Name: Beef in Plum Sauce Recipe
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 5 min
Total time: 20 min
Yield: 4
Cuisine: Asian Inspired
Ingredients: Approximately 1.5 pounds lean beef, cut in thin strips roughly 2-inches long, all fat trimmed and discarded.; 1/4 of 1 red onion, cut in thin strips or 2 scallions cut in 2-inch pieces; 1 tbsp. Soy Sauce (Full Dark, not light); 1 tbsp Plum Sauce; 1 tsp. honey; A pinch of salt and 8 grinds fresh black pepper.; 2 tbsp peanut oil or vegetable oil for frying.

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Making Asian inspired dishes should not be daunting. While it’s true that there are a lot of very complicated recipes for Oriental cuisine, there are likewise a ton of simple recipes you can experiment with while you master the techniques. The trick is to play with the flavors available in your local ethnic aisle and find what you like. Before you know it, your friends will be calling you for take-out orders!

I created this dish for my wife, who has issues with spicy foods (and therefore most off the shelf Asian sauces and glazes.) Plum sauce is very mildly spiced and lends not only a wonderful flavor but a rather intense glaze to this simple stir-fried beef. The ingredient list can be found at any Mega-Mart, prep time is only a few minutes and cook time is nearly instant. Beef in plum sauce is a recipe that will Wow you, I promise!

4 servings

Beef in Plum Sauce Recipe

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 5 minutes

Total Time: 20 minutes

Beef in Plum Sauce. Quick, simple, and delicious

Ingredients

Approximately 1.5 pounds lean beef, cut in thin strips roughly 2-inches long, all fat trimmed and discarded.
1/4 of 1 red onion, cut in thin strips or 2 scallions cut in 2-inch pieces
1 tbsp. Soy Sauce (Full Dark, not light)
1 tbsp Plum Sauce
1 tsp. honey
A pinch of salt and 8 grinds fresh black pepper.
2 tbsp peanut oil or vegetable oil for frying.

Instructions

Trim and slice beef and place in a zip-top storage bag.
Tip: To slice as thinly as possible, it’s best to put the beef in the freezer for about 20 minutes prior to slicing. Use a very sharp knife for this.)
Mix soy sauce, plum sauce, honey, salt and pepper together in a small bowl. Pour mixture over beef and gently massage the bag until all pieces are evenly coated. Place in refrigerator for at least two hours and up to 24 hours. When ready to use, remove to a counter top and allow to come to room temperature. (at least 20 minutes in a 75 degree house.)
Heat oil in a wok or heavy skillet over high heat. Add beef and onions, stirring continuously for about three minutes. Remove from heat and place in a serving bowl.
Serve hot or room temperature. Garnish with sesame seeds if desired.

Notes

Recipe serves two if used as a course in its own right. Adjust measurements accordingly depending on the number of servings required.

What I would have done differently had I thought of it at the time:

I think next time I’ll add a bit of garlic and perhaps a bit of chopped prune or dried cranberries. I think that would be a good addition. Feel free to leave a suggestion for beefing up this lovely little beef dish.

Links to other recipes like this:

Beef Stir Fry, from Equal Opportunity Kitchen

11 Comments

Jerry on May 3, 2008 at 7:47 pm

Yeah! Ginger might be good here. Maybe even a bit of candied ginger?

Peter on May 3, 2008 at 7:14 pm

Simple, easy dish..maybe some ginger?

afterthem on May 4, 2008 at 8:00 pm

I am not into beef anymore, but plum sauce sounds perfect for chicken breasts!
I will try to add some really hot pepper to it, I enjoy spicy food.

Andy on May 5, 2008 at 6:46 am

Looks excellent. I don’t make too many Asian flavored foods, but maybe I’ll give this a shot. It looks easy and delicious. Are there other good uses for plum sauce?

jj on May 5, 2008 at 9:06 am

Have never delved into Asian cooking for the very reasons you describe -and that I’m not sure I’d like some of the seasonings, but now that you pointed it that it doesn’t have to be all that difficult, I think I might just give it a shot. Thanks for the inspiration.

Hihavaniceda on July 25, 2009 at 5:49 am

My 14 y daughter just did this one as one of her recipes for her Duke of Edinburgh skill in cooking …. she loved it and enjoyed cooking it with rice. Thanks.

Jerry on July 25, 2009 at 12:04 pm

Hihavaniceda,
That’s wonderful! I hope that she enjoyed the recipe and that all else went well with her skills course. I’m highly honored that she chose one of my dishes for it!

Deanna on September 17, 2009 at 2:59 am

Thank you for the wonderful ideas. My neighbor gifted us with a bunch of plums. All I had was beef defrosted for dinner. So I sliced the beef and browned it in butter and seasonings. removed the beef and added about 5 cups fresh plums to my drippings and cooked them down. no honey so i added brown sugar to the plums and some soy sauce. I then added a green pepper and a half sweet white onion. no red onion on hand. returned the beef to the plum sauce. simmered until almost ready to eat and then added my corn starch for thicking. My husband who is asian loved it! His mom is one the best asian cooks I know. so if he said it was good, it must be. Thanks for the ideas and a new recipe.

Jerry on September 17, 2009 at 11:39 am

Deanna,
Glad I could be an inspiration! That’s what recipes are all about taking a concept and making it your own.

Your variation sounds amazing. I may have to give it a try myself. I’m glad your husband liked it!

Becky on February 12, 2012 at 4:33 pm

It’s delicious with some red and green bell peppers and cashews. I made my own plum sauce to go with it and had ginger in it so it was perfect. We topped it off with some crunchy egg noodles. Perfect. Thank you for this recipe!