Freestyle Cooking – Ground Beef Stir Fry with Celery (Best Wok Set)

Today, I cooked ground beef with celery and it’s super good with the rice. So, I’m here to share with you how to make this easy freestyle cooking dish!

I didn’t take a photo of this dish today, but here are some photos I took earlier for this dish. I’ve made this many times, and each time it turned out great!

 

All you need are (serves: 2):

1. celery: 3-6 celery sticks, sliced (I decided to use all the celery, like 6 celery sticks, we got from last week as we got some new ones yesterday)
2. ground beef: around 1/2 pound (I just put half bag of the ground beef)
3. soy sauce: I like using Lee Kum Kee Premium Soy Sauce. You can get it from International Food sections from Whole Foods, Harris Teeter, etc.
4. garlic: 3-4 gloves, miced
5. cooking oil: any cooking oil. I used olive oil.
6. salt (optional)
7. green onion (optional)
8. red chili peper flakes (optional): We have the Korean style Gochugaru (not that spicy), which works great for us as I’m not a big fan of spicy food, but Mark likes spicy flavor.
9. ground cumin (optional): We have 365 Every Day Value, Organic Cumin (Ground).

How to make it:

1. Slice the celery sticks and mice garlic gloves. At the same time, heat cooking oil in a wok or pan over medium-high heat. We use Lodge Cast Iron Wok that Mark got from Amazon, recommended by my dear gan’ma who’s super good at cooking. It works so well in our kitchen. Find the wok set below.
2. Add the ground beef to the wok and chop the beef into smaller chunks with the spatula. When the surface of the beef started turning color, add soy sauce (just enough for the beef to aborb, it’s ok to have a little more than that). When the beef turned to brown, set aside.
3. Add a bit more oil if you like. Add the garlic (and  sprinkle with red chili pepper flakes and ground cumin) and sliced celery. Stir until the celery start to turn soft, about 3 minutes.
4. Add the beef back to the wok, stir fry for another 1-2 minutes. Carefully taste the meet and celery. If needed, spinkle with come salt and stir to mix.

That’s all! You can transfer this delicious dish to a plate or serve hot on the top of rice as I did.

 

Wok Set

1. Wok: Lodge P14W3 Pro-Logic Cast Iron Wok, 14-inch, Black
2. Wok Lid: Joyce Chen 31-0066, 13.5-Inch Nonstick Steel Dome Lid for 14-Inch Wok

3. Wok Spatula: TableCraft 32405 Bamboo Handle Wok Spatula, 14.5-Inch

4. Wok Scrub Brush: Lodge 10 Inch Scrub Brush. Cast Iron Scrub Brush with Ergonomic Design and Dense Bristles
5.  Wok Handle Holders: Lodge ASPHH41 Prologic Silicone Assist Hot Handle Holder, Red (We don’t usually move the wok as it’s really heavy. Sometimes when we clean the Wok, we use the handle holders as the wok can be really hot.)

 

Freestyle Cooking

When Mark and I first explored cooking, we followed the recipes strictly (it’s more Mark’s style). We needed to frequently look at the recipes and spend lots of time to get the ingredients and measure to exact while cooking. I was wondering how my mom, my grandmas, and so many Chinese people preparing so many delicious dishes without any recipes. I soon realized that my dishes turned out very well without following the recipes as I just cook whatever I can find from the fridge and add the condiments whatever amount I feel right. That’s the Chinese freestyle cooking, the classic one! Everyone has different preference. So you should follow your and your family’s taste to cook.