Oli
Oli
Resident eejit. Radio4, kitchen dancing, owning recipe books to read not follow
Apr 13, 2024 2 min read

WeightWaters friendly fakeaway chilli beef

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I freaking love British Chinese Takeaway chilli beef. Strips of beef, deep fried and coated in spicy sticky sauce. However, it’s not great for the waistline, and it’s always a little underwhelming.

So, I decided to give it a go at home, and where possible make it WeightWatchers friendly. Other than the marinating it all comes together in the same time the rice takes to cook.

You will need

For the beef

  • 300g of lean beef. I used bavette, sliced across the grain, into half centimeter wide strips
  • 1 teaspoons of minced ginger (I used the stuff from a jar)
  • 1 teaspoons of minced garlic (also from a jar)
  • 1 habanero chilli finely minced
  • 1 tablespoon of soy
  • 1 teaspoon of neutral oil (I used a quality rapeseed)
  • 2 teaspoons of corn flour

For the rest of the dish

  • 1 red pepper cut into 1 inch dice
  • 2 sticks of celery, slice into pound coin thick disks
  • 2 spring onions finely sliced
  • 2 spring onions, sliced into batons
  • 1 tablespoon of ketchup
  • 1 tablespoon of soy
  • 1 tablespoon of Chinese black vinegar
  • 1⁄2 teaspoons of minced ginger
  • 1⁄2 teaspoons of minced garlic

Do

  • Mix all the beef ingredients, other than the cornflour and marinade for as long as possible. I was prepping at lunch time and cooked in the evening, so about 6 hours.
  • When you’re ready to cook, put the airfrier on high so the beef goes into a hot oven.
  • Mix the beef with the cornflour, stirring so it’s evenly coated.
  • Spray the beef with about 2 teaspoons of oil. I have a spray bottle for this.
  • Pop the beef in the airfrier, keep an eye on it and toss as needed.
  • Whilst the beef cooks, brown off the pepper, celery and spring onion batons in a teaspoon of oil
  • Add the ginger and garlic to the pan and brown.
  • Once the beef is crispy, set aside whilst you get the rest of the dish together
  • Add the ketchup, soy and vinegar to the pan with the vegetables, stir and let it bubble for a moment
  • Add the beef to the pan, toss and turn until everything is coated
  • Add all the sliced spring onion
  • I served it with mixed coloured rice, which doesn’t make for great photos.

Result

The beef should be properly spicy and crunchy. There should be very little loose sauce, but everything should be coated and sweet/sour.

Raw beef Crispy beef In a bowl GET IN MY FACE

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