Lean Beef Stir-Fry with Broccoli & Noodles

Ingredients

• Beef & Sauce
• 500g beef sirloin or rump, trimmed and thinly sliced +
  Healthier choice

  Choose a lean cut — sirloin or rump steak with visible fat trimmed. Slice against the grain as thinly as possible for tenderness. Partially freezing the steak for 30 minutes makes thin slicing much easier.

  Best pick: Grass-fed where available. Grass-fed beef has better omega-3 to omega-6 ratios and higher CLA content.
• 1½ tbsp olive oil +
  Healthier choice

  Choose extra virgin olive oil, cold-pressed. EVOO retains polyphenols and antioxidants lost in refined oils. Quality EVOO is stable at oven temperatures up to 240°C — the low smoke point myth has been debunked by peer-reviewed research.

  Look for: a harvest date within 12–18 months, single-origin, and dark glass packaging.

  Best pick: Greek Koroneiki, Spanish Picual, or Italian Coratina — all high in polyphenols.

  ✕ Avoid: "light" olive oil (refined), "olive oil blend" (seed oil mix), clear plastic bottles, and all vegetable/seed oils.
• 3 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tbsp honey +
  Healthier choice

  Raw, unfiltered honey. Commercial "clear" honey is ultra-filtered and heat-treated, destroying enzymes, antioxidants, and antimicrobial compounds. Raw retains natural prebiotics and has a lower glycaemic impact.

  Look for: opaque/cloudy appearance, "raw" and "unfiltered" on the label. Local from a beekeeper or farmers' market is ideal.

  ✕ Avoid: "honey blend" (often bulked with rice or corn syrup), clear commercial honey, squeezy bottles without "raw" on the label.
• 1 tbsp rice vinegar
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 thumb-sized piece ginger, grated
• Vegetables
• 1 large head broccoli, cut into small florets
• 2 heads pak choi, quartered
• 1 red pepper, sliced
• 4 spring onions, sliced
• Carbs
• 300g egg noodles (dry weight) +
  Healthier choice

  Choose noodles with a short, clean ingredient list — ideally just wheat flour, egg, water, and salt. Many instant noodles are pre-fried in palm or seed oil.

  ✕ Avoid: instant noodles (pre-fried in seed oil), noodles with added flavour sachets, MSG, or E-numbers.

Method

1. Cook the noodles according to pack instructions. Drain and set aside.

2. Mix the soy sauce, honey, rice vinegar, garlic, and ginger in a small bowl for the sauce.

3. Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a wok or large pan over high heat. Add the beef in a single layer — work in batches if needed. Cook for 1–2 minutes until browned but still pink inside. Remove and set aside.

   💡 High heat + small batches = seared beef. Overcrowding the pan steams the meat instead.
4. Add half a tablespoon of olive oil to the same pan. Stir-fry the broccoli and peppers for 3 minutes, then add the pak choi for 1 minute.

5. Return the beef to the pan, pour the sauce over everything, and toss for 1 minute until the sauce thickens and coats. Add the noodles, toss to combine, and finish with spring onions.

Nutrition  per serving