Groceries are still expensive, so when I stumbled across this recipe that uses ground beef instead of steak, I thought I’d give it a go…and, it’s a keeper! The beef is formed into “nuggets” that are coated in corn starch to get them to hold their shape. The sauce is both sweet and savory and just what you expect from the classic American-Chinese dish.

I added broccolini to this batch because I always appreciate a few more veggies in a stir fry, and there was plenty of sauce to coat everything and still soak into the rice. I also skipped the chili peppers and added more ginger because my spouse was recovering from heartburn. Feel free to make other adjustments to suit your needs and tastes.

Beef Marinade:
1 pound ground beef
2 tsp. Shaoxing wine (Chinese cooking wine)
1 tsp. soy sauce
1/4 tsp. baking soda

Sauce:
3/4 cup hot water
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 tbsp. cornstarch (keep separate from the rest of the sauce and mix with 2 tbsp. water)

Stir Fry:
⅓ cup cornstarch
¼ cup peanut or vegetable oil
3-8 dried red chili peppers (optional)
2 tsp. ginger, minced
4 green onions, white and green parts separated, cut on a diagonal into 2-inch pieces)
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 bunch broccolini, florets separated and stems cut into 1-inch pieces (optional)

In a medium bowl, mix the ground beef with the Shaoxing wine, soy sauce, and baking soda. Set aside to marinate for 20 minutes while you prep the other ingredients.

Chop all the veggies.

To make the sauce: Mix the hot water and soy sauce, then add the brown sugar. In a separate bowl, mix the cornstarch and 2 tbsp. water to make a slurry.

Add ⅓ cup cornstarch to a shallow bowl. Use your fingers to break up the ground beef into flat nuggets on top of the cornstarch, then roll them around to coat.

Heat a wok or large skillet over high heat. Add the oil and ground beef in a single layer and fry until golden. Once a golden crust has formed, use a spatula to flip the beef and let it brown once more undisturbed. Repeat until the beef is uniformly seared. Remove from the wok/skillet, leaving behind any oil.

Reduce the heat to medium-high and add the red chili peppers and cook for 1 minute. Add the ginger, and fry for 30 seconds. Add the white parts of the scallions and the garlic, and cook for another 30 seconds to a minute. Add the broccolini last.

When the broccolini turns a vivid green, stir up the sauce and add it to the pan. Bring to a simmer, then add the cornstarch slurry. Once the sauce has thickened enough to coat the back of your spatula, add the beef along with the scallion greens. Toss until the scallions are just wilted.

Serve with steamed rice.