Sweet and Sticky Crispy Beef with Honey Hoisin Sauce
By Isabella Quinn
Prep
20 min
Cook
40 min
Total
60 min
Servings
5
Level
Medium
This 1-hour carryout beef recipe works well for a weeknight meal when you have time to prepare the beef in advance and cook it in batches. Thin steak strips are covered with two layers of breading. A thick, sweet hoisin-honey sauce clings to, but doesn't saturate, the fried beef.
Top sirloin is sliced into 1-centimeter strips and seasoned with onions, garlic, ginger, and light soy sauce. The sirloin is twice coated with potato starch and let sit for 10 minutes between coatings to form a coating. A sauce made with honey, light soy sauce, water, hoisin sauce, rice vinegar, sesame oil, and shaoxing wine is thickened with a cornstarch slurry.
The oil is hot enough when beef added to it sizzles or when bubbles appear around a chopstick or spoon placed into the oil. Fry small batches of beef to maintain oil temperature and keep pieces from sticking together. One important tip: Leave enough room between pieces of meat so that they will be only lightly browned after the first frying. Not leaving enough space between pieces is a common mistake that results in thicker coatings.
Combine the beef and sauce once the sauce has thickened and serve over plain rice immediately. Add toppings such as green onions and sesame seeds if desired. Any cooked leftovers will be less crunchy than fresh beef, though the recipe developer says cooked leftovers will remain somewhat chewy, not soft.
Why we keep this one around
- Quick cooking techniques make good use of cooking time because the sliced beef takes 1 to 2 minutes to cook and an additional minute to cook during the second frying.
- Prepping the marinated meat ahead of time will save you time during the week, as the marinated meat can be refrigerated for up to an hour before breading and cooking.
- No batter is required; potato starch and marinating time can help create a crispy coating for steak strips.
- Flexible steak choices can save you a grocery store visit. Other steaks you can use in this recipe instead of top sirloin include flank and skirt steak.
- Small-scale frying minimizes cleanup problems caused by fries sticking together to form a large clump of fried potatoes.
- The sauce can be adapted to add more rice. The original recipe notes that doubling all the ingredients in the sauce recipe will produce a saucier final dish.
Ingredients
- •1 ½ lbs top sirloin steak (flank steak or skirt steak can be used)
- •1 cup potato starch (divided in half; cornstarch can be substituted but will be less crispy)
- •oil (for deep frying)
- •1 small onion
- •2 cloves garlic
- •4 slices ginger (4-5 slices, sliced thin, 2-3 mm)
- •1 tablespoon light soy sauce (reduced sodium)
- •¾ cup honey
- •¼ cup light soy sauce (reduced sodium; plus 2 tablespoons)
- •2 tablespoons light soy sauce (reduced sodium)
- •½ cup water
- •1 tablespoon hoisin sauce
- •½ tablespoon rice vinegar
- •1 tablespoon sesame oil
- •1 tablespoon shaoxing cooking wine
- •5 teaspoons cornstarch (for slurry)
- •6 teaspoons water (cold, for slurry)
- •1 stalk green onion (1-2 stalks, chopped, optional)
- •toasted sesame seeds (optional)
Instructions
- 1
Slice the steak into 1 cm-wide strips and place it in a bowl. If the steak is more than 1 cm thick, cut the strips in half again lengthwise.
- 2
Blitz the onion, garlic, and ginger in a food processor until a paste forms. If you do not have a food processor, grate or chop them very finely by hand.
- 3
Add the marinade paste and 1 tablespoon light soy sauce to the beef, mix well, and marinate in the refrigerator for 1 hour or at room temperature for 20-30 minutes.
- 4
After marinating, dust 1/2 cup potato starch or cornstarch over the beef and use your fingers to loosely coat it. Let it sit for 10 minutes.
- 5
While the beef sits, heat a heavy-bottomed pot or wok over medium heat. Add at least 1 inch of oil and heat it to 375F, or until bubbles form around a wooden chopstick or spoon handle.
- 6
Dust the beef with the remaining 1/2 cup potato starch or cornstarch, lightly re-coat it, and dust off excess starch. Deep fry immediately.
- 7
Separate any clumped beef pieces with your fingers and deep fry in small batches. Test the oil with one small piece of beef; it should sizzle instantly.
- 8
Deep fry the beef for 1-2 minutes, then remove it to a plate lined with parchment paper or newspaper.
- 9
Once all the beef has been fried once, return all of it to the oil and fry for 1 more minute.
- 10
Remove all the oil from the pot and return it to the stove over medium-low heat.
- 11
Add all sauce ingredients except the cornstarch slurry ingredients.
- 12
Stir until combined and bring the sauce to a low rolling boil.
- 13
Combine the cornstarch and cold water in a small bowl to make a slurry. Add it to the sauce and stir until thickened, then turn off the heat.
- 14
Add the crispy beef and coat it with the sauce.
- 15
Serve immediately with plain rice, if desired.
FAQ
Nutrition (per serving)
684
Calories
38g
Protein
26g
Fat
67g
Carbs
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