Sizzle into the flavours of the Far East with our Sweet Chilli Beef – tender strips of beef in a delicious sweet chilli sauce, bringing the magic of a Chinese Fakeaway night right to your table.
Ingredients in Sweet Chilli Beef
To prepare these quick and easy Sweet Chilli Beef, here are some notes on the ingredients used
- Steak – sirloin or a similar cut of steak, trimmed of visiible fat and sliced into thin strips
- Cornstarch/Cornflour – this is to help crisp up the beef. Arrowroot powder or tapioca starch can also be used.
- Cooking oil – I recommend using an oil with a high smoke point like peanut oil, vegetable oil, avocado oil or grapeseed oil
- Sweet Chilli Sauce – available from most major grocery stores or Asian supermarkets
- Soy Sauce – light soy or all purpose. Don’t use dark for this as it will overpower the sweet chilli sauce.
- Tomato Paste – Not a traditional in this recipe, but I like to add it just help thicken the sauce and keep a nicer colour.
- Spring Onions – purely for decoration, but also add an extra punch of flavour.
Once you’ve gathered all the ingredients and prepared them accordingly, you’re all set to create this easy and delightful recipe for breakfast.
Air Fryer Sweet Chilli Beef
If you own an air fryer, you’ll be pleased to know that I’ve now added instructions on how to cook this dish using an air fryer to the recipe box.
An air fryer achieves the best results for that crispy beef texture similar to what you get from Chinese restaurants.
I personally use a 5.7-liter air fryer, so if yours is smaller, you may need to cook it in two batches or split it into two baskets for a dual air fryer.
Additionally, I recommend using slightly less water in the sauce when using the air fryer method since you won’t be simmering it on the stovetop for this cooking method.
PrintAir fryer Chilli Beef
Sizzle into the flavours of the Far East with our Sweet Chilli Beef – tender strips of beef in a delicious sweet chilli sauce, bringing the magic of a Chinese Fakeaway night right to your table
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 3 1x
- Category: Main
- Cuisine: Chinese
Ingredients
- 450g (1lb) of sirloin steak (or similar cut of steak), trimmed of fat and sliced into strips
- 1 tablespoon of cornstarch (or arrowroot powder or tapioca)
- pinch of salt
- 2 teaspoons of vegetable oil (or use a similar high smoke point oil)
- 2 tablespoons of sweet chilli sauce
- 2 tablespoon of soy sauce
- ½ teaspoon of garlic powder
- 1 tablespoon of tomato paste
- 150ml of water (100ml for air fryer method)
- 2 spring onions, finely chopped
Instructions
- Pat dry the steak with kitchen paper
- Place in a even layer on a large plate and sprinkle with the cornstarch and a pinch of salt, toss until evenly coated.
- Preheat air fryer to 200c or 400f for 3 minutes
- Add steak pieces to the air fryer grill pan in a even layer and drizzle with the oil
- Air fryer for 10-12 until golden and crispy (flipping over half way through cooking time.)
- Combine sweet chilli sauce, soy sauce, garlic powder, tomato paste and water in a jug or bowl and microwave for approx 3 mins until it reduces down slightly
- Transfer beef strips to oven dish that fits in air fryer.
- Pour in sauce, toss to coat and air fry for a further minute or 2 until heated through and sauce just coats the beef.
- Sprinkle with chopped spring onions.
- Serve with your favourite sides and enjoy. I served with stir fried veg and rice.
