Beef Teriyaki Stir Fry
My go-to stir fry recipe with REAL (i.e. authentic Japanese) teriyaki sauce!
I’ve lived in Japan for 3 years now, and taken many Japanese cooking classes. Teriyaki is a Japanese word that refers to a cooking method…not just a sauce. “Teri” means luster, and “yaki” means grilled, broiled, or pan-fried. So essentially teriyaki refers to any grilled/broiled/pan-fried food with a shiny glaze. In Western cultures, ‘teriyaki’ has evolved to mean a specific Japanese style sauce. I’ve seen many so-called versions out there of “real, homemade teriyaki sauce” using ingredients such as apple cider vinegar or rice wine vinegar, sesame oil, and even ones with chicken broth! And while I know that these recipes are probably delicious and healthier than any bottled teriyaki sauce from the store, I can’t help but shake my head and cringe when they call this teriyaki sauce. Did you know that in Japan you can’t buy a premade jar of teriyaki sauce? That’s because they make it with 4 basic pantry ingredients: sake, mirin, soy sauce, and sugar. That’s it!
Okay…this recipe is mostly authentic. I prefer a thicker sauce so I add cornstarch to thicken. I like to swap out the refined sugar for maple syrup. I also love the flavor profile of adding minced garlic and ginger to my stir fry and I finish the dish with a little sesame oil. All of these swaps produce a slightly different flavor profile and a slight deviation to a traditional Japanese teriyaki cooking method, but I still consider this teriyaki recipe more authentic than other beef teriyaki recipes you’ll find on the internet.
And that’s the fun and beauty of cooking…having the freedom to do what you like and adapt recipes to your liking! With that being said, I hope you enjoy my twist on an authentic Japanese Beef Teriyaki Stir Fry.
Ingredients:
1 lb beef, thinly sliced (use flat steak or flank steak)
2-4 Tbsp avocado oil, (for sautéing veggies/meat)
2-3 carrots, sliced
2 small heads of broccoli, cut into bite sized florets
8 oz mushrooms (any kind will work), sliced
2-4 garlic cloves, minced
1-2 inches of ginger, minced
4 green onion stems, sliced
1 Tbsp sesame oil, as a finishing oil (optional)
Sesame seeds, for garnish (optional)
2 cups uncooked rice, cooked in rice cooker or per instructions
For the sauce:
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup sake
1/4 cup mirin
2 Tbsp maple syrup
2 Tbsp cornstarch
Instructions:
Start cooking your rice either in a rice cooker or on the stove top per instructions.
Slice the carrots, mushrooms, and green onions. Chop the broccoli into bite size pieces. Mince the garlic and ginger. Thinly slice beef (easier to cut when partly frozen!)
Heat 2 Tbsp avocado oil in a saute pan. Add beef and cook the beef until desired doneness. Remove beef from pan and set aside.
Heat 2 Tbsp more of avocado oil in the same pan. Add broccoli and carrots and sauté for 4 or 5 minutes until they begin to soften. Add mushrooms, garlic, ginger and most of the green onions (save some for garnish).
While veggies are sautéing, add soy sauce, mirin, sake and maple syrup into a bowl and whisk in the corn starch.
When vegetables are done, add the beef back into the saute pan and pour in sauce. Mix together and simmer until sauce thickens.
Drizzle sesame oil onto the stir fry.
Serve over rice and garnish with sesame seeds and green onion.
