This crispy chilli beef recipe is one of my favorite weeknight dinners! It's a flavor-filled quick meal that can be made in 30 minutes and only requires a few simple ingredients. Thin strips of crispy fried beef tossed in a tangy and sweet chilli sauce served on top of fluffy rice - it's the perfect meal!
Love takeout food? Try my Healthy Orange Sesame Chicken, Bulgogi Bowl, and Pepper Steak Recipe!
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If you've ever gone to the Chinese takeaway and ordered crispy chilli beef, you can now skip the trip to the store and make it at home! For me, it's the crispy meat that's perfectly coated in that tangy sweet sauce that gets me every time. We always eat it with rice and the whole family LOVES it. My husband is always requesting that I make this for dinner and I happily oblige every time.
Why You'll Love this Recipe
- The tender beef with the crispy coating is addictive! That crispy texture is what makes it my favorite!
- It's a super easy recipe to make and is ideal for a quick and easy weeknight meal just like my Teriyaki Chicken Bowl and Salisbury Steak!
- This recipe is so flavorful and you only need
Ingredient Notes
Red Chillies - the star of the show! These peppers are pretty spicy so use more or less depending on how spicy you want your dish!
Soy Sauce - this is what gives the sauce it's rich and deep umami flavor!
Fresh Ginger - grate a few chunks of ginger to give the sauce a bright and fresh taste.
Substitutions
- If you don't have sirloin steak, you can also use ribeye, flank steak / skirt steak, New York strip steaks, or rump steak. Of note, if you're using flank steak, be sure to cut against the grain and cut as thinly as possible as this cut of meat can be tough.
- Potato starch works in place of corn flour / cornstarch. Use the same quantities as listed in the recipe.
- If you don't have any rice wine vinegar, you can use apple cider vinegar or white wine vinegar instead.
- No tomato paste? Use tomato ketchup instead.
- If you have a hard time finding red chillies, you can use red pepper flakes instead (about 1-2 tbsps, depending on your spiciness preference). I go to the Asian market to get mine as I can't find it at my local grocery store.
Tips
- Place the steak in the freezer for 20 minutes prior to cooking to make it easier to cut. Placing it in the freezer firms it up a bit, making it easier to cut.
- Try to use freshly grated ginger for maximum flavor!
- When frying the beef, do no overcrowd the pan! Fry the beef in batches if needed.
- Not enough sauce? If you want more sauce, double the sauce mixture ingredients!
How to make Crispy Chilli Beef
- Thinly slice meat against the grain and place in a large bowl. Season with salt, black pepper, and onion powder and add en egg.
- Make sure that all beef is coated with the egg and add corn starch.
3. Add vegetable oil to a frying pan and allow it to warm over medium-high heat. Place the beef strips in the heated oil in a single layer, do not overcrowd the pan - fry in batches if needed! Stir fry for about 4 minutes per side, until golden brown.
4. Remove the strips of beef from the pan with tongs or a slotted spoon and place on a paper towel to drain any excess oil. Repeat until all beef is fried.
5. Make the spicy sauce: add sliced onions to the pan. Add an additional tablespoon of oil if needed. Saute onions until they've softened and become fragrant, about 3 minutes. Then add sliced red chillies, grated ginger, and diced garlic. Continue to cook for 2 minutes.
6. Add rice vinegar, soy sauce, tomato pasta, sweet chilli sauce, and sugar. Whisk together until all ingredients are full incorporated and a sauce forms. Bring to a light boil and remove from heat.
7. Add beef into the pan and toss together. Serve over rice or or with noodles and garnish with sesame seeds, sliced spring onions, and additional chilli flakes.
What to Serve with Crispy Chilli Beef
Serve this classic recipe with a big bowl of rice or noodles for the ultimate dinner. It's my favorite way to serve it to my family!
Recipe FAQs
This recipe consists of thinly sliced sirloin steak coated in corn starch, salt, pepper, and onion powder for a crisp coating. It's then tossed in a sauce that is made of red chillies, garlic, ginger, onions, rice vinegar, soy sauce, tomato paste, sweet chilli sauce and sugar.
You can reheat crispy chilli beef in a pan or a clean wok. I do not recommend reheating in the microwave as the meat strips may become soggy.
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Crispy Chilli Beef
Equipment
- Frying Pan or Wok
Ingredients
- 1 ½ lbs Sirloin Steak
- 2 tsp Onion Powder
- Salt and Pepper , to taste
- â…“ cup Corn Starch
- 1 Large Egg
- 6 tbsp Vegetable Oil
- 1 Onion , sliced
- 1-2 Red Chillies , sliced
- 2 tsp Ginger , grated
- 4 cloves Garlic , diced
- 3 tbsps Rice Vinegar
- 4 tbsps Soy Sauce
- 3 tbsps Tomato Paste
- 5 tbsps Sweet Chilli Sauce
- 2 tbsps Sugar
- Sesame Seeds , for garnish
Directions
- Thinly slice meat against the grain and place in a large bowl. Season with salt, black pepper, and onion powder and add en egg. Make sure that all beef is coated with the egg and add corn starch.
- Add vegetable oil to a frying pan and allow it to warm over medium-high heat. Place the beef strips in the heated oil in a single layer, do not overcrowd the pan - fry in batches if needed! Stir fry for about 4 minutes per side, until golden brown.
- Remove the strips of beef from the pan with tongs or a slotted spoon and place on a paper towel to drain any excess oil. Repeat until all beef is fried.
- Make the spicy sauce: add sliced onions to the pan. Add an additional tablespoon of oil if needed. Saute onions until they've softened and become fragrant, about 3 minutes. Then add sliced red chillies, grated ginger, and diced garlic. Continue to cook for 2 minutes.
- Add rice vinegar, soy sauce, tomato pasta, sweet chilli sauce, and sugar. Whisk together until all ingredients are full incorporated and a sauce forms. Bring to a light boil and remove from heat. Add beef into the pan and toss together. Serve over rice or or with noodles and garnish with sesame seeds, sliced spring onions, and additional chilli flakes.
Notes
- If you don't have sirloin steak, you can also use ribeye, flank steak / skirt steak, New York strip steaks, or rump steak. Of note, if you're using flank steak, be sure to cut against the grain and cut as thinly as possible as this cut of meat can be tough.
- Potato starch works in place of corn flour / cornstarch. Use the same quantities as listed in the recipe.
- If you don't have any rice wine vinegar, you can use apple cider vinegar or white wine vinegar instead.
- No tomato paste? Use tomato ketchup instead.
- If you have a hard time finding red chillies, you can use red pepper flakes instead (about 1-2 tbsps, depending on your spiciness preference). I go to the Asian market to get mine as I can't find it at my local grocery store.
- Place the steak in the freezer for 20 minutes prior to cooking to make it easier to cut. Placing it in the freezer firms it up a bit, making it easier to cut.
- Try to use freshly grated ginger for maximum flavor!
- When frying the beef, do no overcrowd the pan! Fry the beef in batches if needed.
- Not enough sauce? If you want more sauce, double the sauce mixture ingredients!
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