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Beef with Red Onions

Stir-fried beef with red onions, ginger, garlic, and a savory soy-based sauce.

From the Recipes Wiki (Fandom) · 17 ingredients
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Why it works: Clove and ginger match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 6,038 recipes. Both carry estragole, which smells anise, licorice. The science ↓

Beef with Red Onions

Timeabout 15 minutes

Ingredients

Directions

Prepare

  1. Cut beef across the grain.

  2. Add the marinade ingredients and marinate beef for about 15 minutes.

  3. While beef is marinating, prepare vegetables and sauce.

Stir-fry

  1. Heat wok and add 2 tablespoons oil, allowing it to drizzle down the sides.

  2. When oil is ready, add ginger and garlic.

  3. Stir-fry briefly and add onions.

  4. Stir-fry until onions are tender but not overcooked.

  5. Remove onions and set aside.

  6. Add oil to wok.

  7. Add the beef and stir-fry until it changes color.

  8. If desired, add water at this point to make a gravy.

  9. Return the vegetables to the wok and mix well.

  10. Add the green onion.

Serve

  1. Serve hot with rice.

Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)

1199Calories
49 gProtein
49 gFat
132 gCarbs

Counts 12 of 14 ingredients. The other 2 aren't in our nutrition table and add nothing above, so the real totals are higher.

What these numbers assume: 12 portions
IngredientPortion assumedkcal
Flour1 cup (125g) all-purpose455
Beef100g cooked250
Sesame1 tbsp (14g)120
Olive Oil1 tbsp (14g)119
Egg1 large egg (50g)78
Sugar1 tbsp (12.5g) granulated49
Red Onion1 medium (110g)44
Onion1 medium (110g)44
Wine2 tbsp cooking wine (30ml)25
Soy Sauce1 tbsp (15ml)9
Garlic1 clove (3g)4
Ginger1 tsp grated fresh (2g)2
Saucenot in our table0
Waternot in our table0

One typical portion per ingredient; the recipe's quantities are not counted. A rough guide only, not for medical or dietary planning.

Recipe from the Recipes Wiki (Fandom).

Steps grouped into stages for easier reading; the method is the source's own.

Explore the science

The flavor team

The pairs that carry this dish. Each one is judged two ways: how much their aromas overlap, and how often cooks already put them together.

  1. Clove + gingertop 1% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together6,038 recipes

    Shared aroma: estragole (anise, licorice).

  2. Onion + garlictop 1% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together29,058 recipes

    Shared aroma: furaneol (caramel, strawberry).

  3. Garlic + gingertop 6% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together6,402 recipes

    Shared aroma: beta-phellandrene (minty, terpene).

  4. Beef + oniontop 7% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together17,092 recipes

    Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).

  5. Onion + gingertop 9% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together7,595 recipes

    Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).

Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs

What each ingredient does

Beef
Provides the main protein; cutting it thinly across the grain keeps it tender when stir-fried.
Egg white
Coats the beef in the marinade, helping it stay moist and silky during quick cooking.
Cornstarch
Thickens the sauce and coats the beef so it browns lightly and holds moisture.
Red onions
Soften during stir-frying, adding sweetness and body to the dish.
Dark soy sauce
Adds colour, depth and savoury flavour to the sauce.

The step that matters

Stir-frying the onions. Cooking them until tender but not overcooked keeps their sweetness and texture; overcooking turns them limp and watery, and a very hot wok helps them sear rather than steam.

Swap the clove

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (beef, onion, garlic, ginger, egg, sauce, wine):

  1. Cuminfits better
  2. Turmericfits better
  3. Thymefits better
  4. Clovethe original

Fit is the average pairing score against beef, onion, garlic, ginger, egg, sauce, wine. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes.

“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.

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