Crispy Chilli Beef

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This Homemade Crispy Chilli Beef recipe uses simple ingredients and tastes better than the real thing!

Prep Time25

Cook Time15

Marinating Time2

Total Time40

Course: Dinner, Main Course

Cuisine: Chinese

Servings:

Author: Chris Collins

Cost: £4 / $5

Equipment

3x Medium-Sized Mixing Bowls (1 for sauce, 1 for beef, 1 for cornflour)
Sharp Knife & Chopping Board
Large Heavy-Based Pan & Wooden Spoon
Tongs
Kitchen Thermometer
Wire Rack & Tray (for resting fried beef)

Ingredients

Sauce

3 tbsp Sweet Chilli Sauce
2 1/2 tbsp Honey
2 tbsp Tomato Ketchup
2 tbsp Rice Vinegar (sub apple cider vinegar or white wine vinegar)
1 1/2 tbsp Light Soy Sauce

Crispy Chilli Beef

400g / 14oz Rump or Sirloin Steak (see notes)
2 tbsp Light Soy Sauce
2 cloves of Garlic, finely grated or very finely diced
1 heaped tsp grated or very finely diced Fresh Ginger
250g / 9oz Cornflour/Cornstarch, or as needed
2 medium Eggs, beaten
255ml / 1 cup + 1 tbsp Vegetable Oil, or another oil with a high smoking point e.g. sunflower oil
1 medium White Onion, thinly sliced
1 large or 2 small Carrots, sliced into thin matchsticks
1 Red Chilli, thinly sliced (see notes)
Rice or Noodles, to serve

Instructions

Remove any large bits of fat from the beef, then slice into very thin strips. In a mixing bowl, combine the beef strips with the soy sauce, garlic and ginger. Leave to marinate in the fridge for as long as you have time for (up to 2 hours). If you’re pushed for time, just leave at room temp as you prepare the other ingredients.
Mix 2 tbsp of the cornflour into the beef and leave for a few minutes. It’ll be fairly sticky at this point, which is fine.
Place a second bowl next to the beef and fill it with the rest of the cornflour. Mix the beaten egg into the beef, then take a strip and thoroughly coat it in the cornflour. Make sure you really press the cornflour into the beef, then give it a good shake before resting on a baking tray. Repeat with the remaining strips of beef. I know this step is tedious but it’s worth it for maximum crispiness! If you run out of cornflour, just add more as needed.
Heat 240ml/1 cup of the oil in a large, heavy-based saucepan over a medium-high heat until it reaches 180°C (356°F). When it's hot enough, a crumb should sizzle when it hits the oil. Add half the beef (or as much as will comfortably fit) and use tongs to spread it out in the pan. Leave to fry for 2 minutes to allow the batter to cling to the beef, then cook for a further 2-3 minutes, stir-frying until golden and crisp all over. Remove and place on a wire rack set over a baking tray or kitchen paper to catch any excess oil. Repeat with the second batch, then discard the oil.
Whisk all the sauce ingredients together in a small bowl until combined.
Heat the remaining oil in the pan over a medium heat. Add the onion and carrots and fry for a few minutes until they start to soften, then add the chilli and fry for a minute longer. Toss in the beef and sauce and give it a good stir until the sauce thickens and clings to the beef.
Serve with rice or noodles then tuck in and enjoy!

Video

Notes

a) Beef - there's no need to splash out on an expensive cut of beef. It's cut so thinly it won't make a huge difference. In fact, the more marbled the beef is, the trickier it is to slice very thin strips without it breaking apart.

b) Coating the beef - for optimal crispiness it is best to individually coat each strip. Granted this is a tedious process, so if you get fed up for can do a few at a time. Just make they still get nicely coated in the cornflour and give them a shake.

c) Chilli - I just use a regular red chilli that you get in the packets from supermarkets. I don't deseed it, but if you want to reduce spice make sure you remove the seeds too.

d) Cookbook– this recipe is featured in my debut cookbook ‘Comfy’.

e) Calories - whole recipe divided by 4 assuming 1/4 cup oil is soaked up and all the cornflour is used (slight overestimate).

Nutrition