Crispy Chilli Beef with Sticky Sweet-Spicy Sauce
By Isabella Quinn
Prep
15 min
Cook
15 min
Total
30 min
Servings
4
Level
Easy
Put dinner on the table in about 30 minutes with this Chinese crispy chilli beef, prepared by shallow-frying thin medallion steak strips alongside tossing them in a sticky sauce. The egg-and-cornflour coating forms dark, crunchy edges, while sweet chilli, soy, ketchup, vinegar, garlic, and sriracha provide tangy heat.
Medallion steak is sliced thinly against the grain, then mixed by hand with egg before cornflour, salt, beside white pepper make a sticky coating. Vegetable oil shallow-fries the strips. Therefore, a deep-fat fryer is not required. The sauce merges sweet chilli sauce, light soy sauce, ketchup, apple cider vinegar, pressed garlic, sriracha, and water for a sweet-spicy, tangy finish, while sesame seeds top the beef.
Heat the oil until a test piece sizzles at once, then add strips one by one and fry them in two batches. They should become dark brown along with crisp, with only occasional stirring. The usual problem is crowding the pan. This action lowers the oil temperature and leaves the coating soggy instead of crunchy. In the sauce pan, one should look for a thick, sticky yet still pourable consistency before tossing in the beef.
Serve immediately after sesame seeds are scattered over the coated beef. Accompany with plain boiled rice, egg noodles, rice noodles, pak choi, or Chinese green cabbage. Leftover beef loses its crunch when it is sauced. However, the flavors continue to mingle. Keeping fried strips separate from the sauce helps preserve the best texture. This is important when you want to assemble a portion later.
Why we keep this one around
- Saves a takeaway order during busy nights because the complete recipe lists 15 minutes of prep and 15 minutes of cooking.
- Keeps equipment simple: a large frying pan or wok handles the shallow fry, with a second clean pan quickly thickens the sauce.
- Utilizes inexpensive medallion steak instead of premium cuts, since thin slicing along with the crisp coating performs the important texture work.
- Cuts prep to a short coating step. This occurs because egg, cornflour, salt, along with white pepper are mixed directly with the sliced beef.
- Makes sauce from familiar pantry-style ingredients. It combines sweet chilli sauce, ketchup, soy, vinegar, garlic, water, along with sriracha in one pan.
- Offers flexible serving options since the finished beef perfectly suits plain boiled rice, various noodles, pak choi, or Chinese green cabbage.
Ingredients
- •360 g medallion steak (sliced against the grain into thin strips)
- •1 egg
- •6 tbsp cornflour
- •½ tsp salt
- •½ tsp white pepper
- •4 tbsp vegetable oil
- •1 tbsp sesame seeds
- •3 tbsp sweet chilli sauce
- •1 ½ tbsp apple cider vinegar
- •3 tbsp ketchup
- •3 tbsp light soy sauce
- •2 tbsp water
- •2 cloves garlic (pressed)
- •2 tsp sriracha sauce or hot sauce (more if you like it spicy)
Instructions
- 1
Add the steak strips and egg to a mixing bowl, then use your hands to coat all of the steak in egg.
- 2
Add the cornflour, salt, and white pepper, then combine well until the steak is thoroughly coated and the mixture is sticky.
- 3
Heat the vegetable oil in a large frying pan or wok over high heat until very hot, about 3 to 4 minutes.
- 4
Test the oil with a small piece of beef; when it sizzles, the oil is ready.
- 5
Carefully add the steak strips one at a time, separating them from the sticky mixture, and fry in two batches.
- 6
Fry the steak for about 5 to 6 minutes until dark brown and crispy, stirring only a few times.
- 7
Use a slotted spoon to transfer the beef to kitchen towel to drain excess oil.
- 8
Combine the sweet chilli sauce, light soy sauce, ketchup, apple cider vinegar, garlic, sriracha sauce or hot sauce, and water.
- 9
Add the sauce mixture to a clean frying pan and simmer over medium heat for about 3 to 4 minutes, until thick and sticky.
- 10
Add the crispy beef to the sauce and stir until all of the steak is coated.
- 11
Sprinkle with sesame seeds and serve immediately.
FAQ
Nutrition (per serving)
522
Calories
Reviews
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