I made you dinner.

Chili Garlic Beef Stir Fry with Coconut Rice I howsweeteats.com

It's good. I promise. I swear on my teddy bear.

I figured that I should probably stop talking about brussels sprouts by now since I haven't be able to, you know, shut the heck up about them. I decided to go with peppers and onions instead.

Okay not really. But I made this meal and we LOVED IT. Like loved it loved it. It was a nice change of pace. Occasionally we get in the beef rut of only meatballs, burgers, flank steak or fillets and this was a welcome change.

It was perfectly fitting for an omg-what-am-I-doing-with-my-life meltdown kind of night. I know you know those nights. Please tell me you do.

Chili Garlic Beef Stir Fry with Coconut Rice I howsweeteats.com

Apparently I'm having a thing for chili garlic flavors recently.  It's kind of odd because I don't totally love spicy foods – I find that when things are too spicy, I just don't taste anything. But! I do love a teensy tiny bit of heat with some garlic and brown sugar. It's like holy flavor bomb. Explosion. It even makes me want to eat the vegetables that go along with the beef.

And we know how huge that is.

Blah blah look at me I hate vegetables! Yeah yeah.

If you're feeling frisky, you could also add some crushed peanuts or cashews to this mess. I made it again this week and threw some cashews on top… yes yes. Just yes. The crunch was awesome and the flavor fit perfectly.

Chili Garlic Beef Stir Fry with Coconut Rice I howsweeteats.com

They key to cooking this beef is to use super high heat. Sear it quickly and toss it out of the skillet. It really only takes minutes. In fact, the entire recipe should take you under 30 minutes (aside from the downtime of the rice cooking and the beef marinating) and that's how I like to do things in the kitchen.

It's a little spicy and sweet and paired with the coconut rice (oh shush, if you're a coconut hater just make regular jasmine rice)… it's oh so refreshing.

Filling but light. Does that make sense?

Probably not. BUT IT'S AWESOME.

Chili Garlic Beef Stir Fry with Coconut Rice I howsweeteats.com

Chili Garlic Beef Stir Fry with Coconut Jasmine Rice

chili garlic beef

  • 1 1/2 pounds thinly sliced beef, I find mine at whole foods, labeled "stir fry beef"
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon pepper
  • 1/4 cup olive oil
  • 3 tablespoons brown sugar
  • 1 chipotle pepper in adobo sauce, diced
  • 2 teaspoons adobo sauce from the can of chipotles in adobo
  • 4 garlic cloves, minced
  • 2 tablespoons coconut oil
  • 1 green bell pepper, chopped
  • 1 red bell pepper, chopped
  • 1 sweet onion, sliced

coconut jasmine rice

  • 1 1/2 cups jasmine rice, I use brown jasmine rice from Trader Joes
  • 1 1/2 cups light canned coconut milk
  • 1/2 cup coconut water
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons coconut oil
  • 2 tablespoons finely shredded, unsweetened coconut

chili garlic beef

  • At least 2 hours before, season the beef with salt and pepper. Whisk together the oil, sugar, chipotle pepper, adobo sauce and garlic cloves in a bowl. Add the beef to a baking dish or ziplock bag and pour the marinade ingredients overtop. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours or even overnight.

  • When you're ready to cook the beef, heat a large skillet or wok over high heat. (as a note, I do not add the marinade to the skillet – I remove the beef with kitchen tongs and whatever marinade is on the beef comes along. The rest is discarded.) Add the coconut oil and once melted, add the beef in 2 or 3 batches. You don't want to crowd the beef and you only want to cook it for a few minutes so it stays tender. Sear the beef for 1 to 2 minutes, then flip and sear the other side. Remove the beef and place in a bowl – and repeat with remaining beef.

  • Once all of the beef is in the bowl, reduce the heat to medium-high. Add in the peppers and onions and stir well to coat, scraping any bits off the bottom. Cook until the vegetables just start to soften, about 2-3 minutes. Reduce the heat to low, add the beef back to the skillet and toss. Cover and let sit over warm heat for 5 to 10 minutes so the flavors can marry a bit. Serve immediately with the coconut jasmine rice.

coconut jasmine rice

  • Heat a saucepan over medium-high heat and add rice, coconut milk, coconut water and salt. Stir, then bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low, cover and let cook for about 30 minutes, until liquid is absorbed. Fluff with a fork, then stir in coconut oil. Stir in the shredded coconut and serve. (My favorite jasmine rice is the brown jasmine rice from Trader Joe's – all brands may have different cook times. Adjust the liquid and cook time according to your directions.)

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Asian

Chili Garlic Beef Stir Fry with Coconut Rice I howsweeteats.com

that's your plate!