CRISPY SWEET & SPICY BEEF

Crispy beef. Sweet, spicy, sticky sauce. Garlic. Each ingredient gets along harmoniously with the other. This dish is the perfect homemade Chinese food that everyone will love. China and Chinese food has taken a hit during these difficult times. As a result, plenty of people have avoided eating from Chinese restaurants. To be honest, this Coronavirus has nothing to do with Chinese restaurants. However, if you are avoiding certain things and having cravings there are alternatives. In this quarantine world, I've been experimenting with a lot of new dishes. This restaurant quality dish is one of them. I dropped the pieces of beef into the sizzling oil and listened to them crackle and pop and come to a crisp. As the sauce ingredients come together, the sweet smell of honey creep up on you along with the kick of the spicy chili flakes. Your kitchen will smell just like your favorite Chinese restaurant or that box of Chinese takeout that you ordered not so long ago. When the crispy beef pieces are tossed back in the sauce, you could see them getting glossy like a shiny candy apple. They all come together in your mouth with the diverse taste that come together perfectly.

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 pounds thin strips of beef (I used filet but almost any steak cuts work here e.g. sirloin, rib eye, flank)

• ½ cup cornstarch

Marinade:

• 3 tablespoons soy sauce

• 2 tablespoons dark soy sauce

• 2 garlic clove, finely grated or squeezed

Stir-fry Sauce:

• 9 tablespoons soy sauce

• 3 tablespoons dark soy sauce

• 3 tablespoons Hoisin Sauce

• 6 tablespoons Chinese Shaoxing wine

• 2/3 cup honey

• 6 tablespoons distilled white vinegar

• ¼ tsp chilli flakes (or to taste)

Other:

• ½ cup cornstarch

• vegetable oil for deep frying

• 1 tsp sesame seeds

• 2 tbsp finely sliced green onion (scallions)

Directions:

1. Combine the beef with the marinade ingredients. If possible, let sit for 30 minutes to 1 hour.

2. Fill a saucepan or wok to about 1/2 inch with the vegetable oil. Heat over high heat.

3. When the oil is hot, take some of the beef strips and toss them with the cornstarch.

4. Then, carefully add the beef strips into the hot oil. Cook for 3-4 minutes or until crispy and golden. Drain on paper towel and repeat with the remaining beef and cornstarch.

5. Heat a clean wok or large frying pan over medium-high heat.

6. Add the soy sauce, dark soy sauce, hoisin sauce, Shaoxing wine, honey, and vinegar. Allow to simmer for about 2 minutes or until the sauce has thickened slightly.

7. Stir through the chilli flakes.

8. Now add in the crispy beef. Stir-fry until the beef is evenly coated and the sauce is thick.

9. Sprinkle with sesame seeds and spring onion and serve.