Crispy Chilli Beef

4.91 from 32 votes

This crispy chilli beef recipe is surprisingly easy to make and you won't believe the results. Just marinate strips of beef, toss them in potato starch, fry them in oil and then toss them with a sticky, sweet, spicy sauce mix. Add a bowl of rice and some steamed broccoli and you're good to go!

Course Main Dish Recipes

Cuisine Chinese

Keyword beef, chile pepper, chilli, chinese

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 20

Additional Time 20

Total Time 55

Servings servings

Calories 665kcal

Author Robin Donovan

Ingredients

For the beef

1 ½ pounds steak I used flank steak, but you could use top sirloin, skirt, sliced against the grain into thin strips
½ onion
2 garlic cloves
2- inch piece peeled fresh ginger
1 tablespoon lower-sodium soy sauce
1 cup potato starch divided
Neutral oil for frying

For the sauce

6 tablespoons honey
¼ cup lower-sodium soy sauce
6 tablespoons water
1 tablespoon hoisin sauce
1 tablespoon Shaoxing wine or use dry white wine or sake
1 ½ teaspoons sesame oil
1 teaspoon rice vinegar
1 tablespoon corn starch mixed with 1 tablespoon cold water
1 to 2 fresh hot red chile peppers thinly sliced (remove seeds for less heat)

For garnish

3 green onions thinly sliced
2 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds

Instructions

To make the marinade, in a food processor, combine the onion, garlic, ginger, and soy sauce and process to a paste.
In a medium bowl, combine the beef and marinade and toss to coat the meat well. Let marinate at room temperature for 15 to 20 minutes or cover and refrigerate for longer marinating time (you can marinate as long as overnight).
Fill a large, wide skillet, Dutch oven, or a wok with at least 2 inches of oil and heat over medium-high heat.
Sprinkle the potato starch into the beef, tossing with your hands to coat each piece of meat well.
Once the oil begins to shimmer, deep fry the beef strips. Add the meat in batches so as to not crowd the pan. Cook the meat, turning once or twice, until nice and golden brown on all sides. This should take about 4 minutes or so per batch.
Transfer the meat to a plate lined with paper towels to drain while you fry the remaining batches.
Once all of the meat is cooked, make the sauce. In a medium bowl, combine the
Honey, ¼ cup soy sauce, water, hoisin sauce, Shaoxing wine, sesame oil, and vinegar.
Drain the oil from the pot or skillet you cooked the meat in or use a new pan. Heat the pan over medium-high heat and add the sauce mixture. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the mixture comes to a boil.
Meanwhile, mix the cornstarch and water.
Once the sauce boils, stir in the cornstarch slurry and cook, stirring, just until the mixture thickens. This will happen quickly—about 30 seconds or so. Remove from the heat and then immediately add the beef. Toss to coat the beef completely in the sauce.
Serve immediately, garnished with chile peppers, scallions, and/or sesame seeds as desired.

Notes

1. For deep frying, I like to use a Dutch oven because the high sides contain the oil splatters and keep my stovetop and counters cleaner, but you can use a heavy-bottomed skillet or wok if you prefer.

2. You can use any neutral flavored oil with a high smoke point for the frying. Safflower, avocado, peanut, canola, sunflower seed, or corn oil are all good choices.

3. If you don’t have potato starch, you can substitute cornstarch, but know that the meat won’t be quite as crisp.

4. If you don’t have fresh red chile peppers, you can substitute 1 tablespoon of chile paste (sambal oelek) or 1 teaspoon of cayenne pepper mixed with the other sauce ingredients.

Nutrition