Simple Chinese Style Dinner Ideas -

Simple Chinese Style Dinner Ideas

This is a versatile Chinese stir-fry recipe that takes about 35 minutes total. You pick a protein (chicken, beef, shrimp, or tofu), stir-fry it with mixed vegetables, and coat everything in a simple sauce made from soy sauce, oyster sauce, sesame oil, and a few other pantry staples.

The key points:

It's basically a template for making takeout-style Chinese dinners at home without spending an hour in the kitchen.

Get everything prepped before you start cookingUse high heat for proper stir-fryingThe sauce thickens with a cornstarch slurryServe over jasmine riceSuper flexible with whatever vegetables you have on hand

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 20

Total Time 35

Servings: 2

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Chinese

Calories: 420

Ingredients Method Video

Ingredients

I'm giving you a base list here that works for most stir-fry style dinners. The beauty of Chinese cooking is that you can mix and match based on what's in your fridge.

For the Protein

300 g chicken breast or thighs sliced thin
300 g beef sirloin sliced against the grain
300 g shrimp peeled and deveined
200 g firm tofu cubed

For the Vegetables:

2 cups mixed vegetables I usually do bell peppers, snap peas, and carrots
1 medium onion sliced
3 cloves garlic minced
1- inch piece ginger minced
2 green onions chopped

For the Sauce:

3 tablespoons soy sauce use low-sodium if you're watching salt
1 tablespoon oyster sauce
1 tablespoon rice vinegar
1 teaspoon sesame oil
1 teaspoon cornstarch mixed with 2 tablespoons water
1 teaspoon sugar
Optional: 1/2 teaspoon chili flakes if you like heat

Basics:

2 tablespoons vegetable oil for cooking
Cooked jasmine rice for serving
Sesame seeds for garnish

Method

Pro tip

I always slice my meat when it's slightly frozen. Makes it way easier to get those thin, even pieces.

Preparation

Getting everything ready before you start cooking is huge with Chinese food. I learned this the hard way after burning garlic more times than I'd like to admit.
Step 1: Slice your protein into thin, bite-sized pieces. If you're using chicken, aim for strips about 1/4 inch thick. For beef, slice against the grain so it stays tender.
Step 2: Cut all your vegetables into similar-sized pieces. This helps everything cook evenly. I usually do my peppers in strips, carrots on the diagonal, and snap peas left whole.
Step 3: Mix all your sauce ingredients together in a small bowl. Seriously, do this now. You won't have time once things start cooking.

Serving Suggestions

I always serve this over a good pile of jasmine rice. The rice soaks up all that sauce, which is honestly the best part. Sometimes I'll make fried rice instead if I have day-old rice sitting in the fridge.
You could also do:
Garnish with sesame seeds and maybe some extra green onions. It makes it look restaurant-quality even though it took less than 30 minutes.
Rice noodles instead of riceA side of steamed bok choy Some crispy wontons if you want to get fancy Chinese cucumber salad for something fresh and crunchy