Beijing Beef

My kids will happily eat anything just as long as it isn’t always Pakistani food. And to be honest, with the amount of sodium and additives in Chinese take out, I would prefer to make it at home for them. I love how easy it is to make Chinese food. It’s so quick and easy to make. I boil rice the day before so that the rice doesn’t break when you make fried rice with it. 

The best part of this dish is the crispy beef! The beef stays crispy even after mixing it into the sauce! So yum! You can add whatever vegetables you have lying around. When I filmed this dish I had different colour peppers, but last night I only had green peppers, onions, mushrooms and spring onions. But I love how you can use whatever vegetables you have on hand.

You might ask, how does the beef stay so soft but crispy and not at all stringy? Well the secret is to thinly slice the beef against the grain, then coated in corn starch and fried until golden. 

Preparation Time 20 minutes 

Cook Time 20 minutes 

Serves 4

Ingredients 

Beef Marinade

340 grams beef steak- flank/ ribeye or sirloin- thinly sliced against the grain 

2 tablespoons soy sauce 

1 teaspoon garlic paste 

1/2 teaspoon black pepper 

1/2 teaspoon baking soda 

2 teaspoon sesame oil 

1/2 teaspoon salt 

1 teaspoon brown sugar 

1/2 teaspoon 5 spice powder 

Other Ingredients 

2 egg whites 

1 cup corn starch 

Veg oil- for frying 

2 tablespoons oil 

4 cloves garlic- minced 

1 medium onion- chunks 

1 red pepper- in chunks 

Sauce 

3 tablespoons vinegar 

1/3 cup light brown sugar 

1/3 cup ketchup 

1 tablespoons tomato paste 

2 tablespoons hoisin sauce - my recipe here

2 tablespoons soy sauce

1 teaspoon corn starch 

Instructions 

1. Combine the sauce ingredients in a small bowl. Mix well and set aside. 

2. Thinly slice the beef. Place it in a bowl and add the marinade ingredients. Marinate the beef for 30 minutes in the fridge. 

3. Once you are ready to cook, remove the beef from the fridge and mix the egg whites into the beef. 

4. Place the cornstarch in a shallow dish. Dredge the beef in the cornstarch, making sure they are properly coated. 

5. Heat 1 inch of oil in a pan. Fry off the beef in batches for 2-3 minutes until golden and crispy. Remove the beef from the oil and set it aside. Continue with the rest of the beef until it is all done. 

6. Place the 2 tablespoons oil in a wok. Add the garlic and sauté it for 30 seconds. Add the onion and red pepper and sauté for 2 minutes. 

7. Add the sauce to the wok and cook it for 2 minutes until the sauce thickens. Add the beef and cook it for a further minute, making sure you coat the beef in that sauce. 

8. Garnish the beef with spring onions and toasted sesame seeds.