Sesame Beef
This sesame beef recipe is a delicious fusion of crispy beef, sweet sauce, and toasted sesame seeds. It's a simple yet flavorful dish that's perfect for those who love Chinese cuisine and are looking for an easy, tasty meal to prepare at home.
- Prep time
- 30 min
- Cook time
- 30 min
- Yield
- 4 servings
- Difficulty
- HARD
Ingredients
- 1 lb beef
- 1/2 white onion ((or 1 yellow onion))
- 3 clove garlic ((sliced))
- 4-5 slice ginger
- 1 tbsp onion
- 1 tsp ginger
- 1 tbsp garlic
- 1 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tbsp Shaoxing cooking wine ((or dry sherry))
- 1 tsp sesame oil
- 2 tbsp water
- 1/2 cup cornstarch
- 2 tbsp white sesame seeds ((not toasted))
- 2 tbsp light soy sauce ((low sodium))
- 1 tbsp cornstarch
- 21/2 tbsp sugar
- 2 tbsp hoisin sauce
- 1 tbsp oyster sauce
- 1/4 tsp Chinese five spice
- 11/2 tbsp sesame oil ((added at the very end, after heat is turned off))
- 1/2 cup water
- 3 tbsp sesame seeds ((they will be toasted during prep))
Instructions
- 1
In a small pot, add 3 tablespoons sesame seeds and toast it over medium heat for a few minutes. Keep shaking the pan so that the seeds don't burn. You'll know they are done when they are a dark golden brown color. Set them aside for later.
- 2
Peel and thinly slice 3 cloves garlic, and then slice 4-5 slices ginger and set them aside for later.
- 3
Peel and slice ½ white onion thinly, then set them aside.
- 4
To prevent clumps, mix 1 tablespoon cornstarch with 2 tablespoons light soy sauce first until the cornstarch has fully dissolved.
- 5
Then add 2½ tablespoons sugar, 2 tablespoons hoisin sauce, 1 tablespoon oyster sauce, ¼ teaspoon Chinese five spice, and ½ cup water. Mix well and set aside.
- 6
In a bowl, combine 1 teaspoon ginger, 1 tablespoon onion, and 1 tablespoon garlic.
- 7
Slice 1 lb beef thinly against the grain and place the slices in the bowl with the grated garlic, ginger and onion.
- 8
Add 1 tablespoon soy sauce, 1 tablespoon Shaoxing cooking wine, 1 teaspoon sesame oil, and 2 tablespoons water. Mix well and let it marinate for at least 15 minutes.
- 9
On a large plate, mix together ½ cup cornstarch (or potato starch) with 2 tablespoon white sesame seeds (not toasted).
- 10
Take the beef slices and coat them one at at time in the sesame cornstarch mix until it is well coated, shake off any excess.
- 11
Heat oil in a small pot over medium heat. Add a few slices of beef and deep fry for 3-5 minutes. Do this in batches to avoid overcrowding the pot.
- 12
Once the beef is brown and crispy, remove it from the oil and set it aside.
- 13
Heat oil in a large skillet or wok over medium heat.
- 14
Add a few beef slices into the pan and pan-fry it in a single layer for approximately 2-3 minutes a side. Make sure not to overcrowd the pan, and don't let the beef slices touch as well. Try not to touch it too much while it's pan-frying so that it can form a crust.
- 15
Once the beef forms a crust on one side, flip it and brown the other side for 1 minute.
- 16
Then flip it again to crisp up the other side again for 1 minute. Depending on how thick you cut your beef, and how hot your stove is, you may need to flip it every 30 seconds, a few times. Keep doing this until it is crispy and golden brown, then plate it and work on the next batch until all the beef is cooked.
- 17
Heat oil in a pan over medium-high heat. Add the ginger and toast for about two minutes. Add the garlic slices, and onions and stir-fry for about one to two minutes.
- 18
Stir the sauce in the bowl (cornstarch will settle at the bottom) and pour it into the pan. Keep stirring until the sauce starts to bubble and thickens and changes color from a milky brown to a dark brown.
- 19
Mix in 1½ tablespoons sesame oil until it is glossy.
- 20
Add the beef back into the pan. Stir-fry and coat everything with the sauce for about one minute. Remove the ginger slices and discard them (or you can leave them in and eat around them).
- 21
Add in 3 tablespoons sesame seeds you toasted earlier and coat every piece of beef by mixing it well.
- 22
Plate your dish, and enjoy your homemade sesame beef!