A fast meal with roots in a fast city
Jet Lag Beef Stir-Fry
The Story
I was in Beijing the first time I had this dish—at a tiny café tucked beneath my hotel. The streets outside were chaos, scooters weaving between buses and pedestrians like a perfectly choreographed dance. Inside, though, everything slowed down.
A plate of steaming stir-fry arrived, fragrant, rich, unfamiliar. I stuck out like a foreigner (because I was one), but the food didn’t care. It was warm, homemade, deeply seasoned. Comfort with chopsticks.
Later, I learned how different Western versions are—less oil, adjusted spices, ingredients we can actually find. This is my take on that memory. It’s not strictly authentic, but it’s grounded in real experience and meant to be made quickly, with flavor that holds its own. I’ve served it with rice, with noodles, even stuffed in a wrap for next-day leftovers.
Ingredients
For the stock & soup base:
· 500g beef flank steak (or sirloin), thinly sliced across the grain
· 5 tsp dark soy sauce
· 1 tsp Chinese rice wine or dry sherry
· ½ tsp sugar
· 1 tsp Maizena (cornstarch), mixed with 1 tbsp water
· 200g fresh rice noodles (or dried, cooked)
· 1 pack baby sweetcorn, coarsely chopped
· 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
· 1 tbsp black bean sauce
· 2 tbsp oyster sauce
· 5 tbsp oil (for stir-frying), or as needed
· Optional: a dash of sesame oil for fragrance
instructions / method
1. Marinate the beef
1. Marinate the beef
In a shallow dish, mix soy sauce, rice wine, sugar, sesame oil (if using), and cornstarch slurry. Add beef strips and marinate for 15 minutes.
2. Prep your wok game
Chop garlic, slice sweetcorn, and cut noodles into shorter strips for easier stir-frying.
3. Cook the beef
Heat 2 tbsp oil in a hot wok. Add beef in a single layer and let it sear briefly. Stir in black bean sauce and cook until browned and nearly done. Remove beef from the wok.
5. Bring it all together
Mix baby corn into the noodles. Add oyster sauce. Return beef to the wok. Toss everything well. Serve hot, with rice on the side—or just a big bowl and a fork.
TO SERVE
Works great with rice or noodle, or go the healthy route and use quinua or brown rice. Server and enjoy, take the first bite with your eyes closed and imagine you are silently sitting on the corner of a very busy road.
George's Notes
It may not be Beijing, and you might not have scooters flying past your window—but this stir-fry still brings that same fast-paced comfort, grounded in warmth and flavor. It’s a travel memory you can eat in under 30 minutes.
This recipe is features in my Comfort and Cravings Book, available on Kindle, it also has some extra modification options and kitchen tricks and hacks.