Beef with Chinese Steak Sauce
Submitted by Carole817
Beef with Chinese steak sauce: flash-fried marinated beef in a sweet-savory hoisin-ketchup sauce, served over puffed bean thread noodles. Chinese-American fusion stir-fry with dramatic crunchy noodle presentation.
YIELD
4 servingsPREP
20 minCOOK
10 minREADY
30 minThis is the kind of Chinese-American stir-fry that became a restaurant staple in the 1980s and still works because every component earns its keep. Thin slices of marinated beef are flash-fried in a hot wok, tossed in a sweet-savory sauce that blends hoisin with ketchup and Worcestershire, and spooned over a bed of crispy puffed bean thread noodles that shatter like packing peanuts under the fork.
The sauce is the hook. It’s the kind of fusion creation you won’t find in a traditional Cantonese kitchen or an American steakhouse, but the combination works: hoisin brings depth, ketchup adds sweetness and umami, steak sauce and Worcestershire provide the tangy punch, and a dash of hot sauce sharpens the whole thing. Brown sugar ties the flavors together.
Bean thread noodles, sometimes called glass or cellophane noodles, transform when deep-fried. Dropped into hot oil, they expand instantly into a white, airy cloud that holds its crunch when topped with sauce. The contrast of hot saucy beef on crisp cold noodles is the whole appeal.
Marinating the beef for a couple of hours is what gives the finished dish that restaurant-quality texture. Soy, sherry, sesame oil, and cornstarch together do what chefs call velveting, sealing the meat against the high heat of the wok and keeping the interior tender.
Pro Tips
- Slice the beef across the grain as the recipe specifies. With-the-grain slices stay chewy no matter how long you marinate them.
- Test oil temperature by dropping a single bean thread in first. If it puffs instantly, the oil is ready. If it sinks and sizzles slowly, wait.
- Cook the beef in small batches. Overcrowding drops the wok temperature and steams rather than sears the meat.
- Return all the beef to the wok only at the end, tossed in the sauce for just long enough to coat. Longer and the beef overcooks.
Variations
- Swap sweet bean sauce for hoisin for a spicier, more traditionally Northern Chinese flavor profile.
- Use flank, skirt, or beef tenderloin in place of sirloin depending on budget.
- Serve over steamed jasmine rice instead of fried noodles for a simpler weeknight version.
Ingredients
Directions
PREPARATION:
Trim and discard fat from beef. Cut beef across the grain into 3- by 2- by ¼ inch slices.
Combine marinade ingredients in a bowl and add beef; stir to coat. Cover and refrigerate for 2 hours.
Combine sauce ingredients in a bowl; mix well and set aside.
COOKING:
Set wok in a ring stand and add oil to a depth of 1 ½ to 2 inches. Place over high heat until oil reaches about 375 degrees F.
Add half the bean thread noodles and deep-fry for about 5 seconds or until they puff and expant. Turn over and cook other side. Lift out and drain on paper towels.
Cook remaining noodles. Place noodles on a serving platter, pressing down on noodles to flatten slightly; set aside. Remove all but 2 Tablespoons oil from wok.
Add beef, 6 or 7 pieces at a time, and cook for about 1 to 1½ minutes on each side or until done to your liking.
As beef is cooked, transfr it to a bowl; set aside while cooking remaining beef. Return all beef to wok and place over medium heat. Pour sauce over beef and cook, stirring to coat well, for 2 minutes.
Spoon beef over noodles and srinkle with green onion. Serve hot.
TIPS:
Adjust the amount of Tabasco sauce to taste.
For a spicier flavor:
Substitute sweet bean sause for hoisin sauce.
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