Beijing Beef

Everyone who knows me will tell you I am definitely addicted to trying new recipes - especially those that are not known down here in Australia.  I have fallen in love with a food web site, Rasa Malaysia, which has given me some inspiration of late to get back into the kitchen and cook new meals, instead of the same good ol' favourites we love.

There are so many taste tantalizing recipes within the site and Bee, the site's author continues to do an amazing job.  We have already sampled a few and one of our new favourites is Sweet and Sour Pork, it was incredible and has been made several times.  This dish, Beijing Beef, was of an equally high standard.

I am not familiar with the origin of this recipe as it's claimed to be a Panda Express Copycat recipe.  Googling I have found that Panda Express is one of America's largest chain of Chinese takeaway stores, starting with their first store in California opening in 1970 they are now branching out to other countries worldwide including the Middle East - not here in Australia yet but I am guessing we'll just give them some time.

We all loved the dish - the flavours were great and the beef was nice and tender. A little spicy and a little sweet the flavour zinged while eating leaving the taste buds craving more and more.  There are a few elements in this dish but to be honest it's well worth the effort.  Like the Sweet and Sour Pork, this dish now gets cooked on a regular basis.

   Beijing Beef

(recipe adapted from Rasa Malaysia)

Serves: 6

ProPoints per Serve: 11

500 grams steak, rump, porterhouse or skirt, cut against the grain into 1/4 inch slices

4 tablespoons oil

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 onions, sliced

1 medium-sized red capsicum, cut into pieces
1 medium-sized red bell pepper, cut into pieces

1/2 cup cornflour, to dust beef for deep-frying

Salt and sugar to taste

Marinade:

2 egg, beaten

1 teaspoon cornflour

1/2 teaspoon ground white pepper

1 teaspoon salt

Beijing Sauce:

8 tablespoons water

4 tablespoons sugar

3 tablespoons ketchup

6 tablespoons Hoisin sauce

1 tablespoon light soy sauce

2 teaspoons oyster sauce

1 tablespoon sweet chili sauce

1-2 teaspoons crushed chili peppers (taste dependent)

2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar

Prepare the Marinade in a bowl and mix well. Marinate the beef for 15 minutes.

In a seperate bowl, mix all the Beijing Sauce ingredients. Set aside.

Place cornflour in a bag/bowl. Toss marinated beef in cornflour, coat well and set aside in the refrigerator.

Heat up enough oil over high heat. Coat beef slices with cornflour again, making sure the beef slices are well coated. Shake off the excess cornflour from beef slices. Prepare to deep-fry beef (in small batches). Drop in the beef slices and deep-fry for 1-2 minutes or until light golden brown. Dish out, drained on paper towel and set aside.

In a wok, heat up the oil over high heat. Stir-fry the onion and bell pepper until fragrant and slightly charred, add in the garlic and continue to stir-fry for 10 seconds. Remove from wok.

Heat up wok over medium-high heat, pour in the Beijing Sauce seasoning. Bring it to a simmer or until it thickens. You may adjust salt, soy sauce, water, etc., to taste.

Toss in the deep-fried beef and stir-fried onion, bell pepper, and garlic. Stir well for 1 minute or until the beef is completely cooked and the sauce is absorbed.

Dish out and serve with hot steamed rice (add an additional 3ppts per 1/2 cup).



(Click here for a printable version of this recipe)