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Stir-Fried Curry Beef

This stir-fry has only curry powder in common with the stews that are usually labeled curries. Unlike those, this is quick and easy. Serve it over steamed rice. Other cuts of meat you can use here: pork, preferably from the shoulder or leg (fresh ham); lamb, preferably from the shoulder or leg; boneless chicken; shrimp (which will cook much faster).

Recipe information

  • Yield

    makes 4 servings

Ingredients

1 pound boneless beef, preferably sirloin, cut into 1/2-inch slices across the grain
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon Shaoxing wine, dry sherry, stock, or water
1 teaspoon sugar
2 tablespoons corn, grapeseed, or other neutral oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
One 1 1/2-inch piece fresh ginger, peeled and minced
1 small onion, sliced
3 tablespoons curry powder, preferably homemade (pages 592–593)
Chopped fresh cilantro leaves for garnish

Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Mix the beef with the soy sauce, wine, and sugar. Set aside.

    Step 2

    Heat the oil in a skillet with a lid over medium-high heat. Add the garlic, ginger, and onion and cook until the onion is softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in the curry powder and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.

    Step 3

    Add the beef and cook, stirring occasionally, until browned. Add 1/4 cup water to the skillet and continue to cook, stirring occasionally, for another 2 minutes or so. Garnish and serve immediately.

The Best Recipes in the World by Mark Bittman. © 2005 by Mark Bittman. Published by Broadway Books. All Rights Reserved. MARK BITTMAN is the author of the blockbuster The Best Recipes in the World (Broadway, 2005) and the classic bestseller How to Cook Everything, which has sold more than one million copies. He is also the coauthor, with Jean-Georges Vongerichten, of Simple to Spectacular and Jean-Georges: Cooking at Home with a Four-Star Chef. Mr. Bittman is a prolific writer, makes frequent appearances on radio and television, and is the host of The Best Recipes in the World, a 13-part series on public television. He lives in New York and Connecticut.
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