Bef Stroganov (Russian Beef Stroganoff)

About This Recipe

Beef Stroganoff is one of Russia's most internationally recognized dishes: thin strips of beef, seared hard and fast, tossed with deeply browned mushrooms and onions, then bound in a tangy sauce built from sour cream and a little mustard rather than heavy cream. The beef is cooked in quick batches over high heat so it browns instead of stewing, which keeps it tender. The sauce comes together off direct high heat — sour cream is stirred in at the end so it thickens gently without curdling, seasoned with a touch of Dijon mustard for sharpness that cuts through the richness. Everything is spooned over buttered egg noodles, which soak up the sauce and turn the dish into a full plate. Named for the Stroganov family, a prominent 19th-century Russian noble house, this dish has become a staple far beyond Russia, but the technique — hard-seared beef, browned mushrooms, and a quick sour cream sauce finished off the heat — remains rooted in classic Russian home cooking.

Ingredients

Serves 4

• 600 gbeef sirloin or tenderloin(cut into thin strips)
• 3 tbspoil(divided)
• 1onion(thinly sliced)
• 300 gmushrooms(sliced)
• 2 tbspflour
• 1 cupbeef stock
• 1 cupsour cream
• 1 tspDijon mustard
• 1 tspfine sea salt
• 0.5 tspblack pepper
• 400 gegg noodles
• 2 tbspchopped dill

Instructions

1. 1

   Sear the beef

   Pat beef strips dry. Heat 2 tbsp oil in a wide skillet over high heat and sear the beef in batches, about 90 seconds per batch, until browned but still pink inside. Remove to a plate.

   Don't crowd the pan — searing in batches keeps the beef browning instead of steaming and toughening.

2. 2

   Brown the mushrooms and onion

   Add remaining oil to the same pan. Cook onion until soft, about 5 minutes, then add mushrooms and cook until browned and their liquid has evaporated, 8 minutes.

3. 3

   Build the sauce base

   Sprinkle flour over the mushrooms and stir 1 minute. Gradually whisk in beef stock, scraping up any browned bits, and simmer until slightly thickened, 3-4 minutes.

4. 4

   Cook the noodles

   While the sauce simmers, cook egg noodles in salted boiling water according to package directions, then drain.

5. 5

   Finish the sauce

   Reduce heat to low, stir in sour cream, mustard, salt and pepper. Return the beef and any accumulated juices to the pan and warm through for 1-2 minutes — do not boil.

   Boiling the sauce after adding sour cream can cause it to split; keep the heat gentle from this point on.

6. 6

   Serve

   Spoon the stroganoff over buttered egg noodles and finish with fresh dill.

Variations

• •

  Use chicken breast strips instead of beef for a lighter version.

• •

  Serve over mashed potatoes or rice instead of egg noodles.

• •

  Add a splash of white wine or brandy after browning the mushrooms for extra depth.

Storage

Refrigerate up to 3 days; reheat gently over low heat, adding a splash of stock to loosen the sauce, and avoid boiling to keep the sour cream from splitting.

Frequently Asked Questions