Easy Beef With Black Bean Sauce
Skip the take out and make delicious beef with black bean sauce at home! This recipe is super easy and just as delicious as what you’d pick up from your favorite Chinese restaurant. Tender beef and fresh veggies are cooked in a flavorful sauce that the whole family loves!
Our family loves ordering take out and our local Chinese food restaurant is a favorite. I often like to try something different so we can find new dishes we love and enjoy new flavors. I love black bean chicken so when I saw black bean beef I knew it was worth trying! Since we all loved it I wanted to find a way to make it at home.
Now if you are looking for an “authentic” beef and black bean sauce recipe this probably isn’t the one you’ll want. If you are like me and live in a small town with limited access to special ingredients then read on! When I need specialty ingredients I usually have to order them online so I like to develop recipes in a way that I can run to the store and grab what I need to whip up dinner that night. That’s what I’ve done with this recipe. This dish cooks up like a stir-fry so it is super quick and easy to make and requires no special equipment.
When it comes to this dish it is usually made with fermented black beans or fermented black bean paste. They have a distinct umami flavor that is delicious. I’ve made this recipe with regular black beans, but if you have access to a grocery store with the fermented ones you can easily swap them out. The oyster sauce helps amp up the flavor to give it a ton of taste even without the fermented black beans.
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FAQ & Recipe Tips For Beef with Black Bean Sauce
Why do I need to soak the beef?
One of the most important steps in getting this dish to taste like your favorite take out is velveting the beef. This is done by soaking the beef in a mixture of baking soda and water. When you velvet the beef it tenderizes it and makes it a delicious soft texture. The great part about this is that you can use a less expensive cut of beef and turn into a tender and delicious stir fry! Keep in mind that this process takes 1-2 hours so plan ahead when making this meal. If you want to marinate the beef you can do so after velveting.
Add additional vegetables-
This basic recipe has onions and peppers but you can absolutely add in your favorite vegetables. I like to add snow peas, broccoli, mushrooms, or even green beans. This is a delicious recipe to use in season veggies or use up what you have in your refrigerator!
How to serve this beef with black bean sauce-
You can serve this beef over steamed rice or noodles like your favorite Chinese food. We love jasmine rice, but white rice or brown rice are delicious too. It is also tasty over quinoa or cauliflower rice.
How to store this black bean beef stir fry-
Store any leftover black bean beef stir fry refrigerated in an airtight container. It will keep well for 3-4 days. It can be reheated in the microwave or placed back on the stove over low to medium heat until it is heated through.
Ingredients for Easy Beef in Black Bean Sauce
Flank Steak- Flank steak is a thin tougher cut of meat. Make sure to cut it against the grain and don’t skip velveting it. If flank steak is unavailable you can substitute flat iron steak, skirt steak or hanger steak.
Baking Soda- This is used to velvet the beef, make sure your baking soda is fresh.
Black Beans- You’ll want to use regular canned black beans that have been drained. Or Chinese fermented black beans if you enjoy their flavor.
Garlic Cloves– I like to use fresh garlic for this recipe so that it gets the most garlic flavor. If you need a short cut you can use jarred minced garlic.
Red & Green Bell Pepper– Use a large fresh peppers, you can cut them into strips or dice them into smaller pieces.
Onion- I like to use a medium size onion but you can use a smaller or larger depending on how much onion you like. You can cut it into strips for larger pieces or dice it so that it is smaller.
Cooking Oil- You can use your favorite cooking oil. I prefer olive oil or avocado oil but you can use vegetable oil.
Soy Sauce- I usually use regular soy sauce but for extra flavor you can use dark soy sauce. You can also use light soy sauce or low sodium soy sauce if you prefer. If you have a sensitivity to soy you can use coconut aminos in place of the soy sauce.
Oyster Sauce- Oyster sauce is a sweet and salty umami sauce that is used in a lot of Asian cooking. Don’t worry if you’re not a seafood fan there isn’t any fishy taste.
Sugar- Sugar is optional in this recipe. If you like your sauces a little sweeter then you can use it, if not you can skip it!.
Beef Broth- Used for the sauce beef broth makes a great base to add all the flavors to. You can use beef stock or bone broth too.
Cornstarch- Corn starch helps thicken the homemade sauce so that it coats the beef and vegetables nicely.
Green Onions- Green onions or spring onions are optional, they make a great garnish that adds a nice fresh flavor to the dish.
Here’s How to Make this Beef with Black Bean Sauce Recipe
To Velvet the Beef-
Slice the flank steak thinly against the grain.
Place the beef slices in a medium size bowl and sprinkle with the baking soda and pour over the water.
Gently massage the baking soda into the beef until it is all evenly coated.
Cover and refrigerate for 1-2 hours.
When you are ready to cook remove the beef from the fridge and rinse the beef thoroughly under running water to clean off all of the baking soda.
To Make the Beef in Black Bean Sauce
In a small bowl, combine the minced black beans, minced garlic, soy sauce, oyster sauce, and sugar. Mix well and set aside.
In a wok or large skillet heat 1 tablespoon of cooking oil over high heat.
Add in the sliced beef and cook, stirring frequently for 2-3 minutes or until the meat is no longer pink. Remove the beef from the frying pan and set it aside.
In the same skillet or wok add in another tablespoon of cooking oil and heat over medium-high heat. Add in the sliced green peppers, red peppers and onions. Cook stirring frequently for 5-10 minutes until the vegetables are tender but still a little crisp.
Return the beef back to the pan and stir it evenly into the vegetables.
Add the black bean sauce mixture to the beef and vegetables and stir to coat.
In a medium bowl whisk together the cornstarch and beef broth to create a slurry to thicken the sauce. Pour the mixture over the beef and vegetables
Heat everything together over medium high heat and bring to a simmer. The sauce will continue to thicken as it simmers so continue to cook until the sauce reaches your desired consistency.
Serve over rice if desired and top with fresh chopped green onions.
Easy Beef with Black Bean Sauce
Ingredients
- 1 pound Flank Steak
- 1 Tbsp Baking Soda
- 1/4 Cup Water
- 2 Tbsp Black Beans minced
- 3 cloves Garlic minced
- 1 Green Bell Pepper seeded and sliced
- 1 Red Bell Pepper seeded and sliced
- 1 Onion sliced
- 2 Tbsp Cooking Oil
- 2 Tbsp Soy Sauce
- 1 Tbsp Oyster Sauce
- 1 tsp Sugar optional
- 1/2 Cup Beef Broth
- 1 tsp Cornstarch
- Green onions chopped, for garnish
Instructions
To Velvet the Beef
- Slice the flank steak thinly against the grain.1 pound Flank Steak
- Place the beef slices in a medium size bowl and sprinkle with the baking soda and pour over the water.1 Tbsp Baking Soda, 1/4 Cup Water
- Gently massage the baking soda into the beef until it is all evenly coated.
- Cover and refrigerate for 1-2 hours.
- When you are ready to cook remove the beef from the fridge and rinse the beef thoroughly under running water to clean off all of the baking soda.
To Make the Beef in Black Bean Sauce
- In a small bowl, combine the minced black beans, minced garlic, soy sauce, oyster sauce, and sugar. Mix well and set aside.2 Tbsp Black Beans, 3 cloves Garlic, 2 Tbsp Soy Sauce, 1 Tbsp Oyster Sauce, 1 tsp Sugar
- In a wok or large skillet heat 1 tablespoon of cooking oil over high heat.2 Tbsp Cooking Oil
- Add in the sliced beef and cook, stirring frequently for 2-3 minutes or until the meat is no longer pink. Remove the beef from the frying pan and set it aside.1 pound Flank Steak
- In the same skillet or wok add in another tablespoon of cooking oil and heat over medium-high heat. Add in the sliced green peppers, red peppers and onions. Cook stirring frequently for 5-10 minutes until the vegetables are tender but still a little crisp.1 Green Bell Pepper, 1 Red Bell Pepper, 2 Tbsp Cooking Oil, 1 Onion
- Return the beef back to the pan and stir it evenly into the vegetables.
- Add the black bean sauce mixture to the beef and vegetables and stir to coat.
- In a medium bowl whisk together the cornstarch and beef broth to create a slurry to thicken the sauce. Pour the mixture over the beef and vegetables1/2 Cup Beef Broth, 1 tsp Cornstarch
- Heat everything together over medium high heat and bring to a simmer. The sauce will continue to thicken as it simmers so continue to cook until the sauce reaches your desired consistency.
- Serve over rice if desired and top with fresh chopped green onions.Green onions
