Crispy beef

TIME2 hours MAKES4 PORTION
0.5x 1x 2x 3x

Crispy beef — starch-coated, thinly sliced, deep fried beef tossed in a sweet, sticky sauce — is found in various forms in Australian, British, and Canadian Chinese cuisine. It likely arises from the Sichuan ganbian (dry-frying) technique, for example in dry-fried beef, where meat (or vegetables) are cooked in oil until all moisture is removed — leading to a chewy, jerky-like texture — before stir frying.

The westernized crispy beef adds marination and starch, replaces the stir frying with a sticky sauce, and deep fries instead — almost a completely different dish, but nonetheless very delicious.

INGREDIENTS

  • 750ml canola oil
  • 1 carrot (finely grated)
  • Sesame seeds
  • Spring onion (finely sliced)

Beef marinade

  • 300g rib-eye steak (cut into thin strips)
  • 1/4 onion (finely grated)
  • 1/4 tsp bicarbonate of soda
  • 1 tsp cornflour
  • 2 tsp Shaoxing wine
  • 2 tsp soy sauce

Sticky sauce

  • 75g (1/4 cup) ketchup
  • 120g (1/3 cup) honey
  • 2 tbsp soy sauce
  • 2 tbsp rice vinegar
  • 1 tbsp Shaoxing wine
  • 1 tbsp water
  • 2 tsp sesame oil
  • 1 tsp sriracha or gochujung
  • 1/4 tsp dark soy sauce

Starch coating

  • 25g (3 tbsp) cornflour
  • 50g (1/3 cup) rice flour

STEPS

  1. Place the beef in a bowl with the marinade ingredients, and toss well to coat. Cover, and marinate for at least 30 minutes, or overnight.

  2. Whisk all the ingredients for the sauce in a small saucepan on medium heat. Simmer until it thickens to the consistency of honey. When done, cover and keep warm.

  3. Add the cornflour to the marinating beef, and toss to coat. Add the rice flour and repeat. Transfer the beef strips to a plate, shaking off any excess starch.

  4. First fry: Heat the oil in a heavy saucepan or dutch oven to 210ºC. Fry the beef strips, a quarter at a time, for 1.5-2 minutes, and transfer to a paper-towel lined plate. Ensure the oil stays at 210ºC between frys.

  5. Second fry: Increase the oil temperature to 220ºC. Line a bowl with paper towel, and place the shredded carrot in the bowl. Fry the beef again in batches for 30 seconds until deeply browned and crispy, then transfer to the bowl, placing on top of the carrots.

  6. Remove the paper towel from the bowl, and pour in the sticky sauce, sesame seeds, and sliced green onions. Toss to coat, and serve over rice.

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