Crunchy and delicious! Fried shredded beef tossed in sweet and sour homemade sauce, tastes way better than takeout!

One piece of crispy beef in a chopstick with beef and bellpepper in the background

This Crispy shredded Beef is a popular Chinese takeaway in England, is very quick and easy to make at home with simple ingredients!

Carrot, peppers, onion, garlic and ginger.

For the sweet and sour sauce you will need only 4 simple ingredients, light soy sauce, honey, fresh lemon juice and salt.

You can also add extra kick by adding chillies and sweet chili sauce, If you prefer more sweet and a little bit spicy.

Sliced onion, bell pepper, carrot, strip beef in a separate bawl. 3 garlic cloves. Soy sauce, sesame oil, sugar and white pepper powder in a small container.

Check The Video How to make perfect Chinese crispy Shredded beef,

Better than Chinese Takeaway Restaurant!

Crispy Beef 1 – Sweet and Sour Crispy Shredded Beef

Erwina

Sweet and Sour Crispy Shredded Beef

Crunchy and delicious! Fried shredded beef tossed in sweet and sour homemade sauce, tastes way better than takeout!

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Prep Time 15

Cook Time 15

Marinating Time 15

Total Time 45

Servings: 2 people

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Chinese

Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients

For the Beef and Vegetables:

1/2 lb sirloin or rump steak thinly sliced
1 egg
1 cup corn starch or potato starch
1/2 onion sliced
1/2 bell pepper sliced
1 medium carrot sliced
Oil for frying soybean or vegetable oil

For the Beef Marinade:

1 tsp light soy sauce
1 tsp sesame oil
2 cloves garlic chopped or pasted
1/2 inch ginger chopped or grated
1/2 tsp sugar
1/4 tsp white pepper

For the Sweet and Sour Sauce:

2 tbsp light soy sauce
1 tsp dark soy sauce
2 tbsp honey
2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
1/4 tsp salt to taste
1 clove garlic chopped or pasted
1/2 inch ginger chopped or grated

Equipment

Wok or large frying pan
Deep-fry or candy thermometer

Method

Prepare the vegetables by slicing them thin — onion, red bell pepper, and carrot. (You can add cabbage and green onion too.)
Cut the beef against the grain into thin strips.
Marinate the beef with light soy sauce, sesame oil, garlic, ginger, sugar and white pepper. (You can also add 1/4 tsp baking soda if using a tougher cut of beef.)
Mix together and leave for at least 15 minutes.
Meanwhile, prepare the sweet and sour sauce by combining light soy sauce, honey, fresh lemon juice and salt. Mix well and set aside.
Add one egg to the marinated beef and mix thoroughly.
Coat the beef strips with corn or potato starch, making sure all the beef strips are separated. Remove the excess flour before frying.
Heat the oil on high heat to about 350°F. Add the coated beef and deep fry for 1-3 minutes, until it’s crispy.
After the beef is cooked, transfer to a paper towel or cooling rack, then set aside.
In a medium wok or pan, add a tablespoon of oil, and once hot, add the vegetables, garlic and ginger, and stir well.
Pour in the sauce mix, then add the fried beef strips, and stir well to combine all ingredients on high heat for 1-2 minutes.
Serve immediately with white rice (Jasmine rice is my favorite) and enjoy!

Notes

Choosing the Meat: Use a tender beef steak like rump or sirloin for the quickest, most tender results — this recipe uses sirloin tip steak (also great for fajitas). Pork, chicken, or another favorite cut also works well, but avoid ground meat.

Beef Coating: Corn starch, potato starch, or rice flour will keep the coating crispy — plain flour turns soft quickly, especially once tossed in the sauce. Adding an egg to the marinade before coating helps keep the meat moist.

Sauce Substitutions: This sauce uses just 4 simple ingredients, but for a saucier, stickier result, add 1 tsp corn starch and 2 tbsp water to the mixture. You can also add fresh or dried chilies and sweet chili sauce or ketchup for extra sweetness and heat.

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USEFUL TIPS:

Sirloin 1 – Sweet and Sour Crispy Shredded Beef

– HOW TO CHOOSE MEAT:

I recommend you use a nice tender beef steak because it cooks quicker with more tender results, such as rump steak or sirloin, you can also use, pork, chicken or any of your favorite meat cuts but don’t use ground meat.

In this recipe I use Sirloin Tip steak (Great for fajitas too).

To make perfect crispy beef tender and tasty, always cut the beef against the grain into thin strips. Make sure to marinade the beef for at least 15 – 30 minutes. I use soy sauce, sesame oil, garlic, ginger, sugar and white pepper. (You can also add 1/4 Tsp of baking soda if you use a tough cut of beef)

– BEEF COATING

If you want to know how to make perfect crispy beef that stays crispy in texture just like in the the Chinese takeaway restaurant here is the secret. Use corn starch, potato starch(flour) or rice flour, it works perfectly for me all the time! Add one egg in the beef marinade before coating with flour, to keep the meat moist and soft.

Can I use plain flour for coating instead of corn/potato flour (starch)? Sure, but plain or all purpose flour can’t make the beef coating stay crispy after frying and it often becomes soft very quickly especially when you toss it in the sauce.

– STIR FRY SAUCE

This stir fry crispy beef Chinese recipe doesn’t use much sauce, you will only need 4 simple ingredients, light/dark soy sauce, honey, fresh lemon juice and salt. But if you wish to make it more saucy and sticky, you can add 1 teaspoon of corn flour and 2 tablespoon of water in the sauce mixture. You can also add extra dry chillies or fresh chillies and sweet chili sauce or ketchup, If you prefer more sweet and spicy.