Sweet and Sticky Crispy Beef with Honey Hoisin Sauce
By Emma Collins
Prep
20 min
Cook
40 min
Total
60 min
Servings
5
Level
Medium
This 1-hour takeout-style beef is built for a weeknight when you can marinate ahead and fry in quick batches. Thin steak strips get a double starch coating, then a sweet, sticky honey-hoisin sauce that clings to the crisp edges without turning them soggy.
Top sirloin is sliced into 1 cm strips, then coated in an onion, garlic, ginger, and light soy sauce marinade. Potato starch is applied twice, with a 10-minute rest between coatings, to create the substantial crust. The sauce combines honey, light soy sauce, water, hoisin, rice vinegar, sesame oil, and shaoxing cooking wine, then thickens with a cornstarch slurry.
The oil is ready when a test piece of beef sizzles instantly, or when bubbles form around a wooden chopstick or spoon handle. Fry in small batches so the oil stays hot and the pieces do not stick into one large cluster. The crucial visual cue is lightly crisp, separated beef after the first fry; crowding the pot is the common mistake that causes clumping and a heavier coating.
Toss the beef with sauce only after the sauce has thickened, then serve immediately with plain rice. Green onion and toasted sesame seeds are optional toppings. Leftover beef will lose its initial crispness, but the source notes that it keeps a pleasant chew rather than becoming soggy.
Why you'll love this recipe
- Quick frying keeps the active cooking moving because the thin beef needs only one to two minutes first, then one minute for a second fry.
- Make-ahead marinating helps on busy evenings because the beef can sit refrigerated for an hour before the starch coating and frying begin.
- No special batter is required, since potato starch and a short rest create the crisp coating around the marinated steak strips.
- Flexible steak choices save a grocery trip because top sirloin can be replaced with flank steak or skirt steak in this recipe.
- Small-batch frying prevents a frustrating cleanup problem because separated pieces are less likely to stick together into one large crisp cluster.
- The sauce is easy to adjust for extra rice because the recipe notes that doubling its listed ingredients makes a saucier finished dish.
Ingredients
- •1.5 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)
- •0.75 cup honey
- •0.25 cup light soy sauce (reduced sodium; plus 2 tablespoons)
- •2 tablespoons light soy sauce (reduced sodium)
- •0.5 cup water
- •1 tablespoon hoisin sauce
- •0.5 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)
Calories
684
Protein
38g
Fat
26g
Carbs
67g
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