How to Make Crispy, Appetizing Stir-fried Beef with Corn Kernels

Marinate the beef

After slicing the beef into thin pieces, you marinate it with a bit of seasoning to enhance its tender and savory flavor. For 200g of beef, you should marinate it with:

• 1 teaspoon of seasoning
• 1 teaspoon of sugar
• 1 teaspoon of oyster sauce
• 1 tablespoon of cooking oil

The cooking oil and sugar will help to soften the beef and prevent it from releasing too much juice during stir-frying which can make the meat dry.

Prepare baby corn and other ingredients

Ingredients such as baby corn, snow peas, green garlic... should be cleaned carefully by soaking in salt water, then drained.

Trim off the top and bottom of the baby corn. If the ear is long, you can cut it into halves or thirds for easier consumption. 

Snow peas should be peeled on both sides.

Peel the carrots, wash them, cut into pieces or carve into flower shapes to enhance the aesthetics of the stir-fry. The thickness of the carrot should be around 0.3cm.

For these types of vegetables, you should blanch them in hot boiling water, then quickly stir-fry to maintain their crisp sweetness and vivid colors without wilting due to prolonged frying.

Boil a pot of water, when the water boils, blanch the baby corn for about 1 minute. For the blanching process, you should blanch the white-colored vegetables first, followed by neutral-colored ones and then the brightly colored ones. After blanching the baby corn, remove it from the water, then blanch the carrots for about 30 seconds. Finally, quickly blanch the snow peas for about 20 seconds.

Quickly remove the blanched vegetables and rinse under cold running water to maintain their crispness and vibrant color. This is the simplest way and has the same effect as soaking them in cold ice water. After rinsing, drain the vegetables thoroughly.

After preparing the vegetables, mince the garlic and ginger.

Soak the shiitake mushrooms until they become soft, wash them, then slice or cut into bite-size pieces.

Cut green garlic into small pieces of about 1-2cm. Slice the chili diagonally.

Cooking baby corn stir-fry with beef

Add a bit of cooking oil to the pan, sauté the ginger and half of the minced garlic until fragrant, then add the beef and stir-fry.

Stir-fry the beef over high heat until medium-rare, then transfer to a separate plate. Later, when the baby corn and other ingredients are almost done, add the beef back in, stir quickly and it's done. This way, the beef will stay moist and tender, never tough or dry.

Next, sauté the remaining minced garlic. When the garlic turns golden and fragrant, add the vegetables and stir-fry. Stir-fry over high heat to keep the vegetables crispy and sweet, and to retain their vibrant colors.

When the vegetables are evenly coated with oil, season to taste with seasoning, MSG, and oyster sauce.

Since the vegetables have already been blanched, after seasoning, you just need to quickly stir-fry them over high heat for a bit over 1 minute. If you prefer softer vegetables, you can stir-fry them longer and at lower heat.

When the vegetables are almost done, add in the green garlic and chili. Stir evenly, then add the beef. Season with some fish sauce to taste.

Stir quickly for about 10-12 more seconds, sprinkle some ground pepper, stir well and turn off the heat.

The baby corn stir-fry with beef is aromatic, visually appealing, with crispy, sweet and brightly colored vegetables, and the beef is tender, moist, and sweet. An attractive stir-fry in both flavor and appearance, and nutritious as well.