You won’t believe how simple it is to make this beef curry stir-fry in just 20 minutes! The thinly-sliced beef is incredibly tender, stir-fried in a rich curry sauce with crisp vegetables. Serve with a bowl of warm rice or noodles to bring this classic takeout dish to your home table!

One of my favorite takeout items from our local Chinese restaurants is their beef curry. Imagine my excitement when I realized just how easy it was to make it at home!

The best part is that it takes roughly around 20-minutes to prepare, which is perfect for those busy days.

It’s also incredibly versatile, so feel free to mix-and-match the proteins and vegetables according to whatever you already have stocked in your fridge.

If you’re enjoying these 20-minute meals as much as I do, then you’ll LOVE the rest of our 20-minute meal series:

Ingredients for beef curry stir-fry

Servings: 1-2 people

~135 g thinly-sliced beef
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp sesame oil
1/2 tbsp cornstarch
Oil, for frying

1/2 onion, sliced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 bell pepper, chopped (I used a mixture of green and red bell peppers)

1.5 tsp curry power
1/2 cup beef stock
1/2 tsp soy sauce
1/4 – 1/2 tsp sugar, according to taste
Cornstarch slurry (1/2 tsp cornstarch dissolved with 2 tsp of cold water)

Variations

What I love the most about this recipe is how flexible it can be with the addition or substitutions of ingredients!

Here’s a couple more ingredients that you can add to make your curry stir-fry extra special:

Mushrooms
Baby corn
Potatoes
Peas
Carrots
Celery
Pepper flakes

Instructions for beef curry stir-fry

Coat the thinly-sliced beef with salt, pepper, sesame oil, and cornstarch. Mix well to combine.

Heat a wok or pan over medium-high heat with some oil. Fry the beef for 1-2 minutes, just until browned on both sides, then set aside.

In the same pan, fry the onions for 1 minute. Add in the bell peppers and garlic and fry for another minute.

Add in the curry powder and stir fry with the vegetables until they’re fully coated with the spices ~10-20 seconds.

Pour in the beef stock, soy sauce, sugar, and cornstarch slurry. Mix well and simmer for 2-3 minutes until thickened to your desired consistency. Add back in the beef and stir to combine.

Season to taste with more sugar, soy sauce, or salt, if desired.

Serve with a side of warm rice or noodles. Enjoy!

Final tips

Be careful not to burn your curry powder! This will result with the final curry to taste extremely bitter. When stir frying the curry with the vegetables, be sure that your heat is not overly high to avoid burning the spices.
This recipe does have a tendency to move fast, so ensure you have all your ingredients ready and prepared to be thrown into the pan for smooth-sailing.
The curry will continue to thicken as it cools, so try not to reduce the sauce too much to avoid having overly-dry curry.