The secret to stir-fry success? Have all your ingredients prepped and ready to go, as this dish takes just minutes to come together in the pan. Senior food editor Andy Baraghani also recommends using a very hot pan to let the beef brown properly and cook quickly. If you’re looking for another crunchy veg besides celery, chopped bok choy or cabbage also work well in this mix.
Recipe information
Yield
4 Servings
Ingredients
3
2
2
1
2
1
5
4
2
1
1
Preparation
Step 1
Whisk garlic, ginger, pepper, sesame oil, and 1 Tbsp. vegetable oil in a medium bowl. Add beef, season with salt, and toss to coat.
Step 2
Heat remaining 1 Tbsp. oil in a large cast-iron skillet over high. Wait until you see some wisps of smoke—if it’s not hot enough, the meat will steam instead of getting deeply browned—then, working in batches if needed, arrange steak in skillet in an even layer (it’s okay to crowd it a bit) and cook, pressing down on pieces to ensure good contact with the pan, until brown around the edges, about 1 minute. Turn steak over and add sliced celery and scallions. Cook, tossing often, until celery is slightly tender but still has some good crunch and scallions are lightly charred, about 2 minutes.
Step 3
Remove skillet from heat and add soy sauce, vinegar, butter, and 3 Tbsp. water. Toss, until butter is melted and sauce coats steak (still off heat). Add celery leaves and toss until slightly wilted. Season with more salt if needed.
Step 4
Divide rice among bowls and top with beef stir-fry.
How would you rate Black Pepper Beef and Celery Stir-Fry?
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Reviews (64)
Back to TopLove this dish. Do microwaved rice or instant farro and it's ready in twenty minutes. I double the sauce so it seeps into the grain really well and add a head of broccoli, or bok choy, or bell pepper to make it bigger.
Kendyl E
Massachusetts
6/5/2024
I didn't have steak and am looking to cut back meat intake anyway so I used a half pound of ground pork and doubled the veg, and it came out great! The garlic/ginger/pepper/sesame mixture for the meat is what makes this pop. The soy sauce mix at the end was a bit underwhelming, but it was good. The balance was right, I think it just needed something like a touch of sugar or maybe some more sesame. Anyway, this is a great base to build off of and I'd recommend it! Very quick and easy!
Doug
3/24/2024
This is one of those recipe gems that hits all the right marks. The ingredients are readily available, the dish is easy and quick, and the taste is delicious. It's also a good base for other protein or vegetables. Everyone wanted a second helping.
Anonymous
North Carolina
11/17/2023
So yummy and easy to make!
Anonymous
Denver, CO
11/25/2022
Very nice. Made with flank steak but otherwise followed to a "T". Fun way to promote celery into the foreground of a recipe. Both of my teenagers ate it.
Annette H.
Sparks, MD
2/7/2022
Made this tonight. Used some homemade stock and a bit of Bragg's Aminos in the sauce. Skipped the butter. Served it with brown rice. It was delicious! Simple and tasty. I will definitely make this again.
AnnaRaven
Sillycon Valley
1/5/2022
great simple recipe! I added julienned red bell pepper in with the celery and it turned out well. Overall, the flavor was bland as other reviewers mentioned, so I added more black pepper and noticed the flavor was much more intense in leftovers the next day.
Anonymous
Washington DC
7/17/2021