Kitchen notes · a little help before you start
Hunan Beef
A glossy chili sauce coats tender beef and a colorful mix of vegetables in this Hunan beef. Broccoli and baby corn add satisfying bite, while rice vinegar and a little honey round out the heat around each thin piece of steak.
- Prep
- 15 min
- Cook
- 20 min
- Total
- 35 min
- Original yield
- Serves 4
- Ingredients
- 16 listed
Make it part of your week
Recipe categories & planning details
- Meal type
- Main course
- Cuisine
- Asian
- Preparation & total time
- Prep: 15 minutes or less · Total: 31–60 minutes
A few quick notes
1. Sear in one layer
Keep the steak in a single layer, working in batches if needed so each piece can brown.
2. Cover the cooked beef
Move the browned steak to a plate and cover while the vegetables cook in the same pan.
3. Whisk sauce before adding
Mix cornstarch with the other sauce ingredients in a bowl before pouring it over the beef and vegetables.
Get to know the ingredients
Flank steak
Thinly slice the flank steak before seasoning it with salt and pepper in the hot pan.
Baby corn
Drain and halve the canned baby corn before adding it after the other vegetables become tender.
Chili paste
Sambal oelek is suggested as a chili paste option for whisking into the savory sauce.
Let’s make it
Choose your servings, then check things off as you go.
Original recipe: Serves 4. Original quantities shown.
Check ingredients as you prepare them. These checks stay on this page.
How to make it
0 of 8 steps completeMake room for Hunan Beef
Review ingredients in your pantry before anything is added. Meal plans use your household size; grocery-only additions use the servings selected above.
The last little job
Simmer until glazed
Bring the sauce to a simmer over the steak and vegetables, cooking briefly until thickened before serving.
A little more help as you go
Garlic near the end
Add garlic after the vegetables have softened and the baby corn is stirred in, then cook briefly.
Return beef before sauce
Put the steak back with the vegetables before adding the sauce so everything heats and coats together.
A few questions you might have
Can I cook the steak in batches?
Yes. Keep it in one layer and use multiple batches if needed to brown the thin slices.
When does the baby corn go in?
Stir it in after the broccoli, celery and bell pepper are tender, then add the garlic.
How do I thicken the sauce?
Whisk cornstarch into the sauce ingredients before pouring over the filling, then simmer until thickened.
What chili paste is suggested?
The ingredients suggest a chili paste such as sambal oelek for the sauce poured over the beef.
When should I serve the stir fry?
Serve as soon as the sauce has thickened after its short simmer over the cooked beef and vegetables.
Storage & reheating safety
For cooked, perishable leftovers, refrigerate within 2 hours (1 hour above 90°F), using shallow containers for prompt cooling. Keep the refrigerator at 40°F or below, use refrigerated leftovers within 3–4 days, and reheat hot leftovers to 165°F, checked with a food thermometer. Follow any shorter package limit.
These are general safety limits, not a tested storage or freezing recommendation for this particular dish. USDA leftovers guidance · Safe cooking temperatures
Recipe source: dinneratthezoo.com. Ingredient names and quantities may be adapted for the pantry.
Preparation notes follow the recipe shown here.
