Hunan Beef

Made with tender flank steak, fresh vegetables, and a tangy, slightly spicy Hunan sauce, this recipe for Hunan Beef is a healthier spin on a favorite Chinese-American take-out dish.

What is Hunan Beef?

Hunan Beef originates from the Hunan region in China. Classically, it is made with dried beef, tons of chiles, and fermented black beans.

The Hunan Beef that you order from your favorite restaurant, while still inspired by the classic flavors, has been toned down significantly in spice level and made with more readily found ingredients.

This recipe is a copycat version of the wildly popular Chinese-American Hunan Beef. And just like my recipe for Hunan Chicken, it is easy to make and made with ingredients you can find at any grocery store. If you are looking for authentic Chinese Hunan Beef, check out this recipe from Woks of Life. Just be warned that while delicious, you may need to take a trip to an Asian market to find the ingredients needed for authentic Hunan Beef.

Notes on Ingredients

• Flank Steak: Instead of using dried, smoked beef, this American version of Hunan Beef calls for flank steak. Flank steak when sliced thin, as this recipe directs, cooks up quickly and is incredibly tender.
• Vegetables: This recipe adds broccoli, bell peppers, and onions for texture, nutrients, and flavor. Feel free to use any quick-cooking, sturdy vegetables you like.
• Oil: Use canola, vegetable, or peanut oil for pan-frying, as they all have a high smoking point and are well-suited to stir-fries.
• Soy Sauce: Use low-sodium soy sauce to keep the level of sodium lower in this recipe.
• Oyster Sauce: Oyster Sauce has such a rich punch of flavor, but if you don't have it on hand, you can use Hoisin. Keep in mind that some brands of oyster sauce contain MSG. If you need/want to avoid MSG, Kikkoman Oyster Sauce is made without added MSG.
• Chili Paste: Use chili paste, not chili sauce, as they are not the same ingredients. Chili paste, or sambal oelek, is made from ground chiles and will give this dish its authentic kick, while chili sauce is made from tomato sauce, vinegar, and sugar.
• Honey: Just a touch of sweetness helps to balance out the acidity and heat in this sauce. Feel free to use brown sugar in place of the honey.
• Cornstarch: The cornstarch helps the Hunan Sauce to thicken. If you have an allergy to corn, feel free to use arrowroot powder in place of cornstarch.
• For Serving: While not necessary, it is classic to serve Hunan Beef over a bed of rice and top it with green onions for a nice punch of fresh flavor. I love to prepare Instant Pot Brown Rice or Instant Pot Jasmine Rice while the beef is cooking, for an effortless meal.

How to Make Hunan Beef

• Place your flank steak into the freezer for 10 minutes. This will help make it easier to cut into thin slices, which is essential for quick-cooking, tender beef.
• While the beef is in the freezer, use this time to chop the vegetables and prepare the sauce, as the dish will come together quite quickly once you begin the cooking process.
• To prepare the Hunan Sauce, whisk together beef broth, soy sauce, oyster sauce, rice vinegar, honey, chili paste, and cornstarch in a small bowl until the cornstarch is fully dissolved. Set aside.

• Remove the beef from the freezer and slice it into ¼-inch thick slices, going against the grain. Season the meat evenly with salt and pepper.

• Heat the oil in a large pan over high heat.
• When a drop of water sizzles when added to the oil, the oil has heated enough to begin stir-frying the beef. Add the steak to the pan in a single layer. It is really important not to crowd the pan so that the beef sears evenly. If needed, cook in batches.
• Cook for 3-4 minutes per side or until browned. Remove the seared beef from the pan and place it on a plate.

• Add the broccoli, peppers, and onion to the pan. Cook for 4-5 minutes or until the vegetables are just slightly tender.
• Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds more. That will ensure the garlic will not burn, which can run a dish fast.

• Add the beef back to the pan with the vegetables and then pour the prepared Hunan Sauce over the beef and vegetables.
• Bring the mixture to a gentle boil, and cook for just a couple of minutes to allow the sauce to thicken.

• Serve the Hunan Beef over rice and top with sliced green onions if desired.

Recipe Modifications

• Gluten-Free Hunan Beef: To make this stir-fry gluten-free, use gluten-free beef broth, gluten-free soy sauce, and gluten-free oyster sauce. Pay special attention to the soy sauce and oyster sauce, as they often contain wheat products.
• Heat-Level: Because you are making Hunan Beef yourself, you can control the level of spiciness. As written this dish has a mild kick. If you would like a more mild level of spice, cut the chili paste to just 1 teaspoon. To increase the spice level, add an additional teaspoon of chili paste to the Hunan Sauce.
• Vegetable Options: If you don't care for peppers or broccoli, other great options are shelled edamame, carrots, canned baby corn, or zucchini.

More Asian-Inspired Recipes

• Moo Goo Gai Pan
• Vegetable Fried Rice
• Chicken Katsu
• Shrimp Stir-Fry
• Spring Rolls
• Vegetarian Lettuce Wraps

Need more inspiration for planning meals that your family will love? Sign up for my FREE Meal Plans and each week you will get a meal plan with a shopping list.

If you tried this recipe for Hunan Beef, I would love for you to leave a comment and review below.

Hunan Beef

Made tender flank steak, fresh vegetables, and a tangy, slightly spicy Hunan sauce, this recipe for Hunan Beef is a healthier spin on a favorite Chinese-American take-out dish.

5 from 5 votes

Print Pin Rate

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Asian, Chinese

Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes minutes

Freezing Beef: 10 minutes minutes

Total Time: 30 minutes minutes

Servings: 4

Calories: 241kcal

Author: Kristen Chidsey

Ingredients

For the Stir Fry

• ▢ 1 pound beef flank steak
• ▢ ½ teaspoon salt
• ▢ ¼ teaspoon pepper
• ▢ 1 tablespoon canola oil
• ▢ 1 cup broccoli florets chopped
• ▢ 1 medium red bell pepper chopped
• ▢ 1 medium green bell pepper chopped
• ▢ 1 medium onion diced
• ▢ 2 teaspoons minced garlic

Hunan Sauce

• ▢ ½ cup low-sodium beef broth
• ▢ 2 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
• ▢ 2 tablespoons oyster sauce
• ▢ 2 teaspoons rice vinegar
• ▢ 1 teaspoon honey or brown sugar
• ▢ 2 teaspoons chili paste such as sambal oelek
• ▢ 2 teaspoons cornstarch

For Serving

• ▢ Steamed Rice
• ▢ Green Onions

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Instructions

• Place the flank steak into the freezer for 10 minutes, this will help make it easier to cut into thin slices. Remove the beef from the freezer and slice it into ¼-inch thick slices, going against the grain. Season the meat evenly with salt and pepper.
• Prepare the Hunan Sauce by whisking together beef broth, soy sauce, oyster sauce, rice vinegar, honey, chili paste, and cornstarch in a small bowl until the cornstarch is fully dissolved. Set aside.
• Heat the oil in a large pan over high heat. Once the oil sizzles when a drop of water is added add the steak to the pan in a single layer–don’t crowd the pan. Cook in batches if needed. Cook for 3-4 minutes per side or until browned. Remove the seared beef from the pan and place it on a plate.
• If the skillet is dry, add 1 teaspoon of additional canola oil. Add the broccoli, peppers, and onion to the pan. Cook for 4-5 minutes or until the vegetables are just slightly tender. Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds more.
• Add the beef back to the pan with the vegetables.
• Whisk the reserved sauce again to be sure fully incorporated, and then pour the sauce over the beef and vegetables. Bring the mixture to a gentle boil, and cook for 1-2 minutes or until sauce has thickened.
• Serve over rice with chopped green onions.

Notes

Cornstarch: If you have an allergy to corn, feel free to use an equal amount of arrowroot powder in place of the cornstarch.

Oyster Sauce: Oyster Sauce has such a rich punch of flavor, but if you don't have it on hand, you can use Hoisin. Keep in mind that some brands of oyster sauce contain MSG. If you need/want to avoid MSG, Kikkoman Oyster Sauce is made without added MSG.

Chili Paste: Use chili paste, such as sambal oelek, not chili sauce or Sriracha. 

Gluten-Free Hunan Beef: Use gluten-free beef broth, gluten-free soy sauce, and gluten-free oyster sauce. 

Heat-Level: If you would like a more mild level of spice, cut the chili paste to just 1 teaspoon. To increase the spice level, add an additional teaspoon of chili paste to the Hunan Sauce.

Vegetable Options: If you don't care for peppers or broccoli, other great options are shelled edamame, carrots, canned baby corn, or zucchini.

Time Saving Tip: Chop the vegetables and whisk together the sauce while the beef is in the freezer. 

Leftovers: Store leftover Hunan Beef in an airtight container for up to 3 days in the refrigerator and reheat in a dry skillet until warmed through or in a heat-safe dish in the microwave in 30-second intervals until warmed through.

Nutrition

Calories: 241kcal | Carbohydrates: 11g | Protein: 27g | Fat: 9g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 68mg | Sodium: 751mg | Potassium: 725mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 1190IU | Vitamin C: 85mg | Calcium: 55mg | Iron: 2mg

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