The Chef Reveals: Marinating Beef for Just Salt Alone is a Mistake, Add This Spoonful and the Meat Will Be Tender, Juicy, and Especially Won't Release Water When Stir-Fried

Beef is a common ingredient in many delicious dishes, and stir-fried beef is perhaps the most popular. This dish is rich in flavor, sweet and savory, and offers a fantastic meal for anyone. While it's a familiar dish, not everyone knows the proper marinating technique to make it more tender, aromatic, and flavorful. A professional chef reveals that marinating beef with just salt can cause the meat to become tough, but if you add one spoonful of a certain ingredient, the meat will be tender, juicy, and won't release water when stir-fried.

How to Marinate Beef for Tender, Juicy Stir-Fry

Most people typically add salt, monosodium glutamate (MSG), or seasoning powder to beef, along with a little garlic, then mix everything and marinate for 15-20 minutes before cooking. However, this method is not ideal because salt contains a high amount of soluble substances that will draw out water from the beef. Not only does this affect the tenderness and taste, but it can also result in a less pleasant aroma. Therefore, you should only add salt when the dish is nearly done, as this is the right time to season the beef without making it tough and dry.

Instead, you should use a different seasoning for marinating beef. This seasoning will help the meat retain its moisture, so when cooked, the beef remains tender and flavorful. Additionally, the seasoning mix typically includes ingredients like ginger, garlic, pepper, soy sauce, seasoning powder, and cooking oil. Among these, ginger, garlic, and pepper will enhance the aroma, while seasoning powder and soy sauce will make the beef richer in flavor. Cooking oil helps the beef become more tender.

Additionally, depending on the stir-fry dish, you can adjust the marinating ingredients. For example, when stir-frying beef with vegetables, ginger and garlic are necessary. When stir-frying beef with lemongrass and chili, you'll need lemongrass, chili, and ginger.

For marinating time, you should let the beef marinate for at least 15 minutes, covered, to allow the flavors to soak in. It's important not to marinate for too long, as this will make the beef dark and less appetizing. You can marinate the beef in the refrigerator to ensure it absorbs the flavors better and becomes more tender.

To make stir-fried beef truly delicious, it's not just about marinating the beef the right way. You also need to pay attention to the beef's selection, cutting, and stir-frying technique.

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Grilled Beef with Satay

Ingredients for Grilled Beef with Satay:

• 500g beef

• 1 jar of satay

• 3 stalks of lemongrass

• Shallots, garlic, chili

• Condensed milk

• A little coriander

• Cooking oil

• Fish sauce

• Sugar, salt, seasoning powder

How to Marinate and Grill Beef with Satay:

1. Prepare the ingredients:

   • Wash the beef and cut it into large or small slices according to your preference.

   • Mince the lemongrass, cut half into pieces.

   • Peel and chop the chili, garlic, and shallots.

   • Pick the coriander leaves and discard the stems.

2. Marinate the beef:

   • Put the beef in a bowl and add the fish sauce, sugar, MSG, and seasoning powder, then mix well. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 40 minutes.

3. After marinating, heat a pan with oil and lightly fry the beef until it's a bit firm. Then, take the beef out and brush a layer of condensed milk on it. After that, coat the beef with a layer of satay sauce.

4. Grill the beef at 180°C for 15 minutes, then check if it's cooked through.

5. Serve the grilled beef on a plate, garnish with some vegetables around it, and enjoy with rice or bread.

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Grilled Beef with Honey

Ingredients for Grilled Beef with Honey:

• 2kg beef

• Garlic, shallots

• 2 tablespoons of honey

• Salt, sugar, seasoning powder, cooking oil

How to Marinate Grilled Beef with Honey:

1. Prepare the beef:

   • Clean the beef, cut it into bite-sized pieces. You can use a knife or meat mallet to tenderize the beef to help it absorb the marinade better.

2. Marinate the beef:

   • Marinate the beef with garlic and shallots, 2 tablespoons of honey, and other seasonings such as salt, sugar, and seasoning powder according to taste. Gently rub the beef to allow the seasoning to soak in. Let it marinate for 30-45 minutes.

3. Grill the beef:

   • Grill the beef at around 200°C, grilling each side for about 15 minutes. Check to see if the beef is cooked through. Afterward, brush the beef with a mixture of honey and cooking oil to make it tender, prevent it from becoming tough, and speed up the cooking process. Continue grilling for another 10 minutes for the beef to fully absorb the flavor and reach a golden-brown color.

4. Once the honey-grilled beef is ready, remove it from the grill and garnish with some coriander or tomatoes to make the dish more appealing. Serve with vegetables and dipping sauce.

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Stir-Fried Beef with Bitter Melon

Ingredients for Stir-Fried Beef with Bitter Melon:

• 300g beef

• 400g bitter melon

• 30g scallions

• 1 clove garlic

• ½ teaspoon ground pepper

• 3 tablespoons oyster sauce

• 1 tablespoon seasoning powder

• Cooking oil

How to Stir-Fry Beef with Bitter Melon:

1. Prepare the ingredients:

   • Wash the beef and slice it into thin pieces.

   • Cut the bitter melon, remove the seeds, and slice it into thin pieces. If you want to reduce bitterness, soak the melon in cold water for about 20 minutes, then drain.

   • Cut the scallions into 3cm-long pieces and mince the garlic.

2. Marinate the beef:

   • Mix the garlic, pepper, oyster sauce, and seasoning powder into the beef and let it marinate for at least 15 minutes.

3. Stir-fry the beef:

   • Heat a pan with oil, then add the minced garlic and fry until fragrant. Add the marinated beef and stir-fry over high heat. Add the remaining seasonings and mix well. When the beef is slightly cooked, remove it from the pan.

4. Stir-fry the bitter melon:

   • In the same pan, add a little oil and stir-fry the bitter melon for about 2 minutes. Then, add the stir-fried beef and mix for another 2 minutes. Finally, add the scallions, stir again, and turn off the heat.

Note: For this stir-fry, it’s best to cook the bitter melon slightly to retain its flavor.