Let’s make easy crispy sesame beef with delicious Chinese honey sesame sauce. Tender beef strips with a crispy coating, smothered in sweet, sticky, nutty sesame aroma sauce.
It’s so quick and easy to prepare, perfect for takeout cravings with a homemade twist. Serve with plain rice for a simple dinner. Impress your dinner guests with your Chinese beef with sesame sauce tonight!
Panda Express copycat Crispy Sesame Chicken and crispy was a great hit on our blog. If you’ve tried my Crispy Chilli Beef, Sweet and Sour Beef, Honey Butter Fried Chicken and Crispy Honey Chilli Chicken recipes, I’m sure that you’ll love this recipe too.
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Crispy sesame steak is a fantastic combination of crispy beef and sesame-flavoured sauce. This dish is savoury, sweet, nutty, slightly tangy, and a bit spicy. The flavour of toasted sesame seeds and sesame oil is the key to this recipe. I love adding a dash of dried crushed chillies for a kick of spice.
Sesame Beef Ingredients
The key ingredients for this sesame crispy beef are listed below. Please scroll down to the recipe card for detailed measurements and a printable recipe.
- Beef: We usually use flank steak, rump, sirloin, or ribeye steak. You can use your choice of tender steak cut.
- Marinade: Baking soda, sesame oil, soy sauce, and grated ginger.
- Coating: Egg white & cornstarch.
- For sesame sauce: Use honey, sesame oil, rice vinegar, water, and cornstarch.
- You’ll also need toasted sesame seeds, garlic, crushed chillies, cooking oil, and spring onions ( green onions ).
Prepare beef marinade and coating
Cutting and marinating are the keys to achieving the best tender, juicy beef with a crispy coating texture results.
First, cut the steak into thin strips against the grain.
Then, marinate the beef with regular soy sauce, sesame oil, baking soda, and grated ginger. Mix it well and allow it to marinate for 15 minutes.
Add one egg white to the marinated beef and mix everything well. Add cornstarch and coat each beef piece well. Toss the excess flour before adding to the oil.
How to cook Crispy Sesame Beef?
Combine sauce ingredients in a small bowl and set it aside. Prepare garlic and spring onions and set them aside.
Heat the oil over medium-high heat. Once the oil is hot, add the coated beef pieces and fry for 3-4 minutes or until the coating is crispy and golden. Fry the beef in batches.
Remove from oil and set them aside over a paper towel and cooling rack.
In a large wok or pan, drizzle oil and saute garlic for a few seconds until fragrant. Next, add crushed chillies and stir fry for a few more seconds.
Pour the prepared sauce in, stir it well, and allow the sauce to reduce slightly and become glossy.
Then add the fried beef and toss everything well with the sauce. Finish with toasted sesame seeds and spring onions.
Transfer to a serving plate and garnish with spring onions and sesame seeds. Serve immediately.
Tips for making the crispy beef coating
Make sure the oil is hot enough before adding beef. Frying in hot oil creates a non-greasy, crispy coating.
To prevent the beef from unevenly cooking, fry in batches and do not overcrowd the frying oil.
Use cornstarch or potato starch instead of plain flour. The cornstarch coating stays crispy even after being tossed with the sauce.
It’s important to allow the sauce to be reduced and glossy before combining it with the fried beef strips.
Sesame Beef Vs Mongolian Beef
While both sesame beef and Mongolian beef are popular Chinese takeout dishes, their cooking methods and flavours are different. Sesame beef features a crispy coating texture and a sticky honey sesame sauce. On the other hand, Mongolian beef is marinated in thinly sliced steak and stir-fried with vegetables and savoury sauce. Both of these dishes go well with rice and noodles and are unique and delicious to their own taste.
Frequently Asked Questions
How to enjoy this dish?
Pair it with plain rice or noodles and make it a complete meal. Enjoy it together with popular Chinese takeout dishes like spring rolls, dumplings, hot and sour soup, chow mein, or fried rice.
Can you air fry the beef?
Deep-frying or shallow-frying is the best method to achieve the best crispy coating. However, you can air-fry the coated beef strips. Spray cooking oil over the beef and air-fry in the preheated ( 200C/390F ) air fryer for 10-12 minutes or until crispy. Then, toss it together with the sauce.
Can you store or reheat leftovers?
Sesame beef tastes best when freshly cooked, and the texture won’t be the same when reheated. However, if you have leftovers, you can keep them in the fridge for up to 3 days. Reheat them over a skillet or in the microwave until hot. Be careful not to overcook, as the beef can be tough and rubbery and lose the coating texture when it is overcooked.
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📖 Recipe
Crispy Sesame Beef
Ingredients
- 300 grams Beef steak About 0.66lbs, Cut thin strips
- 1 tbsp Toasted sesame seeds
- 1 Egg white
- 6 tbsp Cornstarch For coating
- 2 cloves Garlic
- 2-3 Spring onions
- 1 tsp Dried crushed chillies
Marinade Ingredients
- 2 tsp Soy sauce Regular soy sauce or light soy
- 2 tsp Grated ginger
- 2 tsp Sesame oil
- ¼ tsp White pepper
- ¼ tsp Baking soda
Sauce
- 2 tbsp Soy sauce Regular soy sauce or light soy sauce
- 2 tbsp Honey
- 1 tbsp Rice vinegar White vinegar or lemon juice
- ½ tsp Cornstarch
- 3 tbsp Water
- 2 tsp Sesame oil
Instructions
Beef Marinade and Coating
- First cut the steak into thin strips against the grain. Then marinate the beef with regular soy sauce, white pepper, sesame oil, baking soda, and grated ginger. Mix it well and allow it to marinate for at 15 minutes.
- Add one egg white into the marinated beef and mix everything well. Add cornstarch and coat each beef piece well. Toss the excess flour before adding to the oil.
- Combine sauce ingredients in a small bowl and set it aside. Prepare garlic and spring onions and set them aside.
Fry and Coat with the Sauce
- Heat the oil over medium high-heat oil. Once the oil is hot add the coated beef pieces and fry for 3-4 minutes or until the coating is crispy and golden. Fry the beef in batches and do not overcrowd the frying oil. Remove from oil and set them aside over a paper towel and cooling rack.
- In a large wok or pan, drizzle oil and saute garlic for a few seconds until fragrant. Next, add crushed chillies and stir fry few more seconds.
- Pour the prepared sauce in, stir it well and allow the sauce to reduce slightly and glossy.
- Then add the fried beef and toss everything well with the sauce. Finish with toasted sesame seeds and spring onions.
- Transfer to a serving plate, garnish with spring onions and sesame seeds. Serve immediately.
Notes
- Make sure the oil is hot enough before adding beef. Frying in hot oil creates a non-greasy, crispy coating.
- To prevent the beef from unevenly cooking, fry in batches and do not overcrowd the frying oil.
- Use cornstarch or potato starch instead of plain flour. Cornstarch coating stays crispy even after tossing with the sauce.
- Allow the sauce to be reduced and glossy before combining with the fried beef strips.
- Air-frying option: Spray cooking oil over the beef and air-fry in the preheated ( 200C/390F ) air fryer for 10-12 minutes or until crispy. Then, toss it together with the sauce.
Terry says
Tried it yesterday. It’s really good. I love that you add some crushed chillies in the sauce. Will be trying more recipe soon.
Khin says
Wonderful! Glad that you enjoyed it.