Hunan Beef

This homemade Hunan Beef is one of my favorite one-pan meals. It’s got juicy, marinated flank steak in a rich, savory sauce, with fresh peppers and a little heat. Whether you serve it with steamed rice, steamed vegetables, or enjoy it on its own, this delicious dish will become a regular in your meal rotation!

🫑 What Makes This Recipe So Good

• This beef stir fry has an incredible amount of flavor! There’s a little heat from the peppers, a little sweetness from the sauce, and a little umami from the marinade.
• At first glance you might think Hunan Beef is a really involved recipe that’s going to take a while to prepare, but it actually comes together really quickly! The most time consuming part is the 30 minute window where the steak marinates. The actual cooking only takes about 15 minutes!
• Our adaptation of Hunan Beef lands closer to the Americanized version you’re likely to find in your local restaurant than an authentic, Chinese version. For a truly authentic Hunan Beef, try this recipe from The Woks of Life.

👩🏼‍🍳 Chef’s Tips

• You can substitute other peppers for the Fresno peppers if you like. Some peppers, like poblanos, are more mild. Others, like serrano peppers, are much hotter. You could also use a mixture of peppers to balance things out.
• The light cornstarch coating helps the steak strips crisp up in the pan, and it locks in some of the steak’s moisture so it stays nice and juicy. You can skip the cornstarch if you want or need to, or you can try substituting arrowroot powder, rice flour, or xanthan gum.
• To ensure the peppers cook evenly, chop them into similarly-sized pieces. If the sizes vary too much, you’ll have some peppers that are overcooked while others are barely cooked at all!
• When you first fry the flank steak, it’s important to place them in the frying pan in one even layer. If the pan is overcrowded, the steak won’t crisp up properly, and the cornstarch coating could get a little slimy. Trust me, no one wants slimy Hunan Beef. Work in multiple batches if you need to so that doesn’t happen! Having the oil good and hot before adding the steak will help it crisp up perfectly, too.

🍜 Try These Other Asian-Inspired Recipes, Too

• Beef Lo Mein
• Air Fryer Dumplings (from Frozen)
• Japanese Salad Dressing
• Szechuan Chicken
• Seaweed Salad
• Air Fryer Chicken Katsu
• Salt and Pepper Tofu
• Instant Pot Orange Chicken
• Whole30 Sushi – Spicy Salmon Roll (Low Carb, Paleo, Keto Friendly)
• Beef Pad Thai

Recipe By: Cheryl Malik

Hunan Beef

Prep 15 minutes minutes

Cook 20 minutes minutes

Marinate 30 minutes minutes

Total 1 hour hour 5 minutes minutes

Juicy, marinated flank steak in a rich, savory sauce, with plenty of fresh peppers and a little bit of heat.

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4 servings

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Equipment

• large mixing bowl with lid or plastic wrap to cover
• whisk
• small mixing bowl
• Large bowl
• Large skillet or large wok
• Tongs

Ingredients

For the Marinade

• ▢ 1 tablespoon avocado oil
• ▢ 1 teaspoon oyster sauce
• ▢ 2 tablespoons water

For the Steak

• ▢ 1 pound flank steak sliced into ¼-inch-thick strips

For the Sauce

• ▢ 3 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
• ▢ 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
• ▢ 1 teaspoon rice vinegar

For the Hunan Beef

• ▢ ¼ cup cornstarch
• ▢ ¼ cup neutral oil avocado oil, olive oil, etc.
• ▢ 1 1-inch-long piece fresh ginger thinly sliced
• ▢ 2 large shallots thinly sliced
• ▢ 4 large cloves garlic minced
• ▢ 3 medium fresno peppers approximately 1 ounce each, thinly sliced
• ▢ 1 small green bell pepper approximately 3 ounces; chopped, stem and seeds removed
• ▢ 1 small red bell pepper approximately 3 ounces; chopped, stem and seeds removed
• ▢ 2 scallions chopped

Serving Suggestions (All Optional)

• ▢ white rice

Instructions

For the Marinade

• Add 1 tablespoon avocado oil, 1 teaspoon oyster sauce, and 2 tablespoons water to large mixing bowl. Whisk ingredients together until fully incorporated.

To Marinate the Steak

• Add 1 pound flank steak to bowl of marinade. Gently stir or toss steak in marinade until all pieces are fully coated.
• Cover bowl with lid or plastic wrap and place in refrigerator. Marinate steak 30 minutes.

For the Sauce

• Toward end of marinating time, add 3 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce, 1 teaspoon granulated sugar, and 1 teaspoon rice vinegar to small mixing bowl. Whisk ingredients together until fully incorporated, then set bowl aside.

For the Hunan Beef

• After steak has marinated 30 minutes, remove bowl from refrigerator and uncover. Transfer marinated steak to second large bowl and discard any remaining marinade.
• Sprinkle ¼ cup cornstarch over marinated steak. Gently toss or stir steak to lightly coat all pieces with cornstarch. Set aside.
• Place large skillet or wok on stovetop over medium-high heat. When pan is warm, add ¼ cup neutral oil. Continue heating pan until oil is hot and shimmery, swirling and tilting pan as needed to distribute oil across surface.
• When oil is hot, place steak in skillet in one even layer, being careful not to overcrowd pan. Work in batches as needed depending on size of pan.
• Pan-fry steak 2 to 3 minutes or until browned and crispy on bottom. Flip steak strips over and pan-fry on other side approximately 1 to 2 minutes or until browned, crispy, and cooked through.
• Once steak is fully cooked, transfer to large plate and set aside. Repeat with any remaining slices of steak until all have been cooked through.
• Drain skillet, leaving 2 tablespoons neutral oil in pan. Return pan to stovetop and reduce heat to medium.
• Add 1 1-inch-long piece fresh ginger to skillet. Sauté ginger until fragrant, approximately 1 to 2 minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking or burning.
• When ginger is fragrant, add 2 large shallots and 4 large cloves garlic to pan. Stir to incorporate then sauté until fragrant, approximately 1 to 2 minutes, stirring occasionally.
• When shallots and garlic are fragrant, add 3 medium fresno peppers. Sauté peppers 30 to 60 seconds, stirring frequently.
• Add 1 small green bell pepper and 1 small red bell pepper to pan and stir to incorporate. Cook peppers 2 to 3 minutes, stirring constantly, until peppers have softened slightly.
• Return steak strips to pan. Pour in prepared sauce, then add 2 scallions. Stir all ingredients together until coated in sauce, then reduce heat to medium-low and simmer mixture until sauce has been completely absorbed.

To Serve

• Divide prepared Hunan beef into desired portion sizes and transfer to serving plates or bowls. Serve hot with white rice if desired.

• Sugar: You can use coconut sugar instead if desired.
• Make it Vegetarian/Vegan: Use tofu instead of flank steak and use vegetarian/vegan oyster sauce.
• Make it Gluten Free: Use coconut aminos in place of the soy sauce. 
• Make it Keto: Use Swerve or monk fruit in place of the sugar, and 2-3 tablespoons xanthan gum instead of cornstarch. Use coconut aminos or keto-friendly fish sauce (like Red Boat) instead of oyster sauce.

Nutrition Info

Approximate Information for One Serving

Serving Size: 1 servingCalories: 382calProtein: 27gFat: 23gSaturated Fat: 4gCholesterol: 68mgSodium: 540mgPotassium: 642mgTotal Carbs: 17gFiber: 2gSugar: 5gNet Carbs: 15gVitamin A: 1034IUVitamin C: 73mgCalcium: 49mgIron: 2mg

Nutrition Disclaimers

Number of total servings shown is approximate. Actual number of servings will depend on your preferred portion sizes.

Nutritional values shown are general guidelines and reflect information for 1 serving using the ingredients listed, not including any optional ingredients. Actual macros may vary slightly depending on specific brands and types of ingredients used.

To determine the weight of one serving, prepare the recipe as instructed. Weigh the finished recipe, then divide the weight of the finished recipe (not including the weight of the container the food is in) by the desired number of servings. Result will be the weight of one serving.

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