Crispy Chilli Beef

• Use Top Side, Blade or Rump 500g, cut into 5mm thick strips
• One small onion
• 2 cloves of garlic
• 3cm nub of ginger (3 tsp. grated ginger)
• 1tbl. light soya sauce
• ½ tsp. Bicarbonate of soda

Place all the marinade ingredients (except for the Bicarb) into a processor and whiz to form a paste.

Add in the beef strips and Bicarb, combine until the meat is completely coated. Cover and set aside for a minimum 30 minutes.

Twice floured, twice fried!

• 1 cup cornflour
• Rice bran oil- enough to cover 1 inch of your heavy based pan for deep frying

Heat oil in heavy based pan.

Tip ½ a cup of cornflour into a clean bowl then toss in the marinated beef strips, making sure the beef is completely covered. Wait 10 mins, then add the final ½ cup of cornflour. The beef may clump together, just pull apart with your fingers.

In 3-4 batches fry off the beef until light golden brown (1-2 minutes) remove onto a plate and continue with the rest of the beef.

Now at this point if you are ready to eat, fry all the beef for a second time, you want it to look very dark brown almost black but of course not to the point of burnt! (another 1-2 minutes)

If you are not ready to serve and eat, leave the second fry off until you are.

* alter to desired heat

• 120ml rice wine vinegar (apple cider vinegar at a pinch)
• 120g light brown sugar
• 2 tbl. Light soya sauce
• 2 tbl. Dark soya sauce
• 1 tbl. sweet chilli sauce
• 1 tsp. dried chilli flakes*
• 1 tsp. Szechwan pepper* (or Szechwan mix)

Combine all ingredients on a saucepan over a mild heat until the sugar has dissolved, remove from the heat. Mix 1 tbl. of cornflour and 1 tbl. water to form a slurry, stir into the sauce until it thickens.

Combine the warm sauce and the hot double fried beef, stir to coat. Garnish with sesame seeds. Serve with egg fried rice, pickled carrot and coriander for a dash of colour.