Crispy Sesame Beef
Restaurant-quality, amazingly crispy beef made in just 30 min with less oil – you won’t even be able to tell the difference!
I don’t always eat beef but when I do, it definitely has to be crispy.
Am I right or am I right?
And you know what? You can skip the takeout and make this right at home.
I promise. It’s better than restaurant-quality by a mile, hands down.
And you get to use less oil.
Even with the less oil, that crispiness is out of this world! The secret ingredient is the cornstarch.
Crispy Sesame Beef
Ingredients
- 1 cup peanut oil
- 1 pound sirloin steak, sliced into thin strips
- 4 tablespoons cornstarch, divided
For the sauce
- ¼ cup reduced sodium soy sauce
- ¼ cup brown sugar, packed
- 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed orange juice
- 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger
- 1 tablespoon Sriracha, optional
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- 1 teaspoon sesame seeds
- 1 green onion, thinly sliced
Instructions
- Heat peanut oil in a large stockpot or Dutch oven over medium heat.
- In a large bowl, combine steak and 2 tablespoons cornstarch, tossing to coat and letting the steak absorb the cornstarch. Add remaining 2 tablespoons cornstarch before adding to the stockpot.
- Working in batches, cook steak until golden and crisp, about 2-3 minutes. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate.
- In a medium saucepan over medium high heat, combine soy sauce, brown sugar, orange juice, vinegar, garlic, ginger, Sriracha and sesame oil until slightly thickened, about 1-2 minutes. Stir in steak and gently toss to combine.
- Serve immediately, garnished with sesame seeds and green onion, if desired.
Did you make this recipe?
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This recipe is so DELICIOUS !
Amazing flavor 🙂
A keeper for sure…
Thank you so much !
Ahh! This was SO GOOD. I had everything I needed on hand and I followed the recipe to a T.
I saw someone mention in the comments that they steamed some broccoli over the rice to serve with the dish, so I did the same. It was outstanding. My husband said it tasted like Chinese takeout. He suggested trying it in the air fryer next time, after struggling to dispose of the oil, and I might do that. But honestly, this is a great recipe and don’t really want to mess with it!
What a great hack, Katie! I also found sliced sirloin at the store.
Chungah, this is soooo delicious- that sauce is top-notch! I will add to my favorites
This recipe is just YES! I’m still enjoying the post-dinner high from serving a meal that both of my kids ate and enjoyed. No “I don’t like it” or “Dats yucky” from my 2 and 5-year olds, so this one is moving into the rotation. A lot of flavor, simple to make and delicious. Next time I’ll make some broccoli or brussle sprouts to pair with the meal, but as-is is great too.
Earned a “really good mom, thank you” from my two teenage boys and husband…which I consider a win! Made 2.5 pounds of sirloin; have zero leftovers.
Another great recipe, thank you! I used vegetable oil and set the steak in the freezer for 15 minutes so it would be easier to slice into strips.
Fantastic, authentic tasting recipe. You can taste all of the flavours they are married so well.
Damn delicious INDEED.
Absolutely delicious! I can’t believe this Italian girl could make this and have it taste so good and authentic. I did not have peanut oil so i ground up some cashews and substituted olive oil for the peanut oil. Steamed broccoli and added to it right before serving and sprinkled diced scallions on as a garnish. Thank you!!
This turned out SO delicious! We had our doubts that there would be enough sauce, as it looks like it reduces quite a bit, but there was more than enough to coat all of the steak and then some. Will make again!
This is a fantastic recipe. We loved it, thank you. Look forward to making it again.
Home alone, one strip loin in the freezer. Followed your recipe exactly. I felt so guilty eating it by myself. Crispy, sauce so good, on a bed of rice. Enough for me again tomorrow. My guilt is slowly going away. Thank you so much. I’ll make it again next week.
This was really delicious. I followed the directions exactly except that I used vegetable oil and doubled the recipe. I used an All Clad stainless (NOT non-stick) Dutch oven to cook the meat and it worked out great. I had enough food for 4 people when I doubled the recipe with maybe half a cup or a cup of meat left over. I served the dish with basmati rice and broccoli. My only question is whether its supposed to stay real crispy once you toss it in the sauce. My meat was crispy until I tossed it in the sauce, and then it became much less so. It was still yummy, but I’m not sure if that’s supposed to happen. Thank you for another wonderful recipe Chungah!
Only made the sauce and substituted bottled pineapple juice because we were out of citrus fruits. Better than restaurants.
The best I’ve had and easy!
Used flat iron steak, bc that’s what I had on hand.
Substituted cashews for sesame seeds bc I didn’t have any.
Steamed broccoli was added just bc.
Served over packaged precooked brown quinoa rice bc I forgot to make jasmine rice.
I’m done searching this recipe, this is fantastic!
Awesome!! This was so good I can’t wait to make it again! I didn’t have peanut oil so I used canola oil.
Love this recipe! I veganised it by using TVP slices instead of beef and it turned out delicious! Using the sauce recipe now for some crispy tofu and I know it’ll be fabulous!
I used round steak that I marinated in sesame oil, soya and garlic for 8 hours and used it instead of sirloin. It was amazingly good! Love the sauce! I used fresh green onions from my garden to top the dish! Now I know what to do with the rest of the round steak in my freezer. Thank you!!!
Can this recipe be made ahead of time. I’m making it tonight, so I can let you know how it turns out. Sounds delicious.
Made this for dinner tonight. Super easy and so tasty! My husband said it was the best ever! Huge kudos from a foodie guy! Love all your recipes! Thanks so much for sharing. 🙂
Love this recipe! I am a long distance runner and I love to make this the night before races with some rice and veggies. I follow the recipe as is but I just use avocado oil for cooking since I have it on hand. Thanks!
I made this tonight and it was wonderful. My husband absolutely loved it. Very easy to follow recipe. Delicate crisp beef and a delicious sesame sauce. Definitely will make this one of my go to recipes.
Should I use raw or roasted sesame seeds?
I personally prefer to use toasted sesame seeds.
Way too salty. Tried several ways to get the salt level down
Oh no! I’m so sorry to hear that. Did you use reduced sodium soy sauce as directed in the recipe?
My husband and son both enjoyed this a lot. However, it is quite salty, even when using reduced sodium soy sauce. Any ideas of how to decrease the salt content?
You can try to decrease the amount of soy sauce to your desired taste.
Just made this recipe and it was a wonderfull succes. Crispyness and flavour was amazing. Will do it again and i suggest you do too…
Thanks, Stephane! We’re so happy to hear that you’ll be making this again and again!
This recipe is delicious! A HUGE hit in my house. Thank you so much for the recipe!
Amazing recipe. This was my husbands favorite meal! We used riced cauliflower instead of rice as a base and it was very good. The meat was tender and crispy.
So good! I wish I had doubled the recipe because my family wanted more.
Can’t tell you how many times I’ve made this! We will never go back to take-out again. We do the beef in our Actifry and It is just as nice.
Awesome!
This is a go-to in our house if we are craving an Asian dish. Very easy, yummy and soooooo very homey. I added some more corn starch (just a tinge). Your recipe is very easy and my little one loves to make the sauce. We love all of your recipes we have tried I think all of them :)]
That’s so great, Michelle. Thank you!
I use corn flour(starch) but I wash off the excess in a colander otherwise it comes out a bit to silky for crispy beef,… A really hot pan helps to, woks a really cheap and easy to season them so they become non stick.
Hi there, Do you think I would be able to do this recipe with ground beef?
Thank you!
Hi Maida! Unfortunately, this recipe will not work with ground beef.
For a vegan version, use seitan. Everything else is the same, including the cornstarch, but cook it for a little less time since seitan from the store usually comes pre-cooked. I’ve made it several times already and it is absolutely delicious!
If I were to use powdered ginger instead of fresh, how much should I use?
The ratio for fresh to dry is typically 3:1. Hope that helps!
This dominant taste by far in this is ginger. I sprinkled a little more garlic and a little salt on afterwards, dotted with more sriracha, and liked that taste better. If you’re a big fan of ginger, this might be more to your liking. Next time I will cut down on it a little – but it’s a recipe I’ll be making again 🙂
I’ve been searching for an easy sesame beef recipe for months to mimic the amazing dish I had at a local restaurant. Needless to say, this exceeded my expectations! Tastes JUST LIKE the $20 meal, but so much easier. Added steamed broccoli, asparagus, carrots, and some caramelized onions to mine and I can’t get enough!
hi would stewed beef work
Unfortunately, without further recipe testing, I cannot answer with certainty. As always, please use your best judgment regarding substitutions and modifications.
This is one of my son’s favorite dishes when we go out to eat. I made it today and was nervous about its reception. He didn’t respond for a minute, so I asked, “Um, is it okay?” He nodded and said, “Sorry, it almost made me cry it’s so good.” And then proceeded to finish his, mine, and his dad’s.
Sooo delicious & easy! Whole family loved it
Just tried this out..it was absolutely fantastic!! Yum! YUM!!
I made this last night and it was really good! I used what was called sliced sandwich steak and sliced it into strips. I salted it before adding the cornstarch, the directions didn’t say to, but I assumed I should. The beef got nice and crispy, but the only problem is that I didn’t cook down the sauce enough so when I added the beef it got soft. Bummer, all that hard work was ruined! But it was still really, really good. I’m not really experienced at frying, but I made sure my oil was really hot before I started, I used canola and peanut. I used my lodge porcelain cast iron casserole. I made sure the beef was nicely coated with corn starch – I cooked 2.5 lbs so 4T wasn’t enough. I would love a video of this to see if I even added enough cornstarch. I’ll definitely make it again, the sauce was perfect and 1T Sriracha didn’t make it too spicy for even my tastes.
Can I do with pepper steak or does it need to be sirloin? Thanks
Yes, you can substitute pepper steak.
This sounds absolutely delcious. can’t wait to give this a go. Thanks simon
Absolutely love this recipe! It is so delicious! And my husband is requesting it for tonight
Would it be possible to add 1 or 2 cups of broccoli to this recipe?
Thanks,
Bill
Yes, absolutely.
How would I work this into the instructions? Thank-you for the help. Would I just add the broccoli when I add the sauce and just warm a little???
Yes, you can add already steamed/roasted broccoli – you may also want to double the sauce as well, but really, it’s up to you.
Hello Chungah,
I am sorry to keep asking about this but how would I add fresh uncooked broccoli to this? As would like to cook it some in the sauce? And this will duplicate the meal I get at my favorite Chinese restaurant. Theirs comes with broccoli throughout the sesame beef and in the sauce. And the broccoli has a faint taste of the sauce also.
Bill, it may be best to steam the broccoli first prior to adding it to the sauce, letting it warm and soak through. Of course, that’s just my recommendation but as always, please use your best judgment to suit your preferences.
Hi Chungah, Ok I will try to steam the broccoil, It is just I really do not know how to cook or steam the broccoli, but I do have a steam pot in my double broiler, so will just be a matter of doing it to the consistency that I prefer.
Made it last week and it was damn delicious!
Working on this one as I type. Curious… when I added the beef to the peanut oil it became super frothy. Is that normal?
Yes, some frothiness is normal.
This tastes delicious!!! but crispy? nope…..it seemed the corn starch ended up stuck to the bottom of the pan…Do I have to use nonstick pan>
What kind of pan did you use?
I used a traditional Dutch oven….not non stick..
I have never had any issues using a Dutch oven – perhaps you need more oil in your pot?
I had this same problem. Everything else turned out great but beef was definitely not crispy and now I have to scrape off a bunch of cornstarch/oil from the bottom of my brand new dutch oven 🙁 With that said, I will make this again but just fry the beef without cornstarch in a regular non-stick pan. The sauce was yummy!
I made this for dinner tonight and it was AMAZING! My kids devoured it. Very easy and quick to make. Along with your simple lo mein, this will be a front runner in our house. Thank you
Can I use fryer to cook?
Yes, absolutely.
Glad I read comments before making this. I will be using my removable slow cooker pot to do the frying in as it is my only non stick pot/pan. Will let you know how it turns out.
Any suggestions for rice vinegar substitute?
Here is a great resource discussing possible substitutes – hope that helps!
We had a local Chinese restaurant that had the best Crispy Beef….and then it closed. Bummer! Craving it so much, so can’t wait to try this recipe! Thanks!
You lie!!! Made this two nights ago and while it says “Yields: 4 Servings”, my girlfriend and I proceeded to gobble it all up for dinner with barely any leftovers for me to take to work for lunch the next day!!! And now I’m craving more and have none! Curses!!! Super yummy!!! Thank you!!!
I was looking forward to making this dish but when I finally completed it and tasted it something was bitter. Not sure what went wrong. Overall it was good but I had this strong hint of bitter with the meat. Must have been the sauce. My rice vinegar I had in the pantry was never opened until I used it for this and I noticed the best by date was 2/14/16. Since it was unopened I can’t imagine it was that. I’d love to hear any ideas that might have caused this.
Katy, even if the vinegar had never been opened, it is almost 3 weeks past the expiration date!
This looks yummy!! Thank you for sharing 🙂
I saw the comment about the choice of pan. I have a Le Creuset 5-1/2-Quart Dutch Oven… will that work?
Yes!
Once again, I’m so in love with your recipes, but I was wondering what substitutions I can use for the peanut oil?
Vegetable or canola oil will also work.
Mmm this dish looks delicious. Can’t wait to try it.
Ohhhh where did I go wrong??? I did everything to plan and mine turned out yucky. Now in hind sight, I guess it was my choice of pan. I used a stainless steel pan instead of a non-stick one….I guess that’s why my meat didn’t even get close to crispy 🙁 boo hoo….but no matter…I will correct and if anyone has any suggestions, I would appreciate them…the taste of this dish is great but mine just wasn’t crispy after frying it twice.
Oh no – what a bummer! Do you have a non-stick skillet that can be used instead?
Maybe the oil wasn’t hot enough. If the oil isn’t the right temp for frying, the food doesn’t cook fast enough and comes out mushy.
I use corn flour(starch) but I wash off the excess in a colander otherwise it comes out a bit to silky for crispy beef,… A really hot pan helps to, woks a really cheap and easy to season them so they become non stick.
Ooh this looks delicious! Your recipes always give me so many great ideas for dinner!
This is a great twist for a spicy version of a delicious, comforting dish. I love that you used Sriracha as it’s one of my favorite condiments. For the sauce, I recommend making it with sweet chili sauce, soy sauce, sesame oil, and honey too. Thanks for sharing!
Made this tonight for dinner. It was super easy to make and a big hit! Thanks for sharing!
I totally agree that beef should be crispy :)This looks delicious!
Oh my gosh!!! This is it, Chungah!! This is like the dried fried beef I loved so much in Hawaii, you just have to drop it in the oil a second time to get that dried, jerky-like texture. Thank you so much! I’ve been watching for this recipe on your site, and the sauce looked right, so I tried it. It was the cornstarch!! Thank you. Gonna try it with sliced chicken thigh, and maybe even dilute the soy, as mine wasn’t reduced salt, and it got strong at the end, but hurray!! Excellent recipe. My husband tried it and said, “you found it, finally, didn’t you?” Thanks, Chungah. I love your site, and your new picture is beautiful.
Hi. Thanks for posting this recipe. I love sesame chicken. I use a recipe now that uses a batter for the chicken. Do you think the corn starch would work with the chicken like it does for the beef?
PS – My son and I love your Olive Garden Alfredo recipe. He even likes it leftover which is really unusual. 🙂
Yes, absolutely.
Hi,
This looks delicious!
Do you have a recommendation for the rice wine vinegar? I see that my local store offers a rice vinegar and a seasoned rice vinegar. Howver, neither have wine in the title.
Thanks!
Rice vinegar will work just fine.
Do you think Arrowroot would work as well as cornstarch?
Unfortunately, without further recipe testing, I cannot answer with certainty. As always, please use your best judgment.
Can you recommend a substitution for the peanut oil. Peanut allergies in the family. Thanks! Love all your recipes
Vegetable or canola oil will also work.
Yum-yum! Can’t wait to taste some…
Can you use a difference type of oil such?
Yes, absolutely.
I am planning to do an asian night this week, so I’m so glad you shared this recipe! Bonus points since I have almost everything in the house. I’m going to try this!
Hi there, I had made a chicken taco salad and used your, greek yogurt with cilantro and lime dressing.
Awesome Thanks. I think you are spot on. Thanks for sharing!
Could you substitute another kind of oil? We have a peanut allergy in the house.
Vegetable or canola oil will also work.
Hi,
How well does this freeze? Obviously the crispness will be lost but does it still work well as leftovers? Thanks
Unfortunately, I cannot answer this with certainty as I have never tried freezing this myself – there were no leftovers left to freeze! Please use your best judgment for freezing and reheating.
You can freeze it. I’ve seen frozen ginger beef at the grocery store. When you cook it again bake it in the oven and it will turn out crispy. Add the sauce separately and in the end to retain the crispness.