Cantonese / American Chinese Recipe

Beef with Tomato

Beef with tomato is a mild stir-fry with sliced beef, tomatoes, onion, and a lightly sweet savory sauce.

Recipe at a glance

PurposeHigh-frequency Chinese restaurant menu dish
Cuisine or formatCantonese / American Chinese
Menu variation ruleProtein may be adjusted without creating a separate recipe family.

Ingredients

  • 12 oz sliced beef
  • 2 tomatoes, cut in wedges
  • 1/2 onion
  • 2 garlic cloves
  • 1 tablespoon light soy sauce
  • 1 teaspoon sugar
  • 1 tablespoon ketchup, optional
  • 1/2 cup stock or water
  • Cornstarch slurry
  • Neutral oil

Method

  1. Marinate beef with soy sauce and cornstarch.
  2. Stir-fry beef quickly and remove.
  3. Cook onion and garlic.
  4. Add tomatoes and cook until just softened.
  5. Add stock, sugar, and optional ketchup.
  6. Return beef.
  7. Thicken lightly.

Menu-literacy notes

  • Tomato-beef dishes show the Cantonese and Chinese American use of tomato in savory sauces.
  • The tomatoes should soften but not disappear.
  • The dish is usually mild and rice-friendly.

Variations and substitutions

  • For chicken, beef, shrimp, pork, tofu, or mixed seafood variants, keep the same sauce logic and adjust the cooking time for the protein.
  • For allergies or religious dietary needs, check sauces, broth, wrappers, cooking wine, and shared wok or fryer use.
  • For takeout-style dishes, sauce texture matters: the sauce should coat the food rather than become a thin soup.

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