Few things are so inviting on a wild night as the option of ordering your favorite sticky beef from your neighborhood takeout. The glistening sweet sauce, the melt-in-the-mouth bits of beef, the reassuring blend of sweet, salty, and savoury tastes—it's a dish that is sinful, reassuring, and irresistible. But even as pleasant as it is, there are two disadvantages to having takeout be your default. First,
it's costly, particularly if you're ordering in a group. And second, by the time takeout actually arrives, you would have probably already prepared something almost as good at home, using one pan and a mere twenty minutes of your time. That's what this sticky beef recipe is all about: a cheap, lazy fakeaway that's full of flavour, easy to prepare, and so good you won't even consider ordering in ever again.
Alright, let's move on to the beef itself, because that's what you're looking for. You'll need to use about four hundred grams worth of slices of beef. Flank steak, sirloin, or a piece that is labeled as "stir-fry beef" will do just as well, but the point is to cut it thinly enough so that it cooks evenly and in just a matter of moments. Take a couple of seconds to press the meat dry with kitchen paper before you add it to the pan. It'll seem like no big deal, but it makes a huge difference.
20-Minute One-Pan Sticky Beef Recipe
By dehydrating the excess moisture, you encourage the beef to sear instead of steam, and what you'll be left with is tender, ever-so-slightly crispy edges. While the beef is dry, dust it lightly with two tablespoons of cornstarch. This is absolutely the most crucial part. Not only will it brown the beef more easily, but it provides you with a surface that will stick to the sauce later so that every bite is coated in that delicious sticky glaze.
Now, get the pan hot. A wok is ideal, but a large frying pan will do in an emergency. Put in two tablespoons of oil—vegetable, sunflower, or even sesame oil, if you want the nut flavor—turn up the heat to medium-high, and preheat the pan sufficiently so that when the beef is put in it, it will really sizzle. Put in the strips of beef so that they are not stacked on top of each other,
and sauté two to three minutes per side. Don't stir too fast; allow the beef to develop a nice golden brown crust on it before you flip it over. If your pan is so small it can't hold everything in one layer, cook the beef in batches. It's worth taking a bit longer here than it is to overcrowd the pan, because overcrowding steams instead of sears, and you'll end up losing that gorgeous caramelized crust along the edges. After all of the beef is browned, set it aside on a plate and just let it sit.
When the beef is done, you'll be left with teeny-tiny pieces of browned goodness stuck to the bottom of your pan. Don't even think about scraping them out. They're ambrosia and will be the base for your sticky sauce. Lower the heat a little and add two cloves of minced garlic and an inch of fresh ginger, grated. Scramble those around for a solid thirty seconds until the kitchen is redolent. Watch out here—garlic burns instantly, and you don't want the bitterness to enter your sauce.
When the garlic and ginger are fragrant, it's time to build the sticky glaze. In goes three tablespoons of soy sauce, two tablespoons of oyster sauce, and two tablespoons of hoisin sauce. Together, they give the perfect balance of salty, savory, and sweet. To make it have a rich,
glossy appearance, add in two tablespoons of honey. You'll watch it dissolve and combine with the darker sauces and become syrupy and rich and oh-so-addictive. For richer, caramelized sweetness, use brown sugar as a substitute for honey.
Add one tablespoon of rice vinegar at this point to balance the sweetness and crank up the flavors. For an injection of heat, half a teaspoon of chili flakes or a dash of sriracha is magic. Let this mixture simmer very slowly for two to three minutes or until it thickens a little and clings to the spoon when it's lifted.
Quick & Budget-Friendly Fakeaway
but by no means least: assembly. Press the beef back into the sauce-lined pan and stir everything together, coating each piece. Once it boils, the sauce will start to stick and caramelize on the meat and transform it into the sticky, shiny good looks you've imagined.
Keep the heat in the middle so that it doesn't burn and stir every few seconds so that nothing sticks to the pan. Within a few minutes, the beef will be glistening and ready to roll. Before taking the pan off the heat, test a piece. This is your chance to get the flavors to your liking.
Too salty? A drizzle of honey will fix it. Too sweet? A pinch of additional soy sauce will fix it. Want it spicier? A little more chili flakes will fix that, too. Home cooking is all about having the ability to fix everything to your own liking, and this recipe is quite forgiving in this aspect.
When you're satisfied with the seasoning, finish with a few sesame seeds and some wafer-thin shreds of spring onion. Both are for show only a garnish, in other words, but both bring freshness and a bit of crunch that the sticky beef has great contrast with. If you want some theatre, a few wafer-thin slices of red chili on top will bring a splash of colour and a bit of heat.
For what to have with your sticky beef, the world is your oyster. Steamed jasmine rice is the classic accompaniment and is munched up with the sauce. Egg fried rice is a more filling base if you need to eat. Noodles are an option as well,
best tossed with a dusting of sesame oil and soy for an extra burst of zing. Serve light, filling the beef into crunchy lettuce leaves as wraps. Messy in the best possible way and unexpectedly light for something so otherwise decadent. To complete the meal, a side dish of stir-fried vegetables like broccoli, peppers, or sugar snap peas provides color and nutrition with minimal extra effort.
My favorite aspect of this recipe is how versatile it is. If beef is not available, chicken breast or thighs can be cut into strips and prepared in the same manner. For a vegetarian option, mushrooms or tofu work well as substitutes and soak up the sticky sauce just the same.
If money is tight, ground beef works well as a substitute for strips too. It will not be the same chew but be a taste champion and not break the bank. If beef or chicken is off the table, then pork strips can be used as a substitute too.
but never a problem in our household with this meal as the centerpiece. Leftovers will keep three days in the refrigerator, though. Refrigerate them in a covered dish and reheat them in a skillet to regain that shiny look. The microwave will just have to do in an emergency,
but the beef will be just ever so slightly cooked. You can also freeze single servings for two months, so this is such a great recipe to prepare in quantities if you enjoy having something ready to eat. There is just something so great about a recipe such as this.
It takes the concept of a takeout favorite, something which will be a pleasure to consume, and makes it yours in your own home with a little effort and expense. From the sizzle of the beef as it meets the pan to the point at which the sauce turns sticky and shiny, the process is as rewarding as the end result.
And when you sit down to dine on a plate piled high, having accomplished it in the same length of time as it takes to read the menu and wait for delivery, it's all the more sweet. So whenever next you are reaching for the phone to order, remember this simple one-pan sticky beef.
With a handful of shelf-stable ingredients, a scorching hot pan, and twenty minutes of your night, you can be sitting down to a meal that's just as good, significantly cheaper, and uniquely yours. Image Placeholder: Plated dish with sticky beef, rice, and vegetables on the side
