This is a Chinese takeaway classic, strips of crispy shredded beef smothered in a sticky chilli sauce. Yes this is a bit more of a treat dish but most takeaway dishes are. This recipe is so quick it takes less time than you would spend ordering and waiting for delivery. My recipe for Crispy Chilli Beef requires two pans and hardly any patience. This is one of my favourite fakeaway dishes and I’m sure you will love it too.
Now when trying to find the origins of Crispy Chilli Beef there seems to be no definitive answer. As with so many of our takeaway classics they seem to have been created for our palates and inspired by traditional Chinese cooking. This could be seen as disappointing to some. However when the food tastes this good I’m not sure I care if it has a murky past. Indeed in Britain we seem to adopt food from other cultures and then doctoring it to become something rather in-between.
Although I have told you it is quick, and believe me it is, it requires very little ‘heavy lifting’ on your part. It is as simple as mixing the sauce ingredients together and letting it bubble away. Slicing beef tossing with corn flour and frying. That is all. Yes the frying may be slightly intimidating but it’s really a quick method to get crisp beef. It is so delicious and really worth your time with the frying pan.
Fakeaway recipes are some of my favourite ones to recreate. There is something about starting with a dish and then working out what may be involved. Almost reverse engineering with food. Well I think I have cracked this one. If you are not a spice fan you can always add 1 tbsp of brown sugar if you wish. As with all of my recipes I love to see them recreated by you and encourage you to make them your own add a bit more of something or don’t use an ingredient. After all it is you that is going to eat it.
If you are looking for more fakeaway recipes take a look at these:
Beef & Broccoli Rice
Chinese Pork Buns
Fish & Chips Traybake
Halloumi Curry
Orange Chicken
I’d love to hear what you think of this Crispy Chilli Beef. Let me know in the comments below. Don’t forget to tag me in your pictures on social media and use #CUBBintheKitchen to be featured in my stories.
Happy Eating!
Crispy Chilli Beef
Ingredients
The Beef
- 1 Rump Steak 230-250 grams
- 4 tbsp Cornflour
- 3 tbsp Oil
The Sauce
- 5 tbsp Sweet Chilli Sauce
- 2 tbsp Honey
- 1 tbsp Dark Soy Sauce
- 1 tbsp Rice Vinegar
- 0.5 tsp Chilli Flakes
- 100 ml Stock Beef, Chicken or Vegetable (Stock cube is perfect)
Instructions
- Sauce TimePut all of the sauce ingredients into a small sauceoan and bring up to a boil, then reduce to a gentle simmer.By the time you have sorted the beef it will be thick and luscious. When it coats the back of a wooden spoon you are in a very good place.
- Now the BeefSlice the beef into very thin strips. I cut a thin slice then cut that in half length-ways to get ultra thin beef strips.Now toss the strips of beef in the Cornflour and give it all a good squeeze to make sure its well and truly adhered.Heat the oil in a frying pan and fry the beef strips until brown and crisp. (You may need to do this in batches)If you need you can keep warm in a 100°C oven or add back to the frying pan to quickly warm up.
- Combine & EnjoyNow you have crispy beef and chilli sauce pour the chilli sauce over the beef and toss to coat.Serve with whatever you like, I love this with egg fried rice.
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