Chinese Ground Beef Cabbage Stir-Fry (Printable)

Quick savory stir-fry with tender ground beef, crisp cabbage, and umami sauce—ready in just 25 minutes.

# What You Need:

→ Proteins

01 - 1 lb lean ground beef

→ Vegetables

02 - 1 small head green cabbage (about 1.5 lb), 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 (optional)

→ Oils

14 - 1 tablespoon vegetable 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 white parts of 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 tender yet retains crispness.
05 - Pour prepared sauce over the mixture and toss thoroughly to coat. Cook for 1 to 2 minutes until heated through and sauce reduces slightly.
06 - Remove from heat and garnish with green parts of green onions. Serve immediately while hot.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • It's genuinely quick, which means on those nights when hunger hits at 7pm, you won't be standing there at 8:30 waiting to eat.
  • The cabbage gets just tender enough to absorb the sauce while staying crisp enough to keep things interesting texture-wise.
  • It's the kind of meal that tastes indulgent but actually fits into how you want to eat, low-carb or otherwise.
02 -
  • Don't chop your cabbage ahead of time expecting it to be fine by dinner—it starts to weep and lose crunch within a few hours, so slice it right before you cook.
  • The sauce is where all the magic happens, so mix it properly before it hits the pan; a separated sauce tastes flat, while a fully blended one coats everything beautifully.
03 -
  • Don't overcrowd the pan when browning the beef—if it's too crowded it steams instead of browning, so don't be afraid to work in batches if you need to.
  • Taste the sauce before it goes into the pan and adjust the balance of salty-savory-sour to your preference, because you can't take it back once it's coating everything.
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