Directions

1. Slice the beef into 1/8 of an inch thick piece then marinate it with 1/2 tbsp of soy sauce, 1/4 tsp of salt, and 1/4 tsp of finely ground white pepper. Mix well. I recommend using beef loin or tenderloin. If you are using chuck or round, add 1/4 tsp of baking soda to tenderized the meat.

2. Last, add a drizzle of vegetable oil and mix to coat the beef. This will prevent the meat slices from sticking together while cooking. Set the beef aside for 10 minutes.
3. While waiting, cut the Chinese celery stems into 1-inch long pieces, peel and chopped the garlic, dice the Thai bird eye chilies, chop the ginger, and cut the scallions into 1 inch long pieces. Separate the green and white parts.

4. Unlike Western celery, Chinese celery often comes with both leaves and roots. For this recipe, we’ll only use the stems. You can save the roots for making stock or pickling, while the leaves can be minced and sprinkled over noodle soups or stirred into scrambled eggs for extra flavor.

5. Turn the heat to maximum and pre-heat the wok until smoking hot. Add a big drizzle of oil and toss in the Chinese celery stems, diced garlic, Thai bird eye chilies, ginger, and scallion whites. Stir over high heat for 30 seconds.
6. Add the marinated beef and continue to stir until all the meat is perfectly cooked, which will only take a minute or 2 because the heat is on high and the meat is thinly sliced.

7. If you have a powerful gas stove, you may be able to create dramatic flames as while tossing. Don’t be afraid, the flames are important to capture the elusive “wok hei” into your stir fry. The flames kiss the ingredients directly, giving the dish a light smoky aroma and toasty flavor. 

8. Add 1/2 tbsp of oyster sauce, 1/2 tbsp of soy sauce and 1/2 tbsp of Chinese cooking wine. Make sure you splash the seasonings to the side of the wok and mix well. Last toss in the scallion greens and you have made a perfect Chinese home-style stir fry - fragrant, colorful, and absolutely irresistible.
9. This dish is popular in multiple provinces in China and it does have many variants. If you want to dive deeper and cook like the locals, you can incorporate some pickled face heaven chilies and fermented black beans into this dish. Hunan people will add to this dish.
10. Just simply put the pickled face heavy chilies and the fermented black beans together with all the aromatics and saute for 30 seconds. The rest of the steps are the same. Add the beef and stir over high heat for a minute or 2. Season the dish with oyster sauce, soy sauce, and Chinese cooking wine.
11. When you compare the two versions, it’s not about which is better. Each has its own beauty. The basic version highlights the pure flavors of the ingredients themselves, while the Hunan-style variation layers on a subtle, complex depth of fermented flavor — something only time can create. I suggest you try both and let me know which one you like better.