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Crispy Chilli Beef

Crispy chilli beef is the dish everyone fights over at the table — thin strips of beef fried until properly crunchy, then tossed through a sticky sauce that's sweet, tangy and just spicy enough.

The trick is slicing the beef thinly, coating it well in cornflour and frying it hot so it stays crisp even after it meets the sauce. It's a technique worth mastering, and it's easier than you'd think.

Skip the takeaway — this version comes together in about 35 minutes and the beef stays crunchier than anything that's travelled home in a plastic container.

Servings
4
Prep Time
20
mins
Cook Time
20
mins
Ingredients
16
Total Time
40
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Pantry bits

  • Wok or deep saucepan
  • Cooking thermometer
  • Wire rack
  • Slotted spoon or spider strainer
  • Sharp knife and chopping board
  • Mixing bowls

Ingredients

  • 500g beef rump or sirloin steak, sliced into thin strips
  • 1 tbsp soy sauce
  • 1 egg white
  • 3/4 cup (110g) cornflour
  • Vegetable oil, for deep frying
  • 1 red capsicum, thinly sliced
  • 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
  • 1 tbsp finely grated ginger
  • 1 long red chilli, thinly sliced
  • 3 tbsp sweet chilli sauce
  • 2 tbsp tomato sauce (ketchup)
  • 2 tbsp rice vinegar
  • 2 tbsp light soy sauce
  • 2 tbsp brown sugar
  • 3 spring onions, cut into 4cm lengths
  • 1 tsp sesame seeds, to serve

Instructions

  1. Toss the beef strips with the soy sauce and egg white. Add the cornflour and mix with your hands until every strip is coated in a dry, craggy layer.
  2. Heat 5cm of vegetable oil in a wok or deep saucepan to 180C. Fry the beef in three batches for 3-4 minutes each, separating the strips as they cook, until deeply golden and crisp. Drain on a wire rack.
  3. Stir together the sweet chilli sauce, tomato sauce, rice vinegar, light soy sauce and brown sugar in a small bowl.
  4. Carefully pour off the frying oil, leaving about 1 tablespoon in the wok. Return to high heat and stir-fry the capsicum for 1 minute.
  5. Add the garlic, ginger and fresh chilli and stir-fry for 30 seconds until fragrant.
  6. Pour in the sauce mixture and let it bubble for 1 minute until sticky and slightly reduced.
  7. Return the crispy beef to the wok with the spring onions and toss quickly for 30 seconds so everything is glazed but the beef stays crunchy.
  8. Scatter with sesame seeds and serve immediately with steamed jasmine rice.

Other recipes

Bo Kho (Vietnamese Beef Stew)
Bun Bo Hue (Spicy Beef Noodle Soup)
Pho Ga (Vietnamese Chicken Noodle Soup)

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