Korean Style Beef Stir Fry Recipe

A wide bowl of Korean beef stir fry over rice noodles

Korean beef stir fry built on a soy-sesame-marinated New York strip, seared hard in a hot wok, finished with kimchi that caramelizes into the sauce — served over rice noodles with snap peas, carrot ribbons, and toasted sesame.

Prep Time45

Cook Time15

Total Time1

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Korean

Keyword: stir fry

Servings: - 6 servings

Calories: 181kcal

Equipment

large heavy skilled or wok

Ingredients

¼ cup soy sauce
1 tablespoon sesame oil
1 teaspoon brown sugar
3 New York Strip steaks fat trimmed and steaks cut into bite size pieces
14 ounces box rice noodles
2 tablespoons peanut oil
1 large red onion thinly sliced
1 jar kimchi mild or spicy
8 ounces sugar snap peas
2 large carrots sliced into ribbons with peeler
1 cup beef broth
1½ teaspoons cornstarch optional
Garnish toasted sesame seeds, sliced radishes

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Make the Marinade & Marinate the Beef

In a medium bowl, whisk together the soy sauce, sesame oil, and brown sugar until the sugar dissolves.
Add the beef cubes and toss to coat. Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
While the beef marinates, prep all your vegetables — slice the onion, ribbon the carrots with a peeler, and measure out the kimchi and snap peas.
Use this time. Once you start cooking, everything moves fast.

Don't marinate longer than 2 hours. The salt in the soy sauce starts breaking down the meat's texture beyond that point — you want tender cubes, not mushy ones.

Cook the Rice Noodles - but not yet

Read the package and understand the timing. Rice noodles continue absorbing liquid after they're cooked and go soft quickly.
Don't start them until the stir fry is in its final 3 minutes. Set a timer, have the pot of water ready, and stay disciplined about the timing.

Pat the Beef Dry & Sear in Batches

Remove the beef from the marinade and pat it dry with paper towels. Reserve the marinade — it becomes the sauce. Dry meat sears; wet meat steams. This step takes 30 seconds and makes a significant difference.

Dry meat sears; wet meat steams. This step takes 30 seconds and makes a significant difference.

Heat your wok or large heavy skillet over high heat until it just starts to smoke. Add 1 tablespoon of peanut oil and swirl to coat.
Add the beef in a single layer — do not crowd the pan. If you have too much beef for one layer, cook in two batches.

A crowded pan drops the temperature immediately and you'll get gray, steamed beef instead of a seared crust.

Sear for 3 to 4 minutes, turning once or twice, until deeply browned on the outside but still slightly underdone at the center.
Transfer to a plate.
The beef finishes cooking when it goes back into the sauce at the end — pull it early on purpose.

Build the Aromatics

Add the remaining tablespoon of peanut oil to the hot wok.
Add the sliced red onion and stir fry for 1 to 2 minutes — you want it softened with a little color at the edges, not fully cooked down.

Add the Vegetables & kimchi

Add the sugar snap peas, carrot ribbons, and kimchi — liquid and all — to the wok. Stir fry over high heat for 2 to 3 minutes.
The kimchi will sizzle hard when it hits the pan. That's correct. The liquid evaporates, the sugars in the cabbage start to caramelize, and the fermented funk mellows into something deeper and more savory. Keep it moving.

Make the Sauce and Thicken It

In a small bowl or measuring cup, whisk the cornstarch into the reserved marinade until smooth, then add the beef broth and any juices that collected on the plate from the resting beef. Pour this mixture into the wok over medium-high heat.
Stir constantly for 2 to 3 minutes until the sauce thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon and holds a light glaze when you drag a finger through it. If it seems too thick, add a splash of broth. If too thin, let it reduce another minute.

Return the Beef & Finish

Add the seared beef back to the wok. Toss everything together and cook for 1 to 2 minutes, until the beef reaches your preferred doneness.

New York strip is best at medium — still slightly pink at the center. It goes tough and chewy beyond that, and this cut doesn't recover from overcooking the way a braise would.

Cook the Noodles Now

If you haven't already, cook the rice noodles according to package directions.
Drain immediately and do not let them sit — they clump and soften fast.

Plate & Garnish

Divide the rice noodles between bowls.
Spoon the stir fry and sauce generously over the top.
Finish with toasted sesame seeds and thinly sliced radishes.
Serve immediately — this dish doesn't hold.

Notes

Nutritional information is automatically calculated using the WP Recipe Maker nutrition database and should be considered only an estimate. Actual values may vary depending on ingredient brands, product variations, substitutions, and portion sizes.

Nutrition