Chilli beef
Enjoy a Chinese restaurant classic at home, with Simon Rimmer’s crispy chilli beef.
Ingredients
For the beef
- 200ml/7fl oz vegetable oil, for deep-frying
- 2 free-range eggs, beaten
- 5 tbsp cornflour
- 1 tsp sea salt
- 400g/14oz fillet steak, sliced into thin strips
- 2 carrots, sliced into thin strips
For the sauce
- 2 spring onions, finely sliced
- 2.5cm/1in piece ginger, peeled, cut into matchsticks
- 2 garlic cloves, sliced
- ½ tsp chilli flakes
- 4 tbsp caster sugar
- 50ml/2fl oz rice vinegar
- 50ml/2fl oz light soy sauce
To serve
Method
For the beef, pour the vegetable oil into a deep fat fryer or medium saucepan and heat until it reaches 180C/350F, or when a small cube of bread dropped in turns golden in 30 seconds. (NB: Hot oil can be dangerous. Do not leave unattended.)
Whisk the eggs, cornflour and salt in a bowl to a thick batter.
Coat the steak strips in the batter, shaking off any excess, and fry for two minutes in the oil, or until just crisp and turning golden-brown. Remove with a slotted spoon and set aside on kitchen paper. Coat the carrot strips in the batter, shaking off any excess, and fry for two minutes in the oil, or until just crisp and turning golden-brown. Remove with a slotted spoon and set aside on kitchen paper.
Heat a wok with one tablespoon of the deep-frying oil. Add the spring onions, ginger, garlic and chilli and stir-fry for one minute.
Add the sugar, vinegar and soy sauce, deep-fried beef and carrots and stir until well combined. Remove the pan from the heat.
Serve the chilli beef with boiled rice, chilli slices and lime wedges.
