Don't you just love ordering takeout from your favorite Chinese restaurant? After this recipe, you may never order out again. Well, that's a stretch, but just wait.
Chinese cuisine has been one of our favorite types of food for a long time. Some of our favorite dishes include Orange Chicken, Beef and Broccoli Stir-Fry, and Pork Dumplings in Peanut Sauce. But folks, this dish is quite possibly our top favorite of all time. It's not hard to prepare and comes together in about 30 minutes! A perfect weeknight dinner!
How To Make Sesame Beef
You will be amazed at how you truly can make this a restaurant-quality dish in your very own kitchen.
If you don't have a wok, don't fret, you can easily prepare the dish in a large sturdy skillet.
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The Secret To Making the Beef Extra Crispy
We're using a couple of tricks in this recipe that is often used in classic Chinese cooking to get the protein really crispy.
The combination of all-purpose flour and cornstarch adds a wonderful crust around the beef that will get beautifully crispy. Egg yolks combined with soy sauce and Chinese cooking wine mixed with flour and cornstarch to increase the crunchiness as well as add classic flavor.
EXPERT TIP: To make slicing the beef easier, place the steak in the freezer for about 15 minutes. Remove and immediately use a large sharp knife to slice the steak into thin (about ¼-inch thick) strips. If you prefer larger chunks of meat, cut the steak into cubes. Toss the beef with the flour, cornstarch, and egg yolk mixture. Keep mixing until the meat is completely coated.
Tips for Perfect Sesame Beef
Choosing the Right Cut of Beef - Our favorite choice of beef is 1.5 lb ribeye steak. The marbling gives a nice flavor and it's not expensive. You're basically deep-frying the meat so there's no need to get a super expensive cut of meat. You could really use whatever you have on hand. Tougher cuts of beef, such as brisket or London broil will be a little tougher since they won't have the chance to slow-cook.
Seek out Chinese Cooking Wine - Chinese cooking wine, known as Shaoxing wine, can nowadays be found in the Asian section of most well-stocked supermarkets, or at any Asian food market. If you can't find it anywhere, you could easily substitute dry sherry or Mirin (Japanese cooking wine). You could also omit it, but you won't quite get the classic taste, but it will still be yummy.
Everything in its Place - Mise en Place is very important when stir-frying. Because once you start cooking, it all comes together very, very quickly. You won't have time to run grab an ingredient, otherwise, you will run the chance of burning the items in the oil. Even have your rice steamed and ready to go.
Choosing the Right Oil - Our oil of preference is peanut oil because it handles high heat perfectly. However, it is a little more costly and can sometimes be tough to find. Vegetable oil is a perfectly fine substitution. Don't use any kind of oil that will impart flavor, such as olive oil. See the NOTES for discarding the oil used for frying the meat.
EXPERT TIP: You'll want to fry the beef in batches. Be sure to allow the oil to come back to 365°F before frying the next batch. Let the fried meat drain on paper towels after they're cooked. It's okay if the breading doesn't 100% cover the steak. This is normal. The color will be a golden dark brown.
How To Serve
We definitely love to serve our extra crispy sesame beef with perfect steamed rice.
For an extra punch of flavor, drizzle about another tablespoon of sesame oil over the beef mixture just before serving. Thinly sliced scallions add depth of flavor and are a nice pop of color, too.
EXPERT TIP: Once you pour the sauce into the hot wok, you'll need to stir it constantly. The cornstarch in the sauce will act as a thickener and it only takes 1 to 2 minutes for the sauce to thicken. Keep stirring and have your prepared steak strips ready to go once you reach an almost glaze-like consistency.
Other Classic Take-Out Recipes to Try
This dish has become near the top of our list for all-time favorite Asian-themed meals, but these are classic ones, too, and mouth-watering delicious!
Sesame Chicken
Homemade Egg Rolls
Vegetable Stir-Fry
Crab Rangoon
Steamed Veggie Dumplings
Kung Pao Shrimp
In the meantime, don't you just want to sink your teeth into this wok full of wonderfulness?
There are those times when you just crave some comforting takeout from your favorite Chinese restaurant, right?
We're right there with you! But trust us, making this at home will make you reconsider ever ordering out again!
And it comes together in about 30 minutes, making it perfect for a busy weeknight dinner, but yummy enough for a fun dinner party with hungry guests!
Ready to make the best Chinese takeout in town - in your own kitchen? Go for it!
And when you do, be sure to take a photo of it, post it on Instagram, and tag @HowToFeedaLoon and hashtag #HowToFeedaLoon!
Extra Crispy Sesame Beef
Extra Crispy Sesame Beef may sound like something that would only be good if ordered off of a respected menu. Trust us, you can make this in your own kitchen and you won't believe how great the results are! Remember to have everything prepped and ready to go, it comes together very quickly!