Skip to main content

Black Pepper Beef and Celery Stir-Fry

4.0

(5)

Black Pepper Beef and Celery StirFry recipe
Photograph by Laura Murray, food styling by Rebecca Jurkevich, prop styling by Sophie Strangio

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 garlic cloves, finely grated
2 tsp. finely grated ginger
2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
1 tsp. toasted sesame oil
2 Tbsp. vegetable oil, divided
1 lb. sirloin steak, thinly sliced crosswise
Kosher salt
5 celery stalks, sliced on a diagonal ¼" thick, plus 1 cup leaves
4 scallions, cut crosswise into 1½"–2" pieces
2 Tbsp. low-sodium soy sauce
1 Tbsp. unseasoned rice vinegar
1 Tbsp. unsalted butter, cut into pieces
Cooked rice (for serving)

Preparation

  1. 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.

Read More
Juicy ground chicken and charred cabbage are the stars of this family-friendly meal.
A steak dinner that’s more about the sauce than the meat.
This fast stir-fry dish pairs minced pork and fragrant basil with hot Thai chiles and a crispy fried egg.
We reimagined pork dumplings as a filling for juicy stuffed tomatoes.
Juicy steak, crisp lettuce, and a blender dressing come together for a breezy summer dinner.
Upgrade any cookout—or keep the cooking on the stovetop—with these smashed cast-iron bison burgers, then stack with lemon mayo and a crisp cucumber-onion slaw.
Rehydrating dried cherries in hot water turns them plump and juicy—exactly what you want scattered throughout a rosemary-scented pan sauce for pork chops.
Spiced, tender meatballs get cooked atop a bed of rice pilaf speckled with pistachios and plump golden raisins in this quick, one-pot dinner.