One Of The Most Popular Chinese Beef Dishes You Can Find!

Chinese Crispy Chilli Beef is a classic Chinese restaurant favorite that you can cook at home! Why Go Out For Dinner When You Can Cook Like This At Home!

What a total classic Chinese meal. We could eat this every day! All that spicy and sticky coating over the thinly sliced beef is almost too difficult to resist. It doesn’t take long to make and it’s a real crowd-pleaser.

But I don’t Have a Wok!

That’s Ok! a wok is ideal for cooking Chinese Crispy Chilli Beef, but you can also do it in a large flat bottom frying pan quite well. The wok will allow you to toss and combine the meat with the sauce using only one hand. You can just as easily use a spoon to mix it around in a frying pan too.

Three Secrets to Chinese Crispy Chilli Beef

There are in fact TWO Secrets to crispy chilli beef! Let’s talk about them both.

The number one secret to crispy chilli beef is the mixture of cornflour and five-spice. Cornflour is also known as corn starch in the USA, and the fact that it’s starch is the key to crispness.
The second secret to crispy chilli beef is the sauce! It has been said that a good sauce can save a dish and in this case it is true. The sauce has a good strong chilli hit but carries a sweet stickiness due to the sugar content. It’s the sugar which keeps the sauce temperature hot. This is because sugar retains heat very well. It works together with the chilli to form a wondrous sauce, powerful enough to carry the strong beef to a delicious result.

Read this! it is most important!
Cook the meat in batches. You really need to do this! Let’s put a few points in here to help you understand:

The woks used in Chinese restaurants are capable of immense heat, that’s why they cook meat so fast.
At home, it is also possible to get the pan or wok very hot, the problem is in maintaining that heat.
If you can’t maintain the high heat in your pan, the meat will simmer and you will not get crispy results.
Overcrowding the pan with too much meat will reduce the temperature causing it to simmer.
Cook the meat in small batches and this way, the pan will not cool when the meat is added.
The pan will spit and splutter, this is just part of the theatrics, enjoy it!

Safety In The Kitchen

When using hot oil in the kitchen, it’s important to think of safety. We have compiled a few tips to give you confidence while keeping you safe!

Reduce clutter. Always ensure you have plenty of room when frying with a wok, pan, or deep fryer. Bumping things that you forgot were there or just got in the way means you could spill hot oil.
Use the right oils. if you need a lot of heat, use peanut oil fr instance, it has a higher burning point than regular vegetable oil for instance. Using the right oil means you reduce the chance of fire, at least a little!
Do not walk away from the stove when there’s a pan with oil on it. It only takes a moment of inattentiveness for a disaster to occur!
If you have to grab something from the bench, say you’re about to drop in some sauce, turn the handle of the pan inwards. You will be less likely to knock it when returning.
When pouring in new elements to a wok or pan with hot oil, be aware that it may splash up. Always test how volatile it is by adding a little bit first to test. Oil and water don’t mix, but Hot Oil and water make for a dangerous splatter when they meet. It’s the moisture that will make the spatter when added to hot oil. For example, adding soy sauce to hot oil, ouch!

Thinking of Making Chinese Crispy Chilli Beef Yourself?

Don’t let the amount of ingredients intimidate you. First, print out the recipe and tick off all the things you already have. Then you will have a small and convenient list to take to the store. Preparation saves time. It’s difficult to resist marching ahead quickly, but getting all your ducks in order helps a lot. Even if it’s chicken you’re cooking.

Make it Now With This Simple Cooking At Home Is Fun Recipe:

Recipe Card

chinese crispy chilli beef - cooking at home is fun

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5 from 3 votes

Chinese Crispy Chilli Beef

Chinese Crispy Chilli Beef – The all-time favourite and delicious dish! – Start Cooking!

Prep Time10

Cook Time20

Total Time30

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Chinese

Keyword: Asian, Asian Cuisine, chilli, Chinese, classic, cooking at home is fun, Crispy, Peppercorns, Sichuan

Servings: 4

Calories: 0.5kcal

Author: cooking at home is fun

Cost: $10

Equipment

Ingredients

500 g rump steak sliced thinly
5 tbsp cornflour
1 tbsp five spice
½ tsp salt
½ cup vegetable oil
1 tsp sesame seeds toasted
1 tbsp spring onions green part, chopped
1 red chilli sliced thinly

Sauce

1 tbsp light soy sauce
150 ml fresh orange juice
1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
1 tbsp water
3 tbsp ABC Hot Sauce
2 tsp Sichuan peppercorns ground

Instructions

This recipe starts with the sauce. Because the beef cooks very quickly, you will prepare the sauce ahead of the beef.
Using a small saucepan, combine sauce ingredients and bring to boil, then turn down to simmer and allow to thicken. Once it's starting to get thick, remove it from the heat and set aside.
Moving on to the beef, firstly make sure the beef is dry. If not, pat dry the beef with a paper towel to remove any moisture.
Combine cornflour, five-spice, and salt in a freezer bag. Add the beef strips, seal the bag and gently massage the meat around in the bag to thoroughly coat all surfaces. You can use a tray or bowl if you prefer, but this way leaves less to clean up.
Heat oil to high heat in a frying pan or wok, add the beef in batches and fry until it’s crispy and golden. Discard the used oil, there will be specs of cornflour in there which we don't want in the dish.
The sauce should now be reduced and thick. Pour the sauce over the cooked beef and toss through until it’s completely coated. That’s all there is to it!
Garnish with sesame seeds, spring onion, and more chilli, it is chilli beef after all!
Serve with steamed or fried rice and a serve of vegetables on the side.
If you have a little sauce left in the wok, you can add a little water, and some vegetables to deglaze the pan and flavor the vegetables. It only takes a minute, do it quickly so you can enjoy the beef while it remains super crispy. Enjoy!