Tender Beef and Onion Stir-Fry

Baking soda does make cheap beef tender — but only if it never ends up in the marinade. In this beef and onion stir-fry, 500 g of sliced chuck gets a 30-minute treatment with 1 tsp of baking soda dissolved in water, then a thorough cold-water rinse before marinating. That one extra step is what separates silky, juicy stir-fry beef from meat with a metallic aftertaste. The beef then sears hard in a very hot pan next to golden onion petals, scallions and garlic, and a splash of plain water turns the cornstarch coating into a glossy sauce — no extra thickeners needed.