How to Make Crispy Beef
from "The Secrets Of Chinese Stir-Frying: Why Does It Always Seem To Go Wrong At Home?"
https://www.huffingtonpost.com/

Crispy Beef fresh from the wok

Prepping the protein. This is another key element in a proper stir-fry! Most home cooks are surprised to realize that the proteins of Chinese-restaurant stir-fries are often pre-cooked, in another way, before they go into the stir-fry! The most important form of pre-cooking proteins is: frying in deep oil! Proteins are usually marinated and/or coated as well. Believe me: it changes everything! No more grey, listless meat in your stir-fries!

FOR THE BEEF: This step takes the most time and trouble in this dish. First, you want to slice the beef (sirloin steak is good, Huffington Post uses London Broil) fairly thinly, about 1/8 of an inch, and against the grain. Placing the beef in the freezer for 30 minutes or so helps you slice more easily.

Next, the crucial beef step: sprinkling your slices with a little baking soda — about a teaspoon for half a pound of beef — toss, and allow to rest for 30 minutes in the fridge. The baking soda gives the meat a lush, velvety texture.

After the beef and baking soda have sat for 30 minutes, wash off the baking soda with water. Then toss the wet beef in a bowl with a few teaspoons of cornstarch [or more], to make a crispy coating. Add just enough water to wet and distribute the cornstarch.

Heat a deep pan of frying oil to about 375 degrees. Add the beef, slice by slice, working quickly. Stir while frying. Cook for about a minute.

Remove the beef quickly, and place on paper towels. Salt. Reserve.

Add the beef back into the wok after any vegetables have been cooked and the sauce added and thickened.

Recipes Made with Crispy Beef

Crispy Orange Beef
Beef w/ Broccoli
Mongolian Beef - Mongolian beef is a dish served in Chinese-American and Chinese-Australian restaurants consisting of sliced beef, typically flank steak, and stir-fried with vegetables in a savory brown sauce, usually made with hoisin sauce, soy sauce, and chili peppers. The beef is commonly paired with scallions or mixed vegetables and is often not spicy. The dish is often served over steamed rice, or in the US, over crispy fried cellophane noodles. Mongolian beef is among the meat dishes developed in Taiwan where Mongolian barbecue restaurants first appeared. Thus, none of the ingredients or the preparation methods are drawn from traditional Mongolian cuisine.
Ginger Beef