Name: Super Quick Sesame Beef and Asparagus
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 25 min
Yield: 6
Cuisine: Asian Inspired
Ingredients: 1 to 1 1/2 pounds thinly sliced steak; 2 cloves minced garlic; 2 tsp freshly grated ginger root; 3 tbsp oyster sauce, reduced sodium version if available; 3 tbsp low sodium soy sauce; 1 tsp Chinese 5 Spice Powder; 3 tbsp rice wine vinegar; 1/2 tsp black pepper; 4 tbsp brown sugar; 1 tbsp toasted sesame oil, more or less to taste; 1 tbsp corn starch; 1/4 cup beef stock, or water; 3 tbsp toasted sesame seeds; 1/2 pound or more of fresh asparagus; 3/4 cup sliced water chestnuts

Jump to recipe if you like, but be sure to read the whole post for instructional photos & other tips.

Super Quick Sesame Beef and Asparagus. Ready-in-minutes workday dinners don’t get much tastier than this quick and easy recipe.

Easy Sesame Beef and Asparagus

In this particular recipe, unlike many sesame beef recipes, you will notice that I do not pre-marinate the beef. Instead, I prefer to use better cuts of beef to ensure it is tender.

Slicing the steak

Cuts like prime rib, strip loin or even tenderloin steak are all excellent for quick stir-frying without getting tough. Prime rib, thinly sliced before cooking for example, is commonly used in super tender Philly Cheesesteak Sandwiches.

Our cheesesteak recipe also comes with a recipe for the best cheesesteak rolls. Be sure to check out that recipe too.

With such strong flavours in recipes like these I sometimes think that the flavour of the beef gets lost when marinating.

So, many times, I prefer just to prepare the meat and sauces separately and then bring them together briefly at the end.

This recipe definitely is a good example of this concept. The flavour of the beef is still quite distinct even in the presence of the bold flavour of the sauce.

Bunch of fresh asparagus on wooden table

If fresh broccoli is not available substitute another green vegetable.

If fresh asparagus is not available, I would use another suitable green vegetable. Broccoli, brussel sprouts, green beans or snow peas all come to mind as good choices.

For more tried and true recipes, check out this collection of our 25 Most Popular Recipes since Rock Recipes began back in 2007.

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Originally published October 2013.

Super Quick Sesame Beef and Asparagus

Yield: 6 servings

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes

Total Time: 25 minutes

Super Quick Sesame Beef and Asparagus - ready-in-minutes workday dinners don't get much tastier than this quick and easy recipe.

Ingredients

1 to 1 1/2 pounds thinly sliced steak
2 cloves minced garlic
2 tsp freshly grated ginger root
3 tbsp oyster sauce, reduced sodium version if available
3 tbsp low sodium soy sauce
1 tsp Chinese 5 Spice Powder
3 tbsp rice wine vinegar
1/2 tsp black pepper
4 tbsp brown sugar
1 tbsp toasted sesame oil, more or less to taste
1 tbsp corn starch
1/4 cup beef stock, or water
3 tbsp toasted sesame seeds
1/2 pound or more of fresh asparagus
3/4 cup sliced water chestnuts

Instructions

Cut the asparagus into 1 1/2 inch pieces and blanch in boiling salted water for only 3 to 4 minutes.
Drain the asparagus and immediately plunge it into ice water to stop the cooking and preserve its color. (You can use broccoli or green beans here if you prefer but use the same cooking method for them too.)
After a minute, drain the ice water off of the asparagus and set it aside.
Heat a wok over very high heat. Add 2 tbsp of peanut or regular sesame oil and quickly stir fry the steak slices for only 1 to 2 minutes.
Remove the beef from the wok and set aside while you prepare the sauce.
To the wok, add the ginger, oyster sauce, soy sauce, 5 spice powder, rice wine vinegar, black pepper, brown sugar and toasted sesame oil. Bring to a boil for only a minute.
Dissolve the corn starch in the water and add to the simmering sauce in the wok, stirring constantly until the sauce thickens.
Add the beef back to the sauce along with the blanched asparagus and water chestnuts.
Simmer only for another minute or so until the beef, water chestnuts and asparagus are heated through. Serve over steamed rice or your favorite Chinese noodles.
Sprinkle on the toasted sesame seeds when serving.

Super Quick Sesame Beef and Asparagus