Chinese Crispy Shredded Chilli Beef (With Sweet Chilli)

A serving of Crispy Shredded Chilli Beef

5 from 1 vote

Chinese Crispy Shredded Chilli Beef (With Sweet Chilli)

Make perfectly crispy shredded chilli beef tossed in a spicy and sticky 4 ingredient sweet chilli sauce. You'll be surprised at how easy it is to recreate this Chinese takeaway favourite in your own kitchen with a few simple everyday ingredients.

Prep Time15

Cook Time15

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Chinese

Servings:

Calories: 308kcal

Author: Helen

Equipment

1 wok or large frying pan

Ingredients

Sauce

6 tbsp soy sauce Note 1
2 tbsp rice or apple cider vinegar
4 tbsp sweet chilli sauce Note 2
4 tbsp sugar

Crispy shredded beef

1 egg
1 tbsp soy sauce Note 1
½ tsp white pepper
80 g cornflour/cornstarch Note 3)
400 g sirloin steak sliced thinly into 0.5 cm / ¼ inch pieces (Note 4)
neutral oil for frying (Note 5)
1 medium onion sliced
4 g ginger grated
2 garlic cloves crushed
2 red chillis finely chopped

To finish (optional)

toasted sesame seeds
finely chopped spring onions/scallions

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Make the sauce by combining the soy sauce, rice vinegar, sweet chilli sauce and sugar in a small jug or bowl.
Mix egg white with the soy sauce.
Place the cornflour/cornstarch and in another bowl and stir in the white pepper.
Place each piece of steak into the egg mixture then dredge in cornflour. (Note 6)
Place a frying pan on a medium to high heat and pour oil into a frying pan to around 1cm / ¼ inch deep.
Add the steak pieces when the oil is hot and steaming and fry for a minute of two on each side until they start to crisp up, then remove from the pan and set aside. Note that you may need to do this in two batches, depending on the size of your pan. (Note 7)
Carefully remove the excess oil from the pan or use a clean frying pan (you should be left with about a tablespoon. (Note 8)
Fry the onions unitl translucent, then add chilli, garlic and ginger and cook for 1-2 minutes until fragrant.
Pour in the sauce and let it reduce for a few seconds on a high heat before adding the crispy beef pieces.
Serve immediately, topped with spring onions/scallions and toasted sesame seeds.

Notes

Soy sauce: Use all-purpose or light soy sauce. Avoid dark soy sauce because it will make the sauce too rich.
Sweet chilli sauce: Any brand is fine. I often use Blue Dragon
Cornflour/cornstarch: is essential for getting crispy beef and cannot be substituted for plain/allpurpose flour.
Sirloin steak: You can also use flank steak or ribeye. Rump steak will also work, although it's not the best option due to its chewier texture.
Oil: Use a neutral oil with a high burn point. Sunflower, vegetable oil or groundnut will all do the job well. Avoid olive oil, its lower burn point makes it unsuitable for frying on a high heat.
Dredging: I recommend dredging no more than 3-4 pieces of steak at a time and shaking off any excess egg white mixture beforehand. Do not dredge all the pieces at the same time. They'll be too soggy and sticky to crisp up nicely.
Checking the pan is hot enough to start frying: Drop a breadcrumb or small piece of beef into the oil. If it sizzles up immediately, the oil is ready, otherwise you'll need to wait a little longer.
Removing excess oil from the pan safely: Quickly and safely clean the pan or wok by taking it off the heat. Use tongs or chopsticks to wipe away the excess oil and remove the excess cornflour/cornstarch with kitchen paper.

Storage instructions:

Leftover crispy beef can be stored in the fridge for up to 3 days, but it will lose its freshly fried crispiness. I don't recommend making this dish ahead with the intention of storing the leftovers and eating them later. It's also not a suitable dish for freezing.

You can reheat chilled shredded chilli beef in the oven or air fryer. Please refer to the storage section of the blog post for more detailed instructions.

Nutrition