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 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.
The Secret To Making the Beef Extra Crispy
We’re using a couple of tricks in this recipe that are 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 are 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 a 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 and grab an ingredient; otherwise, you will run the risk 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 it’s 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
Video
Equipment
- Wok, or large sturdy skillet
Ingredients
For the Beef
- Peanut oil for frying, 3 to 4 cups
- 1½ lb ribeye steak sliced into ¼-inch strips
- 2 egg yolks
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon Chinese cooking wine Shaoxing, see NOTES
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- ⅓ cup all-purpose flour
- ⅓ cup cornstarch
For the Sauce
- 1 tablespoon sesame oil
- 2 tablespoon honey
- 2 tablespoon tomato paste
- 2 tablespoon Chinese cooking wine Shaoxing, see NOTES
- ¼ cup brown sugar dark
- ¼ cup beef stock or broth
- 2 teaspoon cornstarch
For Stir-Frying
- 3 tablespoon peanut oil
- 1 teaspoon garlic minced
- 1 teaspoon ginger fresh, finely chopped
For Serving
- 2 tablespoon sesame seeds
- 4 scallions thinly sliced
- 3 cups steamed rice
Instructions
Prep the Beef
- Heat the oil to 365°F.Peanut oil
- Place the sliced beef in a large bowl.1½ lb ribeye steak
- In a small bowl, whisk together the 2 egg yolks, soy sauce, wine, salt, and pepper.2 egg yolks, 1 tablespoon soy sauce, 1 tablespoon Chinese cooking wine, ½ teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon black pepper
- Add the flour, cornstarch, and egg yolk mixture to the beef. Use your hands or two wooden spoons to stir until the beef is completely coated.⅓ cup all-purpose flour, ⅓ cup cornstarch
- Working in batches, carefully add the beef to the hot oil. Use a spider or metal tongs to move the beef around in the oil to prevent them from sticking to each other. Fry until golden, about 3 minutes. Remove from the oil and place on a platter. Continue with the remaining beef. Set aside.
Make The Sauce
- Place all of the sauce ingredients in a medium-sized bowl and whisk until fully combined and the cornstarch has dissolved. Set aside.1 tablespoon sesame oil, 2 tablespoon honey, 2 tablespoon tomato paste, 2 tablespoon Chinese cooking wine, ¼ cup brown sugar, ¼ cup beef stock, 2 teaspoon cornstarch
Bring It All Together
- After the oil has cooled somewhat, safely discard it. Wipe the wok clean with a paper towel.
- Heat the 3 tablespoons of oil over medium-high heat. Add the garlic and ginger and stir-fry for about 30 seconds, careful not to burn.3 tablespoon peanut oil, 1 teaspoon garlic, 1 teaspoon ginger
- Pour in the sauce and stir frequently until slightly thickened, about 2 to 3 minutes.
- Add the beef and stir until fully coated. Remove from the heat and stir in another tablespoon of the sesame oil.
- Serve at once with steamed rice and garnish with sesame seeds and scallions.2 tablespoon sesame seeds, 4 scallions, 3 cups steamed rice
Raven Grace says
Hey hey you guys weren’t kidding-this was the best! My son claimed leftovers before he finished eating .
You might want to add the tomato paste to the written directions. I’m glad I saw the film before cooking.
Keep on cooking
Kris Longwell says
Hi Raven!! Woo hoo! We are thrilled that you and the family enjoyed the sesame beef! And thanks for the heads up with the tomato paste. We added that in! You are the BEST! Thanks for sharing and for the fantastic review. That truly means so much to us! All the best, Kris & Wesley
Dave says
Another perfect recipe hit here at home. Measurements, temps, techniques, everything spot on and delicious!
Kris Longwell says
Dave! YES! We are so excited that you made the sesame dish. We just want to tell everyone..”you gotta try this dish!” We are glad you had such great success and thank you so much for sharing! You know how much that means to us! All the best, Kris & Wesley
Mark Hall says
did you mean chicken in step 5? oops
Kris Longwell says
Ha!! Thanks for the heads up! I had chicken on my mind!!
Tara says
Made this and turned out just as pictured. Delicious and my teenage boys devoured it!
Kris Longwell says
Hi Tara! You have no idea how thrilled this makes us! We are so so happy you made the sesame beef and you and the boys loved it! Thanks so much for sharing and for the GREAT review! That means the world to us!!! xoxo Kris & Wesley