Cookbook author Beth Nguyen’s clever take on a classic beef stroganoff recipe is inspired by a memorable meal she had at a classmate’s house in the predominantly white Midwestern town where she grew up. (Read Nguyen’s essay about it here.) A few clever tricks make this version distinctly hers. First, she supplants the usual Worcestershire sauce with fish sauce. “You can’t taste the fish sauce,” Nguyen notes, “but you need it” to deliver a sauce with a powerful umami punch. Next, she replaces wan sliced white button mushrooms with hearty halved and quartered criminis. Finally, she replaces the typical chopped fresh parsley garnish with sliced scallions for a finish with more bite.
“Beef stroganoff has so few rules you don’t have to worry about breaking any,” Nguyen writes. In fact, there are dozens of interpretations of this 1950s staple of Russian origin, including ground beef stroganoff, ones made with cream of mushroom soup, slow-cooker and Crock-Pot renditions—and those that tell you to simply follow the package directions. Done well, it’s one of those main dishes that’s fitting for a dinner party or a weeknight meal with the whole family. The key is to make sure nothing gets overcooked. Nguyen opts for skirt steak over rib eye, beef tenderloin, or sirloin steak, pan-sears it in hunks, and then slices and serves it over the noodles and cream sauce so it stays tender and flavorful. To keep the salt level in check, she uses low-sodium beef stock instead of bouillon. One thing to look out for when making the stroganoff sauce: Sour cream can split if added directly to hot liquid, so mix it separately with a small amount of warm sauce to keep it smooth and produce a luxuriously creamy sauce to spoon over those buttered noodles.
Recipe information
Total Time
40 minutes
Yield
4 Servings
Ingredients
4
2
8
1
2
4
1
2
¼
2
1
¼
Preparation
Step 1
Heat 2 Tbsp. oil and 1 Tbsp. butter in a large skillet over medium-high until butter is melted. Cook mushrooms, tossing occasionally, until browned and tender, about 5 minutes. Season with salt, then transfer to a plate.
Step 2
Combine 1 Tbsp. oil and remaining 1 Tbsp. butter in same skillet. Season steak generously with salt and pepper. Cook until well browned, 3–4 minutes per side for medium-rare, depending on thickness. Transfer to another plate; wipe out skillet.
Step 3
Reduce heat to medium and pour remaining 1 Tbsp. oil into pan. Cook shallots, stirring often, until softened, about 2 minutes. Add garlic; cook, stirring, until softened, about 1 minute. Add tomato paste and cook, stirring constantly, until slightly darkened in color, about 2 minutes. Add flour and cook, stirring often to coat shallots and garlic, until toasty smelling, about 3 minutes. Add wine; cook, scraping up browned bits, until evaporated, about 1 minute. Add broth, fish sauce, and any liquid from mushrooms (leave mushrooms behind). Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce heat; simmer, stirring occasionally, until sauce coats a spoon, 12–15 minutes.
Step 4
Slice steak against the grain. Place sour cream in a small heatproof bowl and gradually whisk in 1 cup sauce. Stir back into sauce in skillet. Taste and season with more salt or fish sauce if needed. Stir in mushrooms. Serve sauce over noodles, topped with steak and scallions.
Editor’s note: This recipe was originally published in our April 2021 issue and first appeared online in March 2021. Check out more beef recipes over here →
Leave a Review
Reviews (148)
Back to TopThis might be beef stroganoff, but there ain't nothing russian about it. Perhaps it tastes good, but I will never know because I hate tortured "inspired" attempts to improve ethnic dishes that have worked for decades. How does one know how to cook better than the people who created a cuisine or dish. Any beef stroganov that uses rice or pasta is a fake to appeal to those who cannot handle the robustness of the traditional dish. Ever see any rice fields in russia? This was a peasant dish. How much wheat do you think they had to make pasta. And tomatoes? Seriously? If you've ever had it you know that the dish needs no help with umani. Don't breaks things that are working fine. Do the real thing
Capt Dave
Chicago IL
3/16/2021
I haven’t tried it yet, but the addition of fish sauce doesn’t seem to me to be outlandish. In fact I use it often in recipes that don’t call for it as if adds a layer of flavor. I’m sure it does the same to this 50s recipe. Trying new and different variations to old recipes is nothing to be afraid of, but rather encouraged for those with a flair for cooking.
Carole Ann
Kemptville, Ontario
3/16/2021
Wow, that comment from Capt Dave seems extremely xenophobic.
Anonymous
3/17/2021
Lovely story, and your rendition of the classic sounds delicious, creative fusion cuisine. Not for the chauvinistic among us.
Anonymous
3/17/2021
I love all kinds of Beef Stroganoff. I think Capt Dave is wound a bit tight. Can't wait to try it with Fish Sauce.
Tom
Washington DC
3/17/2021
Great rendition of the recipe. Clowns like captain dave can go choke.
Stnkwiaz
Vietnam
3/17/2021
Made this tonight with my friend and we were in absolute heaven. Was nostalgic and divine. Glad Captain Dave spends his time hating on amazing things because I really don't think he deserves them.
Doctor Captain Anna Esquire
Prague
3/17/2021