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Quick beef recipes are a good solution to the mid week dilemma of what to cook, and will always satisfy ardent meat lovers. What could be quicker than a stir fry or fajitas with beef? We all love a good stir fry, the essence of a fast, after-work meal, simple, relatively quick and using ingredients you can pick up on the way home.
Beef fillet is ideally suited to quick recipes being both tender and delicious with a short cooking time. Adding in some tender strips of fillet alongside fresh crunchy vegetables and soft rice noodles is the ultimate balanced and comforting dish.
The most time-consuming element of a stir fry or fajitas is the preparation of the meat and vegetables. Pay some attention to this and you will be rewarded if the vegetables are sliced equally and cleanly, both in the cooking and in the final presentation.
Cutting the beef must also be done concientiously to make the best of it. Cut with the grain and lengthways into strips. Once sliced the beef can happily sit in the fridge in its marinade for an hour or more, leaving you with just a few minutes of cooking when the time comes, but if you haven't the time, even 20 minutes of marinating will do.
Once the preparation is done that's most of the hard work done.
See how Gordon Ramsey makes light work slicing and frying strips of beef:
When it comes to cooking be careful not to overcrowd the pan or wok. It is key that the pan is sufficiently large enough to accomodate the meat without overcrowding. The trick is to colour the meat and not boil it, Ramsey explains. Make sure the pan is steaming hot when you start to add the beef in order to sear it off succesfully.
If you fancy a hearty Mexican fajita or an aromatic thai beef curry with coated rice noodles or even just a simple Chinese style beef stir fry try one of these quick beef recipes. With the different flavour combinations from around the world there's one to appeal to most appetites and you will be sat infront of it in no time.
STIR FRIED BEEF WITH CARROTS AND BROCCOLI
A Chinese style stir fry, this recipe calls for tender beef rump that has been marinated.
VIETNAMESE BEEF WITH VEGETABLES
A tasty Vietnamese style dish using beef fillet and excellent served with rice.
RICE NOODLES WITH BEEF AND THAI VEGETABLES
A Thai inspired dish the meat will need to marinade for half and hour or so before cooking.
Fajita with Beef and Peppers
To Mexico with this next dish, let the beef marinade for about an hour to let the flavours really be absorbed.
THAI BEEF SALAD WITH RICE NOODLES
This dish is ready in less than 20 minutes with fresh thai flavours, it's a comforting bowl of flavours to enjoy mid week.
Navigating the names and cuts of beef can be a little overwhelming, have a look at this beef infographic for some clarity.
