There are the week nights when I’m too lazy to cook and grab a quick dinner out. Then there are the nights when I just want to get home and don’t even want to leave the house again for food. A quick stir fry on those nights are my usual solution and weekend prep is key. Whenever I buy large chunks of meat on the weekend, I spend the time to cut and separate portions into Ziploc bags before tossing them in the freezer. All I have to do is defrost one portion, slice up some vegetables and dinner is ready.
Chayote belongs to the gourd family and can be found in most Asian grocery stores. The texture of the flesh is crisp, full of water and can be eaten raw in slaws or salsa. I prefer my chayote sliced thin and cooked to just soft.
- 2 large chayote
- 1 cup beef flank steak, sliced
- 4 cloves of garlic, minced
- 1 tbsp of oyster sauce
- 1 tbsp of Chinese cooking wine
- 1 tbsp of corn starch
- 1 1/2 tbsp of soy sauce
- A pinch of white pepper
- Cut chayote in half and take out the core. This can be done easily using a metal spoon. Slice the chayote into slices of even thickness.
- Add the oyster sauce, soy sauce, corn starch, white pepper and cooking wine to the beef flank. Stir together all the ingredients and set aside.
- Oil the wok, add in the minced garlic and salt.
- Once the oil is hot*, add in the sliced chayote and stir fry until the flesh turns just translucent.
- Remove the chayote from the wok and set aside.
- Add more oil to the wok and saute the beef flank to the desired doneness.
- Put the cooked chayote back into wok, toss together with beef and serve.
- Tip: To test if the oil is hot, touch the oil with the tip of a dry wooden chopstick. When the oil is hot, bubbles will form around the chopstick.
Step by Step Photos
Assemble the ingredients
Slice and core the chayote
Season the beef flank
Stir together the beef and seasoning
Add oil, garlic and salt to the wok
Once the oil is hot, add in the chayote and cook until the flesh turns just translucent
Remove the chayote and set aside, re-oil the wok
Stir fry the beef to desired doneness and add chayote back to wok, toss together and serve
[…] to the Chayote stir fry post, this recipe offers the basic flavours and steps to create a quick stir fry. The vegetables […]