Chinese Style Satay Beef. Sweet, nutty, tender juicy beef marinated in an aromatic satay sauce with lemongrass, ginger, garlic, red chili, and peanuts. Great for dinner or lunch with some steamed rice and vegetables. Ready in 30 minutes or less!
I still remember my first-time having Cantonese satay beef. The flavour was so incredible thanks to the nutty taste from the peanuts. Not to mention the unique refreshing flavour from the lemongrass. And the beef was so juicy and tender! Every bite was pure heaven in my mouth.
So today, I am thrilled to share my satay beef recipe that encompasses everything I’ve described above! I am positive you will enjoy this satay beef stir fry as much as I did and the best part, it was quite easy and came together so quickly.
Easy Homemade Satay Sauce
The satay sauce is completely made from scratch and it's so good because it uses mostly fresh ingredients! Now you won't ever have to buy expensive store bought satay sauce with preservatives!
Easy Chinese Satay Beef Recipe
This Asian satay beef is quite easy to make! You are simply marinating your beef in a velveting marinade to make the meat tender and juicy. Then in a pan, you will fry the beef to brown the edges just a bit. Next you have the option to toss in your favourite veggies (bell peppers are recommended) and then pour your homemade satay sauce over top to simmer for a couple of minutes so the beef absorbs that flavour.
My authentic Chinese satay beef recipe is so saucy and delicious, pairing wonderfully with some hot steamed rice and more veggies, as you wish.
Satay beef is very versatile!
The great thing about this Chinese style satay beef recipe is that it’s so versatile! You can sneak the beef into a sandwich or pair it with some hot soupy noodles like how they do at Hong Kong style cafes, and it will hit the spot!
Check out my Satay Beef Noodle Soup recipe here.
Tips for making Satay Beef
- Use fresh flank steak or grilling beef steak. If you are using a grilling steak with fat along the edges, slice the fat off and tenderize the red part with a meat hammer. Typically, flank steak is used for this recipe.
- Source fresh lemongrass for the best flavour.
- To make things easier in the kitchen, use minced garlic that you can purchase in a container from the Korean or Asian grocer. This will help cut down on time as you prepare the other ingredients.
- If you have a blender, use the blender to blend your satay sauce into a smooth texture. However, if you do not, don’t worry! I did not use a blender for this recipe and the sauce turned out great. It just takes some time to mince the lemongrass.
- Use a non-stick pan or a well-seasoned wok to fry your beef.
- When frying your beef, make sure to brown the edges a bit to give it another level of flavour.
- Once the beef is browned, then it is time to add your veggies (optional).
- Once the beef is 75% cooked (you still see a little bit of red in the middle), pour your satay sauce and cook for a few minutes until mixed. You don’t want to overcook your beef and then add your satay sauce to cook it more.
FAQ
What is Chinese beef satay?
It’s slightly different from your Singapore beef satay recipe or Malaysian beef satay recipe where they usually come on skewers. Cantonese satay beef uses flank steak and is sliced into very thin pieces. Then it is fried with a delicious nutty satay sauce using similar ingredients to the South-East Asian skewer. This version is more on par with Chinese restaurant style satay beef.
What cut of beef for satay?
If you’re making this Chinese style satay beef recipe, then you will need flank steak. If you can’t find flank steak, use a thin grilling steak but slice off the fat and tenderize with a meat hammer.
What is Chinese satay sauce made of?
There are many versions of satay sauce, but my Cantonese version contains:
- Ginger powder
- Peanut butter
- Soy sauce
- Brown sugar
- Lemongrass
- Garlic
- Shallot
- Sesame oil
- Red chili
Other Chinese recipes you may like!
If you enjoy my Chinese beef in satay sauce recipe, you may enjoy these other Chinese recipes:
Satay Beef Noodle Soup
Cantonese Cream Corn Fish
Chinese Salt and Pepper Pork
Chinese Beef Noodle Stir Fry
Five Spice Chicken
For this recipe
You will need the following ingredients for my Chinese satay beef stir fry recipe:
- 500 grams beef
- Optional: 1 red bell pepper, chopped
- Optional: 1 yellow bell pepper, chopped
- 1 teaspoon cooking oil
Beef marinade:
- ¼ teaspoon Baking soda
- 4 teaspoon Soy sauce
- 1 ½ teaspoon Cornstarch
- ½ teaspoon Garlic powder
- 2 teaspoon Water
- ½ tablespoon garlic, minced
Satay Sauce:
- 3 tablespoon peanut butter, smooth kind
- ½ teaspoon Ginger powder
- 2 tablespoon Lemongrass, finely minced
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- 3 tablespoon brown sugar
- One Shallot, minced
- 3 tablespoon soy sauce
- 2 teaspoon Garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon red chili, finely minced
How to make Chinese Satay Beef
- Slice your steak against the grain and very thinly. Tip: if you freeze the steak for 20-30 minutes, this will allow you to slice the steak very thinly. Transfer beef to a mixing bowl.
- To the same mixing bowl, add your beef marinade ingredients. Mix with tongs or your hands and then pack the beef into a ball so that the marinade really soaks into the meat. Set aside.
- In another bowl, whisk together your satay sauce ingredients until well combine. Tip: if you have a blender, add your ingredients to the blender and then blend until smooth. Set aside.
- Next in a non-stick pan set over medium high heat, add cooking oil and your marinated beef. Fry until the edges are brown and the meat is 50-60% cooked, about 5 minutes.
- Optional: Toss in your chopped bell peppers here and fry for 2 minutes.
- Then when the beef is 75% cooked, pour in your satay sauce and mix. Cook for 1-2 minutes until beef is cooked through and not red. Transfer to a serving plate and enjoy!
Give it a try!
Well, I hope you give my Chinese Style Satay Beef a try! It always excites me when you guys make my recipes and I hope this is one you try.
Thanks for visiting my blog! If you enjoyed my traditional Chinese satay beef recipe, please share it with your family and friends or on social media!
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Made this recipe and loved it?
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Take care,
Christie
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Easy Chinese Style Satay Beef
Ingredients
- 500 grams flank beef steak sliced thinly against the grain
- Optional: 1 red bell pepper chopped
- Optional: 1 yellow bell pepper chopped
- 1 teaspoon vegetable oil
Beef marinade:
- ¼ teaspoon Baking soda
- 4 teaspoon regular soy sauce (not dark soy sauce)
- 1 ½ teaspoon Cornstarch
- ½ teaspoon Garlic powder
- 2 teaspoon Water
- ½ tablespoon garlic minced
Satay Sauce:
- ½ teaspoon Ginger powder
- 3 tablespoon Peanut butter smooth kind
- 3 tablespoon regular soy sauce (not dark soy sauce)
- 3 tablespoon Brown sugar
- 2 tablespoon Lemongrass finely minced
- 2 teaspoon Garlic minced
- 1 Shallot minced
- 1 teaspoon Sesame oil
- 1 teaspoon red chili pepper finely minced
Instructions
- Slice your steak against the grain and very thinly. Tip: if you freeze the steak for 20-30 minutes, this will allow you to slice the steak very thinly. Transfer beef to a mixing bowl.
- To the same mixing bowl, add your beef marinade ingredients. Mix with tongs or your hands and then pack the beef into a ball so that the marinade really soaks into the meat. Set aside.
- In another bowl, whisk together your satay sauce ingredients until well combine. Tip: if you have a blender, add your ingredients to the blender and then blend until smooth. Set aside.
- Next in a non-stick pan set over medium high heat, add cooking oil and your marinated beef. Fry until the edges are brown and the meat is 50-60% cooked, about 5 minutes.
- Optional: Toss in your chopped bell peppers here and fry for 2 minutes.
- Then when the beef is 75% cooked, pour in your satay sauce and mix. Cook for 1-2 minutes until beef is cooked through and not red. Transfer to a serving plate and enjoy!
Heidi | The Frugal Girls
That was a really smart tip to help avoid overcooking the beef and I am absolutely loving your homemade satay sauce. YUM!