Sha Cha Beef (沙茶牛肉)
Discover a new way to make stir-fried steak! This Sha Cha beef recipe reveals how to elevate flavor with a popular sauce and achieve a succulent texture.
- Prep time
- 15 min
- Cook time
- 3 min
- Yield
- 4 servings
- Difficulty
- MEDIUM
Ingredients
Quantities are shown as originally provided.
- 1 lb beef steaks (see note 1 for cut options)
- 1 tablespoon Sha Cha sauce (see note 2)
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon Shaoxing rice wine (or dry sherry)
- 1 teaspoon dark soy sauce (or regular soy sauce)
- ¼ teaspoon sugar
- ⅛ teaspoon ground white pepper
- 2 tablespoon water
- 1 tablespoon neutral cooking oil
- 15 spears asparagus (see note 3)
- 1½ tablespoon neutral cooking oil
- 3 cloves garlic (sliced)
- 6 slices ginger
- 1 tablespoon Sha Cha sauce
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
Instructions
- 1
Marinate the beef
- 2
Cut the beef steak, across its grains, into slices of about ⅛ inch (3mm) thickness.
- 3
In a large bowl, mix Sha Cha sauce, cornstarch, Shaoxing rice wine, sugar, white pepper, and water until smooth.
- 4
Add the beef slices, and gently rub by hand until the marinade liquid has been fully absorbed. Pour in oil then rub to coat all pieces evenly.
- 5
Leave to marinate for about 10 minutes.
- 6
Prepare the vegetables
- 7
While waiting for the beef to marinate, trim or snap the woody ends of the asparagus, then cut each spear, at an angle, into shorter sections.
- 8
OPTIONAL: If you’re using other vegetables that take longer to cook through, such as broccoli, or Gai Lan, you’d need to give them a quick blanch before the next step.
- 9
Stir-fry the dish
- 10
Heat a wok over high heat until lightly smoking, then pour in oil (If using non-stick cookware, add the oil first then heat it).
- 11
Add sliced ginger and garlic. Sizzle for a few seconds then put in the marinated beef. Use chopsticks or a spatula to quickly loosen the beef so that all pieces can be fried evenly.
- 12
Once most of the beef loses the bright pink color, add asparagus and another tablespoon of Sha Cha sauce. Toss for a further 30 seconds. Make sure to keep the heat high and swiftly stir fry.
- 13
Finally, stir in the salt and sesame oil before dishing out to serve.