Crispy chili beef is the most popular Chinese takeaway dish, and it’s high time we try it. Crispy chili beef is nothing but thin strips of beef coated in chili mix, fried, and served with noodles or rice. The twist is that we skip deep frying and replace it with an air fryer.
Here is how you can prepare super crispy chili beef in my style. So, let’s get in and see whether it works for you.
Crispy Chili Beef in Air Fryer
Equipment
- Air Fryer
- Bowls
- Mixing spoons
- Knives
Ingredients
- 150 g 4 pieces of beef steaks It should be cut into thin strips
- 1 tbsp Soy sauce
- 2 peppers (capsicum), red or yellow The seeds must be removed and the peppers should be cut in chunks
- 2 Onions They should be cut into 2 cm or ¾ inch chunks.
- 1 Red chili It should be sliced with the seeds removed
- 1 ½ tbsp Vegetable oil
- 3 tbsp Cornflour
- 2 tbsp Chinese five spice powder It will transform the taste
- 2 Spring onions They should be sliced
- Freshly cooked rice or noodles (Optional) to serve your beef with.
For the glaze, you will need the following ingredients
- 2 tbsp Sesame seeds
- 5 tbsp White wine vinegar
- 1 tbsp Balsamic vinegar
- 2 tbsp Light soy sauce
- 2 tbsp Light brown sugar
- 2 tbsp Tomato ketchup
Instructions
- First, take a bowl and marinate the beef strips with soy sauce in it and set the mixture aside for ten minutes.
- Heat the air fryer to 190 degrees Celsius, and toss the onion, chili, and pepper in ½ tbsp vegetable oil and saute them for 10 minutes.
- The next step is preparing the glaze. For this, set aside a teaspoon of sesame seeds from the batch you prepare and mix the remaining with other glaze ingredients discussed above in a bowl. Pour it over the sauteed vegetables and cook it for another 2 minutes.
- Set aside the prepared vegetables, and let’s move to the beef. Heat the air fryer to 200 degrees Celsius. Add cornflour, Chinese five-spice mix, and the leftover vegetable oil to the marinated beef mixture and keep mixing it until the beef is fully coated.
- Next, lay the coated beef slices in the air fryer in a single layer and make sure to leave space around them for the air to circulate easily. Do not overcrowd the air fryer, or it will leave your beef undercooked. You may need to do the frying in two batches.
- Cook each piece for around seven minutes until the beef stripes have a crispy texture. Also, remove the tray halfway through and shake the air fryer basket to make sure the heat is distributed evenly within the fryer.
- Once the beef is all cooked, add the pepper and onion to the air fryer for at least two minutes. After this time, mix the beef with the onion and pepper and top it off with the spring onions and sesame seeds you separated in the first step. You can serve it with cooked rice and noodles, as you like.
Is Air Fryer Crispy Chilli Beef Nutritious?
Yes, the air-fried crispy chili beef is undoubtedly a wholesome and nutritious meal option. Beef itself has high fat and calorie content and frying it in oil can add to the cholesterol level and overall calories. Hence, it is better to use air-fried crispy beef, especially since the nutritious profile of the prepared recipe includes 285 kcal, 3g saturated fat, 52mg cholesterol, and 21g protein.
Do All Types of Beef Work for this Recipe?
Yes, you can use different types of beef, however, the right cut of beef is essential for achieving the perfect crunch and tenderness. I have spent a lot of time deciding what kind of beef is best for this recipe. After this testing, my choice of beef for crispy chili beef is as follows.
- Sirloin Steak: It is the most popular choice for chili beef, as it is perfectly tender and flavorful. It looks just like marble with easily sliced grain. It is also quick to cook and my favorite for a weekday dinner.
- Rump Steak: It is flavorful and tender and has a firm texture as compared to sirloin, making it perfect for the crispy crust. It is also easy to cut into thin slices for enhanced chili flavor.
- Skirt Steak: This type of beef has a rich flavor and unique texture. It is tougher than rump and sirloin but still manages to get a perfect balance of crisp and tenderness. You need to slice it thinly to get the right tenderness.
- Minute Steak: It has a pronounced grain that usually goes through the width of the steak. Slicing it against the grain will help you get the best results.
An air fryer crispy chili beef is an excellent lazy dish for weekday and weekend dinner meals. It is delicious, flavorful, nutritious, and does not take lengthy preparation. I hope you liked my recipe.
