Chinese Ground Beef Cabbage Stir-Fry (Print)

Savory beef and cabbage stir-fry with umami sauce, ready in 25 minutes. Low-carb and full of flavor.

# Ingredients:

→ Proteins

01 - 1 pound lean ground beef

→ Vegetables

02 - 1 small head green cabbage (about 1.5 pounds), cored and thinly sliced
03 - 3 green onions, sliced
04 - 2 cloves garlic, minced
05 - 1 inch piece fresh ginger, grated
06 - 1 medium carrot, julienned (optional)

→ Sauces and Seasonings

07 - 3 tablespoons soy sauce or tamari
08 - 1 tablespoon oyster sauce
09 - 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
10 - 1 tablespoon sesame oil
11 - 1 teaspoon Sriracha or chili garlic sauce (optional)
12 - 1/2 teaspoon ground white pepper
13 - 1/2 teaspoon sugar or sweetener of choice (optional)

→ Oils

14 - 1 tablespoon vegetable oil such as canola or peanut oil

# Directions:

01 - In a small bowl, combine soy sauce, oyster sauce, rice vinegar, sesame oil, Sriracha if using, white pepper, and sugar or sweetener. Set aside.
02 - Heat vegetable oil in a large wok or skillet over medium-high heat. Add ground beef and cook, breaking it up with a spatula, until browned and cooked through, approximately 4 to 5 minutes.
03 - Add minced garlic, grated ginger, and the white parts of the green onions. Stir-fry for 1 minute until fragrant.
04 - Add sliced cabbage and carrot if using. Stir-fry for 5 to 7 minutes until cabbage is just tender but still maintains crispness.
05 - Pour the prepared sauce over the mixture and toss thoroughly to coat. Cook for an additional 1 to 2 minutes until heated through and sauce is slightly reduced.
06 - Remove from heat and garnish with the green parts of green onions. Serve immediately while hot.

# Expert Tips:

01 -
  • It's genuinely fast, and you won't spend half your evening cleaning up because there's really just one pan involved.
  • The sauce balances salty, tangy, and sweet in a way that makes even simple cabbage taste craveable.
  • Ground beef cooks quickly, so you get that satisfying protein without waiting forever.
02 -
  • Don't skip thinly slicing the cabbage because thick pieces won't cook through in the time the sauce needs to coat everything.
  • The sauce is the entire personality of this dish, so tasting it before it goes into the wok lets you adjust heat or salt to your preference.
03 -
  • Keep your ingredients prepped and within arm's reach before you start cooking because once the beef is in the wok, everything moves quickly and you won't want to be dicing garlic while something burns.
  • If your cabbage releases too much liquid as it cooks, drain some of it off before adding the sauce so the dish doesn't become watery and thin.
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