Air Fryer Crispy Chilli Beef With Sticky Honey Chilli Sauce
By Ava Mitchell
Prep
15 min
Cook
15 min
Total
30 min
Servings
2
Level
Easy
Sprinkling cornstarch and oil on marinated steak before air frying helps dry the surface of the meat for a crispy texture when the steak is served with sauce․ Crispy chilli beef is a popular Cantonese dish made with strips of beef in a sticky sauce flavored with honey‚ soy sauce‚ garlic‚ and chillies․
Thin steak slices are marinated in Chinese five-spice powder‚ soy sauce‚ caster sugar‚ ground ginger‚ crushed garlic‚ and other seasonings for 15 minutes or longer‚ overnight․ The steak slices are tossed in cornflour in a covered container to coat all sides lightly but not heavily with cornflour․ Lightly brushing steak slices with vegetable oil before cooking in an air fryer will make them crispy․ Red pepper and spring onions can be heated through at the end of cooking․
At 200℃‚ turn the beef strips after six minutes and check for crisp strips before frying․ The sauce should simmer for 3 to 5 minutes and thicken‚ though some sauce will evaporate․ The biggest problem when preparing this dish is adding too much sauce to the beef strips․ The beef strips should be crispy‚ and there should be enough thick sauce to stick to the beef strips without slipping off them․
Serve cooked beef with steamed rice‚ stir-fried vegetables‚ Asian coleslaw‚ or wonton soup‚ as suggested in the meat recipe․ When reheating leftovers‚ use suggestions from dessert and reheating tips to preserve some texture․ The sauce on the reheated beef will not be as crunchy as the air-fried beef․
Why you'll love this recipe
- A brief marinating process using five-spice powder‚ soy sauce‚ sesame oil‚ ginger‚ garlic‚ and sugar with thin steak strips before adding breading․
- Shaking cornflour and beef strips in a sealed container will evenly coat the beef strips and prevent uneven cooking in the air fryer․
- Turning beef strips over halfway through their 12-minute air-fryer cook helps the other side of each strip come into contact with the air fryer rack and promotes more even cooking․
- Simmering the honey chili sauce makes the sauce thick enough to coat the beef so that the cooked beef doesn't float in sauce․
- Cooking red pepper and spring onion at the end‚ along with the sauce‚ allows the peppers and spring onion to cook without having to chop them and combine with cooked‚ sauced beef․
- The recipe offers suggestions of fresh red peppers or cayenne pepper and dark soy sauce or tamari and hoisin or oyster sauce as ingredient substitutions․
Ingredients
- •250 g thin steaks (cut into thin strips)
- •4 tbsp cornflour (4-6 tbsp)
- •2 tbsp vegetable oil
- •1 red chilli (thinly sliced, or use 1 tsp cayenne pepper)
- •1 red pepper (thinly sliced)
- •4 spring onions (roughly chopped)
- •sesame seeds (for sprinkling)
- •½ tsp Chinese five-spice powder
- •2 tsp soy sauce
- •2 cloves garlic (crushed)
- •1 tsp sesame oil
- •1 tsp ground ginger
- •1 tsp caster sugar
- •4 tbsp dark soy sauce (or tamari sauce)
- •1 tbsp hoisin sauce (or oyster sauce)
- •2 tbsp Shaoxing wine
- •3 tbsp clear honey
- •2 tbsp vinegar
- •½ tsp chilli powder
Instructions
- 1
Combine the marinade ingredients in a bowl.
- 2
Add the steak strips, toss to coat, and leave for 15 minutes or overnight.
- 3
Add the cornflour to a plastic lunch box with a lid.
- 4
Add the steak strips to the cornflour, put on the lid, and shake thoroughly until fully coated.
- 5
Drizzle a little oil over each piece and shake again.
- 6
Set the air fryer to 200℃.
- 7
Carefully place the beef on the cooking rack and cook for 6 minutes.
- 8
Turn the beef and cook for another 6 minutes until crispy.
- 9
Add the honey chilli sauce ingredients to a frying pan or wok over medium heat.
- 10
Simmer for 3-5 minutes or until thickened.
- 11
Add the beef to the sauce and mix thoroughly.
- 12
Add the spring onions and red pepper, then heat through.
- 13
Serve with a sprinkling of sesame seeds.
FAQ
Nutrition (per serving)
Calories
623
Protein
30g
Fat
30g
Carbs
57g
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