CRISPY CHILLI BEEF
Crispy chilli beef, sometimes called crispy shredded beef, is made by deep frying strips of beef until crisp and coating them in a rich, tangy sauce. A Professional Santoku Knife is ideal for finely slicing the meat, and a pair of serving tongs would be useful for safely removing the beef from the pan.
Prepared for us by Charlotte Avent @acupofteaandcake.
SERVES:
4
PREP TIME:
10 minutes
COOKING TIME:
20 minutes
INGREDIENTS:
360g thin-cut sirloin steaks, cut into strips
1 small egg
4 tbsp cornflour
¼ tsp salt
¼ tsp black pepper
4.5 tbsp olive oil
1 medium onion - peeled and sliced into thin strips or diced
1 red chilli, finely sliced
1 tsp minced ginger
3 garlic cloves, crushed
2 tbsp rice vinegar
3 tbsp dark soy sauce
2 tbsp tomato puree
6 tbsp caster sugar
2 tbsp tomato ketchup
2 tbsp sweet chilli sauce
2 carrots, peeled
4 spring onions, chopped
Black sesame seeds, to serve
METHOD:
1 - Break the egg into a bowl and whisk. Add the cornflour, black pepper and salt to another bowl and mix. Dip the steak strips in the egg, then coat in the cornflour mixture and set aside on a plate.
2 - Heat 4 tbsp of the oil (or enough to cover the base) in a large frying pan over a high heat until very hot.
3 - Working in two batches, add in half the beef, a strip at a time, and spread it out.
4 - Fry the steak until dark brown and crispy, turning every few minutes. It should take about 5-6 minutes in total.
5 - Using a slotted spoon or tongs, remove the beef from the pan and place in a bowl lined with kitchen roll to soak up excess fat. Repeat with the remaining strips.
6 - Once you’ve removed all the beef from the pan, add the remaining ½ tbsp of oil to the pan and turn the heat down to medium.
7 - Add in the sliced onion and cook for 2 minutes until slightly softened, then throw in the chopped chilli, minced ginger, and garlic, cooking for 30 seconds.
8 - Add the rice vinegar, soy sauce, tomato puree, sugar, tomato ketchup, and sweet chilli sauce to the pan.
9 - Turn up the heat and let it bubble for a couple of minutes until the sauce starts to reduce a little.
10 - Add the beef back in, give it a stir and heat through for 1-2 minutes – until the beef is hot.
11 - Use a mandolin or potato peeler to slice thin ribbons of carrot, then top your crispy chilli beef with the carrot ribbons and a sprinkling of spring onion and sesame seeds.