Beef Fried Rice

My beef fried rice is a restaurant favorite that can easily be prepared at home with fresh, aromatic ingredients. Filled with tender slices of marinated ribeye steak, vibrant baby bok choy and spinach, a little kick of sambal, plus loads of sesame-ginger flavor, this savory fried rice is the perfect dish to whip up when you're craving those delicious Asian flavors!

A Favorite Take-Out Meal Prepared at Home

Fried rice a simple meal to prepare, and when fresh, aromatic ingredients are used, a meal like this totally satisfies that craving I have for those scrumptious Asian flavors of ginger, sesame, soy, and perhaps a little kick of sambal or chili garlic sauce.

Whenever I find myself with some leftover rice, I'll often whip up a little dish of fried rice with a few tasty morsels added for texture and flavor.

Beef fried rice in particular is a savory favorite of mine, especially when I have some tender, marbled and wonderfully “beefy” ribeye steak on hand to slice up and marinate for extra flavor.

For me, this recipe is the perfect one-pan meal that I can easily add some healthy bok choy and spinach into for extra color and texture, making one of my favorite take-out dishes a little extra fresh and delicious, and tailored to tickle my personal tastebuds. 😉

How to Make Fried Rice with Beef

While often times you'll see scrambled egg used in a fried rice recipe, for this particular version I leave the egg out. However, if you like the egg, feel free to add some!

For my recipe, I like a lot of bold flavor, lots of tender, juicy beef, plus some veggie additions by way of baby bok choy and spinach leaves.

I opt for ribeye steak as it has lots of terrific marbling which equals flavor, and sort of melts in the mouth when quickly crisped.

The first thing I do is marinate the steak in some fresh ginger, garlic, salt and pepper, sesame oil and a bit of sambal for a spicy kick, which provides an extra layer of flavor, and that's always good eats!

I also whisk together a separate sauce (sort of a “finishing” sauce) to drizzle into the dish at the end of the cooking to sort of punch up the Asian flavors and offer more savoriness. To prepare my sauce, I use a combination of fresh ginger, garlic, soy, brown sugar, rice vinegar and sesame oil.

Here's a peek at my beef fried rice recipe: (or just jump to the full recipe...)

1. To begin, I marinate my sliced ribeye steak for at least 20 minutes (even over night).
2. While my beef marinates, I prepare my sesame-soy “finishing sauce” to have on hand to add to the dish as it finishes cooking/stir frying.
3. Once the beef has marinated, I sprinkle a bit of cornstarch over it and toss to coat, then sear it up, in batches, until crispy and golden in a very hot pan before removing from the pan. (Cast-iron is perfect for this.)
4. Next, some cooked and cooled rice goes into the hot skillet, and is pressed down slightly into the pan to allow for it to crisp up on the bottom a little bit; then, I stir it to crisp on all sides.
5. I drizzle in some of the sesame-soy finishing sauce, cook the rice a bit more to caramelize it further, then add the beef back in along with the bok choy and spinach, a touch more garlic and more sesame-soy finishing sauce, and stir fry everything together until well coated, slightly crisp, and flavorful.
6. To finish, I add some green onion and serve with additional sambal.

Recipe

Beef Fried Rice

by Ingrid Beer

Print Recipe

This beef fried rice is brimming with lots of Asian flavor and a spicy kick, with the healthy and vibrant addition of bok choy and spinach!

Category: Entree
Cuisine: Asian

Yield: Serves 4

Nutrition Info: 766 calories per serving

Prep Time: 25 minutes
Cook time: 15 minutes
Total time: 40 minutes

Beef Fried Rice Ingredients:

• 4 cups cooked and cooled white rice
• 1 pound ribeye steak, cut/chopped into tiny bite-size slices
• 1 teaspoon grated ginger, or fresh ginger paste
• Salt
• Black pepper
• ½ teaspoon sesame oil
• 8 cloves garlic, pressed through garlic press, divided use
• 1 tablespoon sambal (chili sauce), or your desired amount for your level of spiciness
• 2 tablespoons cornstarch
• Avocado (or peanut) oil
• Sesame oil
• 1 baby bok choy, sliced thinly
• ½ cup baby spinach leaves, roughly chopped

Sesame-Soy “Finishing” Sauce Ingredients:

• 1 tablespoon grated ginger, or fresh ginger paste
• 6 cloves garlic, pressed through garlic press
• 6 tablespoons soy sauce
• 4 ½ tablespoons (slightly generous) brown sugar
• 3 tablespoon rice vinegar
• 1 ½ teaspoon sesame oil

Preparation:

1. In a bowl, combine the chopped ribeye with the ginger, a pinch or two of salt and black pepper, the sesame oil, 6 cloves of the garlic, and the sambal, and toss to coat; marinate for at least 20 minutes, or overnight, ideally.
2. To prepare the sesame-soy finishing sauce, add all of the ingredients to small bowl and whisk well to completely blend, then pour into a squeeze bottle if you have one (for easier use during cooking), and set aside.
3. Once the beef is marinated, sprinkle the cornstarch over it and toss to coat; set a heavy bottom pan (a cast-iron pan is best for this recipe!) over hight heat, and drizzle in a few tablespoons of avocado or peanut oil.
4. Once the oil is hot, add in a batch of meat (I usually work in two batches as to not overcrowd) and allow it to become crispy, lightly frying it for about 5-6 minutes or until very golden-brown; remove from pan and keep warm, repeating with rest of ribeye.
5. Wipe out the pan, then place the pan back over high heat, and once very, very hot, drizzle in about 1 tablespoon of sesame oil plus a little more or the avocado or peanut oil; once aromatic, add the cooked and cooled white rice into the pan, lightly pressing it into the bottom with a spatula or back of a spoon to purposely allow to crisp up a bit; do not disturb for a few minutes, then toss it around to stir-fry it, crisping all sides.
6. Drizzle in about half of the sesame-soy finishing sauce, and toss to coat the rice, allowing it to continue to crisp up and become slightly caramelized.
7. Next, add in the crispy beef, the boy choy and the spinach, plus the 2 remaining cloves of garlic, along with a little more of the sauce, and stir fry everything together for a moment or two to coat well.
8. Check the level of seasoning to see if any additional finishing sauce is needed, and garnish with a little green onion; serve while piping hot, with extra sambal, if desired!

Tips & Tidbits for my Beef Fried Rice with Bok Choy:

• Cooked and cooled white rice: When preparing fried rice, using cooked and cooled rice is best. Day old rice is great, but if you prepare it the day of, then make sure it has sufficient time to cool.
• Marinating the beef for flavor: Marinating the beef with some ginger, garlic, sesame, and sambal will impart more flavor to the fried rice, and make the ribeye extra tender. Twenty minutes should do the trick, but if you have more time, longer is better, and marinating overnight is ideal.
• Prepared ginger for convenience: I love using the prepared, ginger-in-the-tube for this recipe, or even ginger from the small glass jar. No need to peel and grate, so it's super convenient, and you can store any unused portion in the fridge for future use. However, if you have a knob of fresh ginger on hand, feel free to grate that up instead.
• Using a high smoke point oil: While you can certainly use canola or vegetable oil for this recipe, my preferred oil for high-heat cooking like this is either avocado or peanut oil. Both have a super high “smoke point”, or the ability to get very hot without breaking down.
• Prep ahead for easy beef fried rice: If you'd like to prep this recipe ahead of time, simply cook your rice the day before, as well as marinate your beef and prep the sesame-soy finishing sauce. (You may even want to prep your greens, too.) On the day of, all you'll have to do is quickly stir-fry, which will only take a few minutes!

Hungry for more delicious Asian-inspired favorites? Check out this Teriyaki Chicken, this Chicken Fried Rice, this Peanut Sauce Chicken, this Spicy Pork with Noodles, or these Chicken Lettuce Wraps!

Cook's Note:This recipe was originally published in 2017, and has been updated with even more love!