Preparation
10 minutes
Cooking
20 minutes
Difficulty
Easy
Combine beef and various vegetables to prepare a sweet and sour stir-fried beef dish that is nutritious, visually appealing, and delicious for family meals. Let’s cook with TasteVN to make this delicious stir-fry today!
Ingredients for Sweet and Sour Beef For 2 people
Beef tenderloin 200 gr Onion 1 bulb Tomato 3 fruits Pineapple 1/4 fruit Celery 200 gr Garlic 3 cloves Cooking oil 2 tablespoons Common seasoning A little (salt/ sugar/ seasoning powder/ ground pepper/ monosodium glutamate)
How to choose fresh ingredients
How to choose fresh beef
- You should choose pieces of meat that are bright red, have clear marbling, and the fat should be bright yellow.
- When you touch the piece of beef lightly, it should have a firm texture and good elasticity.
- Do not buy meat that has a foul smell, is mushy, has round white spots between the muscle fibers, or has a pale green color.
- To make this sweet and sour beef dish, you should prioritize buying beef tenderloin or beef fillet, as they cook quickly and tenderly over high heat and do not become chewy when eaten.
How to choose fresh and delicious tomatoes
- Fresh and delicious tomatoes have a bright red outer skin, evenly colored.
- The outer skin is intact, with no scratches and is plump.
- Tomatoes that ripen naturally on the vine often have a mild fragrance.
- It is best to choose tomatoes with the stem still attached to the fruit, with the stem still fresh and not withered.
How to choose fresh and delicious celery
- When buying celery, choose younger stalks for better crunchiness and taste. Look for stalks with bright green leaves, white tender stalks, thick stems, and uniform round stalks.
- Do not buy if the celery appears wilted, has tough old stems, or yellowing leaves, as these indicate old and less tasty vegetables.
How to choose fresh and delicious pineapples
- When buying pineapples, choose those with a mix of yellow and green, which indicates they are ripe but not overripe.
- Round, short pineapples will have more flesh than long, slender ones.
- Choose pineapples with large eyes and spaced eyes as the skin will be thinner, and less flesh will be lost when peeling.
- Additionally, pineapples that are perfectly ripe will have a faint aroma and should be moderately soft when pressed.
- Avoid pineapples that are dark yellow, have a strong smell, or are very soft, as these may be overripe and could be spoiled inside. Also, do not buy overly green pineapples with closed eyes, as these are unripe and very sour.
How to choose fresh and delicious onions
- Good onions have thin, shiny, evenly colored skins, feel dry to the touch, and have a firm, heavy feel when held.
- Avoid buying onions that are sprouting, have uneven colors, or have hard and soft spots.
How to prepare Sweet and Sour Beef Stir-Fry
-
Prepare the beef
Wash the beef with water, then rub it well with salt and rinse again.
To make it easier to cut, place the beef in the freezer refrigerator for 30 minutes, then take it out and slice it thinly against the grain.
Effective methods to eliminate the smell of beef
- To use available ingredients at home, you can take a sufficient amount of salt to rub onto the beef, let it sit for 5 minutes, and then rinse with water to help remove the unpleasant smell.
- Soaking the beef in white wine for 15 minutes and then rinsing with clean water is another option for removing the smell of beef.
- Alternatively, mixing a little lemon juice or vinegar with the beef and letting it sit for a few minutes before rinsing will make the beef taste much better.
- Using roasted ginger, peeling the skin, then grinding it into a paste, rubbing the ginger onto the beef, and rinsing with water will eliminate the smell of beef with the spicy aroma of ginger.
See details: Effective methods to eliminate the smell of beef
-
Prepare other ingredients
Cut the celery stalks, remove the old leaves, wash thoroughly, and cut into bite-sized pieces.
Pineapple, peel it, remove the eyes, wash it clean, then cut into slices about half a finger thick.
Garlic, peel and finely chop.
Onion, peel, wash with tomatoes and then cut them into wedges.
How to cut onions without making your eyes water
- You can cut the onion horizontally to avoid the drops of onion juice splashing into your eyes and causing irritation.
- Use a very sharp knife to cut the onion to reduce the amount of enzymes released that irritate your eyes.
- Soaking the onion in the freezer for 10-15 minutes before cutting is another option you can apply to reduce the amount of acid enzymes released into the air.
See details: 10 tips for cutting onions without making your eyes water
-
Marinate the beef
Put the beef into a bowl and mix well with 1 teaspoon of seasoning, 1/3 teaspoon of monosodium glutamate, 1/2 teaspoon of ground pepper, 1/2 teaspoon of sugar, and 1/2 of the minced garlic.
Marinate for about 15 minutes to let the beef absorb the spices.
-
Stir-fry the beef
Place a pan on the stove, wait for the pan to heat up, then add 1 tablespoon of cooking oil and some remaining minced garlic to sauté until fragrant. Next, add the beef and stir-fry on high heat, stirring quickly for about 3 minutes until the beef just turns a light pink color, then turn off the heat.
Immediately transfer the beef to a plate, and set aside.
Note: Only stir-fry the beef until it’s about 70% cooked, then transfer to the plate; if overcooked, when stir-frying again with vegetables, the beef will be very tough.
-
Stir-fried beef with vegetables
Add 1 tablespoon of cooking oil to the pan along with the remaining minced garlic. Sauté until the garlic and onion are golden and fragrant, then add tomatoes, onions, and pineapple to stir-fry. Season with 2 teaspoons of sugar and 2 teaspoons of seasoning powder, stirring quickly over high heat for about 5 minutes.
When the tomatoes and onions are just cooked, add the previously stir-fried beef, and adjust the seasoning to taste. Stir for an additional 1 – 2 minutes, then add the celery, stir for about another minute, and turn off the stove.
-
Final product
The stir-fried beef is just cooked, so it’s very tender, sweet, not chewy, harmoniously blended with the sweet and sour taste of pineapple and tomatoes, sweet white onions, and crunchy green celery, making it incredibly appealing.
The sweet and sour beef dish is suitable as a main dish for family meals or to entertain guests. When eating, sprinkle some ground pepper to enhance the flavor!
See more
The article above guides how to make sweet and sour stir-fried beef that is delicious, eye-catching, and provides plenty of nutrients for the whole family. Wishing you success in making it!
*Reference source for the recipe and images shared from Facebook: Dạ Thảo.
