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Crispy Chilli Beef Rice

Crispy chilli beef rice with shatteringly crispy beef strips, coated in a glossy red-orange sweet-spicy chilli sauce. Piled over fluffy white rice and finished with green onion and sesame seeds for a takeout-style Chinese crispy beef bowl.
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Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 35 minutes
Servings: 4 servings
Course: Main Dish
Cuisine: Asian-American
Calories: 620
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Crispy beef
  • 1 lb flank steak Slice very thin for quick frying.
  • 0.3333333333 cup cornstarch
  • 0.25 Salt and black pepper Use to season the cornstarch coating.
  • 0.5 cup Oil for frying Enough to reach about 1/2 inch depth in the wok.
Chilli sauce and aromatics
  • 3 garlic cloves Minced.
  • 1 red chilli Sliced; or use chilli flakes (1/2 tsp) if preferred.
  • 0.25 cup sweet chilli sauce
  • 2 tbsp soy sauce
  • 1 tbsp rice vinegar
  • 1 tbsp brown sugar
  • 1 tsp sesame oil
  • 1 tbsp Oil for frying Use 1 tablespoon for cooking garlic and chilli.
Serving
  • 1 cooked rice Cooked white rice for serving.
  • 1 green onions Sliced or chopped.
  • 1 sesame seeds

Equipment

  • 1 wok

Method
 

Coat the beef
  1. Toss sliced flank steak with cornstarch, salt, and black pepper until well coated, with each strip looking lightly dusted and opaque.
Fry until shatteringly crispy
  1. Heat oil to 350°F in a wok and fry the beef in batches in about 1/2 inch of hot oil, cooking for 2–3 minutes per batch until extremely crispy and golden.
  2. Drain the fried beef on paper towels until any visible oil sheen dulls, keeping the strips crisp.
Make the sweet-spicy chilli sauce
  1. Mix sweet chilli sauce, soy sauce, rice vinegar, brown sugar, and sesame oil together until smooth and glossy.
  2. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a wok, then cook minced garlic and sliced red chilli for 30 seconds until fragrant and just starting to sizzle.
  3. Add the chilli sauce to the wok and simmer for 1 minute, until it thickens slightly and looks red-orange and shiny.
Toss and serve immediately
  1. Add the crispy beef to the wok and toss quickly to coat for just long enough to glaze the outside, keeping the coating glossy.
  2. Serve immediately over cooked rice so the beef stays crunchy, then garnish with green onions and sesame seeds.

Notes

For maximum crunch, slice the flank steak very thin and fry in small batches so the oil stays at 350°F; toss with sauce only at the end and serve right away. Refrigerate leftovers in a sealed container up to 3 days, but note the beef will soften—reheat in a hot oven or air fryer to re-crisp. Freezing is not recommended for best texture. For a gluten-free version, swap soy sauce for tamari (and keep the rest the same).