Crispy Chilli 'Beef'

Crispy Chilli 'Beef'

This is one of those recipes we keep coming back to again and again. Crispy, sticky, sweet and spicy all at once, it's everything you want from a Chinese takeaway but made at home in about 20 minutes. We love how the vegan meat gets this incredible crispy coating that soaks up all that punchy stir fry sauce. It's the kind of dinner that makes you genuinely excited to eat plants. Make it tonight, you won't regret it.

Cook: 20 min
Serves 4

Before You Start

  • Large bowl for marinating
  • Small bowl for sauce
  • Large frying pan
  • Large bowl or baking tray for coating
  • Kitchen paper
  • Marinate vegan meat 10-15 minutes

Ingredients

  • 400g plant-based meat - pork or beef steak or strips
  • 1 red bell pepper
  • 1 onion
  • 3 spring onions
  • 3 fresh chillies
  • 100g cornstarch
  • 200ml sunflower oil - or enough to coat the base of your frying pan by 1cm
  • salt
  • 2 tbsp light soy sauce
  • 4 tsp ginger & garlic paste
  • 4 tsp toasted sesame oil
  • 1 tbsp sugar
  • Pinch of white pepper
  • 2 tbsp ketchup
  • 1 tsp sugar
  • 3 tbsp sweet chilli sauce
  • 2 tbsp light soy sauce
  • 2 tsp vinegar
  • 2 tsp sesame seeds
  • cooked rice or noodles

Method

1

Prepare the marinade and sauce

  • Place all the meat marinade ingredients into a large bowl and mix well
  • Add the vegan meat to the bowl with the marinade (cutting the steak into strips, if using), mix well and set aside for 10-15 minutes
  • Mix all the stir fry sauce ingredients together in a small bowl
2

Chop your veggies and prepare your side

  • Finely slice the onions, pepper, spring onions and fresh chillies (deseed if you're not great with spice)
  • If necessary, start preparing your rice or noodles according to package instructions before frying your meat and vegetables
3

Cook your meat

  • One by one, remove the vegan meat strips from the marinade, allow to drip dry for a second then place in a large bowl or baking tray
  • Coat in cornstarch, ensuring they are well coated on all sides, and reserve the leftover marinade
  • Place a frying pan on a high heat
  • Add enough sunflower oil to fully coat the base of your pan around 1cm deep and bring to a high heat, then add the vegan meat strips, shaking off any excess flour before frying
  • Shallow fry the strips for 2-4 minutes or until golden and very crispy, working in batches if necessary and turning frequently
  • Remove the strips from the oil and transfer to kitchen paper
  • Drain and wipe out pan of excess oil
4

Cook your vegetables

  • Bring the pan back to a high heat, add a splash more oil then the onions and peppers
  • Fry for 60 seconds then add the chillies and most of the spring onions
  • Add the sauce and remaining marinade to the pan
  • Stir on a high heat for a further 2 minutes until the sauce is thick and sticky, then briefly mix the beef into the pan to coat in the sauce
5

Finish and serve

  • Serve on top of steamed rice or noodles, and top with the remaining spring onions and the sesame seeds

Tips & Variations

  • Nail the crisp: Make sure your pan is properly hot before the meat goes in. A lukewarm pan means steaming, not frying, and you'll lose that crispy texture we're going for here.
  • Adjust the heat: Deseeding the chillies keeps it mild and fragrant. Leave the seeds in if you like it properly spicy. We usually do half and half so everyone's happy.
  • Swap the protein: This works brilliantly with strips of firm tofu or even king oyster mushrooms if you can't get hold of vegan steak. Just press the tofu well first so it crisps up nicely.

Why This Works

The trick here is letting the vegan meat sit in the marinade for those 10-15 minutes before it hits the pan. That's what gets you the deep, savoury flavour all the way through rather than just on the surface. Then cooking it on a really high heat gives you that crispy edge that makes the whole thing taste like a proper restaurant dish.