Crispy shredded beef is one of my all-time favourite Chinese dishes. In restaurants, it’s typically served in a chilli sauce, but I personally prefer it with a fruity Cantonese sauce. The following recipe is one that we have adapted over the years, and it has since become our go-to when cooking for family or friends. We hope you enjoy it as much as we do!

Serves 4 people.

Ingredients

Meat

• 350g thin cut beef steak
• 5 tbsp cornflour
• 3 tsp Chinese five spice
• Vegetable oil for frying

Veg

• 2 peppers, thinly sliced
• 4 spring onions, white ends sliced
• 1 carrot, thinly sliced
• Thumb sized piece of ginger, cut into matchsticks
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed

Sauce

• 1 cup orange juice
• 8 tbsp white wine vinegar
• 8 tbsp sugar
• 4 tbsp ketchup
• 3 tbsp sweet chilli sauce
• 2 tsp soy sauce
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 4 tsp cornflour dissolved in 4 tbsp cold water

Method

1. Take the beef steak and cut into thin slices. Try to cut it as thinly as possible because the thinner the slices are, the crispier the cooked beef will be.

2. Place the thinly cut beef into a bowl and toss in the cornflour and Chinese five spice until fully coated.

3. Prepare the Cantonese sauce by mixing all the sauce ingredients together in a cup or bowl. Set aside in the fridge until needed.

4. Prepare the veg by cutting all the veg ingredients to size. Again, try to cut the veg as thinly as possible as this will work best with the sauce later on.

5. To cook, heat a large amount of oil in a wok until very hot. Shallow fry the beef in batches, allowing about a handful of beef per batch. Once the beef reduces its sizzling and has a dark brown appearance, remove from the wok and place in a bowl lined with kitchen towel. Repeat until all the batches of beef are cooked and set aside.

6. Pour away all but 1 tbsp of oil in the wok. Add the veg and stir-fry for 3 minutes until soft. Add the sauce and bubble for 2 minutes. Finally, add the beef and stir well. Serve with noodles or rice and enjoy!