry for 15 seconds, and add the mushrooms.

Next spread 1½ tablespoons of Shaoxing wine around the perimeter of the wok to deglaze…

And stir-fry everything for 20 seconds.

Add the stock and sauces to the wok, and bring to a simmer, stirring occasionally to deglaze the wok and heat the sauce.

Once the mixture starts to simmer, add the beef and any juices from the bowl along with the rest of the scallions. Stir-fry everything to combine.

Immediately stir up your cornstarch slurry (the water and cornstarch has likely separated by now).

Slowly drizzle about two thirds of the slurry into the sauce while stirring. For more detailed information on the many ways to use cornstarch to get authentic results at home with our recipes, see our post on How to Use Cornstarch in Chinese Cooking.

Within 10 seconds, you should see the sauce thicken. Add more cornstarch slurry if you like your sauce thicker, or add more stock or water if the sauce is too thick. (Remember your sauce will thicken slightly as it cools.) Either way, move quickly during this step so you don't overcook your beef. Turn the heat off as soon as the sauce is to your desired consistency.

At this point, if you like a little extra richness and the combination of soy sauce and butter, stir in a tablespoon of butter just before plating the dish!

To serve, spoon cooked white rice onto a plate and immediately serve your beef and mushroom stir-fry poured over the top.

Prep: 20 minutes

Cook: 10 minutes

Total: 30 minutes

• ▢ 12 ounces flank steak (340g, sliced ¼-inch thick)
• ▢ 1 tablespoon water
• ▢ 1 teaspoon cornstarch
• ▢ 1 teaspoon vegetable oil (plus 3 tablespoons, divided)
• ▢ 2 teaspoons oyster sauce
• ▢ ¼ teaspoon baking soda (optional)
• ▢ 2½ cups beef stock (warmed, no added vegetable in stock or water)
• ▢ 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• ▢ 1 teaspoon dark soy sauce
• ▢ 2 tablespoons oyster sauce
• ▢ ½ teaspoon sesame oil
• ▢ ½ teaspoon salt (or to taste)
• ▢ ¼ teaspoon sugar
• ▢ 1/8 teaspoon white pepper
• ▢ 3 slices ginger
• ▢ 2 cloves garlic (sliced)
• ▢ 2 scallions (cut into 2-inch pieces at an angle, white and green portions separated)
• ▢ 10 ounces mushrooms (white button, cremini, or shiitake mushrooms, sliced)
• ▢ 1½ tablespoons Shaoxing wine
• ▢ 3 tablespoons cornstarch (mixed with 3 tablespoons water)
• ▢ 1 tablespoon butter (optional)

• Combine 12 ounces of sliced beef, 1 tablespoon water, 1 teaspoon cornstarch, 1 teaspoon oil, 2 teaspoons oyster sauce, and ¼ teaspoon baking soda (if using). Mix all of the ingredients into the beef. Set aside for 10 minutes.

• Combine warmed beef stock or water with 2 tablespoons soy sauce, 1 teaspoon dark soy sauce, 2 tablespoons oyster sauce, ½ teaspoon sesame oil, ½ teaspoon salt, ¼ teaspoon sugar and 1/8 teaspoon ground white pepper. Use pure beef stock only. Many are made with celery, tomato, and carrot, which will make this stir-fry taste like beef stew! If you can't find a purer stock, use water and/or a beef bullion cube. Just remember to adjust the seasoning accordingly, as they can be salty. You can add more water and cornstarch slurry to offset this effect.

• Heat your carbon steel wok until it's just smoking. Spread 2 tablespoons oil around the perimeter, and add the beef.

• Use your wok spatula to spread the beef out, and sear for 30 seconds. Stir-fry the beef for another 30 seconds until it's 80% done, and transfer the beef back to the bowl.

• Without washing the wok, turn the heat back on to medium. Add 1 tablespoon of oil to the wok, and immediately add the ginger, white portion of the scallions and garlic. Stir-fry for 15 seconds, and add the mushrooms.

• Next spread 1½ tablespoons of Shaoxing wine around the perimeter of the wok to deglaze, and stir-fry everything for 20 seconds.

• Add the stock and sauces to the wok, and bring to a simmer, stirring occasionally to deglaze the wok and heat the sauce. Once the mixture starts to simmer, add the beef and any juices from the bowl along with the rest of the scallions. Stir-fry everything to combine.

• Immediately stir up your cornstarch slurry (the water and cornstarch has likely separated by now). Slowly drizzle about two thirds of the slurry into the sauce while stirring.

• Within 10 seconds, you should see the sauce thicken. Add more cornstarch slurry if you like your sauce thicker, or add more stock or water if the sauce is too thick. (Remember your sauce will thicken slightly as it cools.) Either way, move quickly during this step so you don't overcook your beef. Turn the heat off as soon as the sauce is to your desired consistency.

• At this point, if you like a little extra richness and the combination of soy sauce and butter, stir in a tablespoon of butter just before plating the dish!

• To serve, spoon cooked white rice onto a plate and immediately serve your beef and mushroom stir-fry poured over the top.

Calories: 219 kcal (11%) Carbohydrates: 14 g (5%) Protein: 24 g (48%) Fat: 7 g (11%) Saturated Fat: 3 g (15%) Cholesterol: 51 mg (17%) Sodium: 981 mg (41%) Potassium: 673 mg (19%) Fiber: 1 g (4%) Sugar: 2 g (2%) Vitamin A: 60 IU (1%) Vitamin C: 3 mg (4%) Calcium: 34 mg (3%) Iron: 2 mg (11%)

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.

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