Beef Stroganoff

Ingredients

• Beef (sirloin/tenderloin) · thinly sliced400 g
• Mushrooms · sliced200 g
• Onion · sliced1
• Butter2 tbsp
• Cooking oil1 tbsp
• Flour · to thicken1 tbsp
• Beef stock300 ml
• Sour cream120 ml
• Dijon mustard · optional1 tsp
• Salt & pepper1 to taste
• Parsley1 to garnish
• To serve
• Egg noodles or rice1 to serve

Steps

1. Slice the beef thinly against the grain and season with salt and pepper.

   ⏲ 3 min

2. Heat oil in a pan over high heat and quickly sear the beef just on the surface, then remove (overcooking makes it tough).

   ⏲ 3 min

3. Melt the butter in the same pan, cook the onion, then add the mushrooms and brown them.

   ⏲ 5 min

4. Stir in the flour and cook 1 minute, then whisk in the stock gradually until thickened.

   ⏲ 3 min

5. Lower the heat and stir in the sour cream and mustard (low heat so it doesn't split). Season with salt and pepper.

   ⏲ 2 min

6. Return the beef and warm through 1–2 minutes. Serve over egg noodles or rice, with parsley.

   ⏲ 2 min

Tips & Variations

The basics behind this dish

• Browning and the Maillard ReactionMeat fails to brown for one of three reasons: it is wet, the pan is cool, or you put too much in at once. Plus how the brown film stuck to the pan becomes your sauce.
• Cooking Meat: Temperature, Resting, and Cutting Against the GrainDoneness is a core temperature, not a number of minutes. What resting actually does, how to handle a thick cut, and why the direction you slice changes the texture.
• Knife Skills: Grip, Cuts, and Why Size MattersHow you hold the knife matters more than how fast you cut. The pinch grip, the claw hand, and why uniform size is a cooking decision rather than a cosmetic one.