Crispy beef and green beans aka one of the best ways to use tough, thin or even frozen beef you may have on hand. Since we are cutting long thin strips and quickly shallow frying it, you don’t need to use the very best cut you can afford.
Plus, this recipe calls for only one pound of beef and for some reason coating it, frying it and tossing it in the sauce with some fresh green beans makes it grow in volume, so this recipe makes a pound of beef feed four, which is so nice.
If you have been searching for a simple Asian inspired beef recipe that has all of those take out vibes, but is ready in 20 and costs way less then I would love for you to give my crispy beef and green beans a try.
Let’s get started…
Begin by very thinly slicing a pound of beef. Now if you ask me what the best choice would be, I am going with sirloin or ribeye, but honestly, almost any cut of beef would be fine here.
If you are confident with a shark knife then bring home a pound of beef and slice away. If you are not overly confident, but want to tackle this yourself, freeze your beef until it is firm (or you can use beef you have frozen already!).
The final option is to ask your butcher to help you out. Butchers are usually super helpful!
Once your beef is sliced thin, whisk a large egg in a bowl and toss the beef in the egg until all of the strips are coated.
Add 1/3 cup of cornstarch and some salt and black pepper and mix everything well. Be sure to break up any strips that are stuck together. The more cornstarch coverage, the better.
Place a skillet over medium to medium high heat and add a thin layer of a neutral oil.
While the oil is warming, bring a pot of water to a boil and boil your green beans for 5 minutes. Drain and set aside.
Carefully drop individual strips of coated beef into the hot oil and let them fry until they are deeply golden on both sides. This usually takes about 3 minutes.
Be sure to flip the pieces over so both sides get some time in the hot oil.
Unless you are working with a really large skillet or wok, you will need to fry the beef in batches and when your first batch is done, use a slotted spoon to transfer the beef onto a paper towel lined plate while you work on the remaining batches.
A paper towel lined plate will help soak up residual oils and keep the beef crispy until it is time to toss them in the sauce.
When all of the beef is crispy and your green beans are cooked, discard the oil and clean your skillet quickly with a paper towel.
Add a tablespoon of neutral oil, 2 cloves of finely mince garlic and a teaspoon of ginger paste and cook until they are lightly sizzling and smell fabulous.
In a small dish, whisk 2 tablespoons of rice vinegar, 2 tablespoons of soy sauce, 2 tablespoons of tomato paste, 2 tablespoons of ketsup, 2 tablespoons of honey and a teaspoon of sesame oil and add the mixture into the skillet.
Add the crispy beef and drained green beans and give everything a good mix.
Let the mixture sit over medium heat for a minute or two to allow the beef and green beans to rewarm and the sauce to thicken.
This meal is delicious with great textures and inviting flavors. It is a little sweet, a little spicy, a little salty and a little tangy. Just great all around Asian inspired flavors in a light umami filled meal.
Crispy Beef & Green Beans
Ingredients
- 8 ounces of fresh green beans, trimmed
- 1 pound of thin cut sirloin, thinly sliced
- 1 large egg
- 1/3 cup of cornstarch
- a pinch of salt and black pepper
- a neutral oil
- 2 cloves of garlic, finely minced
- 1 teaspoon of ginger, pasted or crushed
- 2 tablespoons of rice vinegar
- 2 tablespoons of soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons of tomato paste
- 2 tablespoons of ketsup
- 2 tablespoons of honey
- 1 teaspoon of sesame oil
- sesame seeds
Instructions
- In a small dish, combined 2 tablespoons of rice vinegar, 2 tablespoons of soy sauce, 2 tablespoons of tomato paste, 2 tablespoons of ketsup, 2 tablespoons of honey and a teaspoon of sesame oil and set aside for now
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil
- Boil your trimmed green beans for 5 minutes, drain and set aside for now
- Slice your sirloin into long thin strips
- In a large bowl, whisk a large egg and add the sirloin and mix until the sirloin is fully coated
- Add 1/3 cup of cornstarch and a pinch of salt and black pepper and toss until all of the strips are coated
- Place a large skillet or wok over medium to medium high and add a thin layer of a neutral oil
- Once the oil is warm, carefully drop individual strips of the coated sirloin into the oil (only add about half of the sirloin to avoid overcrowding the oil)
- Fry the sirloin for about 3 minutes or until deeply golden and crispy
- Transfer the crispy sirloin onto a paper towel lined plate and repeat the same process with the remaining sirloin
- Once all of the sirloin is cooked, reduce the heat to medium, discard any bits from the skillet and add a tablespoon of oil
- Quickly sauté the finely minced garlic and ginger for about 60 seconds while stirring consistently
- Add the sauce mixture and mix to combine with the garlic and ginger
- Add the crispy beef and green beans, toss to combine and let it cook until the sirloin and green beans are warmed through
- Garnish with sesame seeds and enjoy!
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