Beijing Beef (Delicious!)

Beijing beef gives off an almost intimidating feeling, but once you try it, you are going to love it, even if you just “like” the feeling of it. If you haven’t tried this dish, you are lacking an immense sense of taste.

Beijing beef is made with beef meat, onions, green onions, capsicum, oyster sauce, vinegar, and a lot of spices that will make the beef melt in your mouth when you first bite into it. Then top it off with sesame seeds and you are ready to dig in.

The beef is so tenderized once it’s stir-fried in the pan; then the veggies are added, which gives it more flavor. You can eat it plain or with freshly made white rice and green onions on top, as is the traditional way.

The Beijing beef is based on the Panda Express dish, but it’s more crispy, and tangy, and has a kick of spice to make you drool for it, (you can add or subtract the spice from it based on your preference). This dish will dispel any misconceptions you have about Chinese cuisine.

Let’s talk more about this delicious dish with some tricks and kick with it for perfectly cooked Beijing beef.

Why Is it called Beijing beef?

Another name for this dish is Peking beef; Peking is the former name of a Chinese city based in Beijing.

This Beijing beef is an upgraded Americanized Chinese dish that is similar to the Panda Express menu dish; however, the Beijing beef is more of a crispy, tangy, yet spicy side dish tossed in perfectly balanced onions and bell peppers vegetables.

This dish is delectable and healthy too, and it’s best for diet-conscious people.

What is the difference between Beijing beef and Mongolian beef?

Beijing beef and Mongolian beef, or so-called Taiwanese stir-fry, do not hold any immense dissimilarities as they both have thinly sliced beef cuts with sauces. However, they still have countable differences, which can be tough to tell, but here they are:

• The Beijing sauce has a sweet and savory balanced taste while the Mongolian beef is more of a thick saucy dish with only spicy flavors.
• Mongolian beef doesn’t have vegetables in it rather green onions are used as a topping but the Beijing beef is made using a variety of veggies like onions, bell peppers, and green onions.
• The beef used popularly in Beijing beef is flank cut which is tendered and juicy, on the other hand, Mongolian beef uses shank cut which is rather fatty and tough until it is made tenderized in a wok with a whole lot of oil.

What does Beijing beef taste like?

The flavor of Beijing beef is difficult to describe; if you haven’t tried it, it’s similar to orange chicken but spicier and less sweet. Unlike the orange chicken, Beijing beef has thin stripes of crispy, juicy beef.

Furthermore, Beijing beef contains ingredients such as onions, green onions, and bell pepper that maintain the balance with their crunchy (almost pickled and acidic) texture, ensuring that the sweet flavors do not overpower the juiciness of the beef and the savory sauces that accompany it.

Does Beijing beef have eggs?

Yes, but it also depends on your preferences.

The typical restaurant-style Beijing beef contains whisked egg so that the flour coats the beef firmly for crunch, just like an orange chicken. The beef is then deep-fried until the coating turns golden brown.

However, if you happen to lack gluten-free flour, you can opt for tapioca flour, which has a similar texture and no hollow taste. Also, you can use water instead of whisked eggs or milk to lightly coat the beef for deep-frying or stir-frying.

How to make juicy Beijing beef?

INGREDIENTS:

• Beef
• Salt and pepper
• Tapioca starch with water
• Garlic (finely sliced)
• Green onions (sliced)
• White onions (cubed)
• Red bell peppers (cubed)
• Oyster sauce
• Vinegar
• Sriracha sauce
• Ketchup
• Dark soy sauce
• Pure sesame oil
• Ground white pepper
• Sesame seeds
• Cooking oil

INSTRUCTIONS:

• Pat dry the beef with a paper towel and thinly slice them. Put the beef in a bowl and add salt, pepper, and a tablespoon of panko crumbs.
• In the same bowl add tapioca starch and two tablespoons of cooking oil to make the starch active. Put aside the meat and prepare the sauces and vegetables.
• In another bowl, add ketchup, oyster sauce, vinegar, sriracha, dark soy sauce, sesame oil, and white ground pepper, and mix them until they are made into a thick sauce.

• Heat cooking oil on medium heat and deep fry the marinated beef slices until they are crusty and have a nice brown color. Let them rest for 5 minutes so that the beef can absorb its juices back.
• In a pan add two tablespoons of cooking oil and add the onions, when it starts to get translucent add garlic and green onion in the same pan.
• When all these veggies are tenderized, add the beef to them and mix them until combined.

• Add the cubed red bell peppers now, stir them with the beef mixture, and wait until they get slightly soft.
• When all the ingredients are mixed, pour the Beijing sauce we made. Also, sprinkle some sesame seeds on them. Stir the sauce and ingredients generously.
• Plate the Beijing beef on a plate with a side of domed-shape white rice with green onions on top for extra presentation. Enjoy it while it’s warm and nice.

What are the cuts of beef?

Even if we only hear about ribeye or flank beef, there is much more to the world of beef. Every cut or type of beef has its taste quality and specialty that makes it worthwhile to pay for. For the perfect steak, some have fatty skin, while others have more tender parts.

The 8 types of beef cuts are listed below:

• Chuck
• Brisket
• Flank
• Short plate
• Short rib
• Shank
• Loin (short loin and sirloin)
• Round cut

The exotic type of beef cut to use in every dish is either flank, sirloin, or ribeye, which gives the ideal dish.

Why is Chinese beef so soft?

Chinese people and their restaurants use a special technique that has been part of their culture for quite a long time, it’s called “velveting” the meat.

They always use this east method to lock in the crispiness and juiciness of the seafood, chicken, or beef. It gives amazing results every single time.

The velveting process includes the marinating of meat in cornstarch and egg white. You can use sodium bicarbonate, or so-called baking soda, with water to actively soften the tough raw meat and give it a light, airy flavor after cooking it.

What happens when you put baking soda on the meat?

The trick might sound weird, but keeping the meat tender even after cooking is the secret to this scheme.

So, the trick is to marinate the meat in a 1:1 solution of baking soda and water for a velvety, smooth, and juicy feeling in the cooked meat.

What happens is that the solution raises the pH of the raw meat’s surface, thus making it difficult for the proteins to make excessive bonds and thereby keeping the moisture of the meat locked in and making it tender.

20 minutes are enough for this process, unlike the brine solution which takes 30 minutes approx.

Why is my stir-fried beef so tough?

The possible reason for the chewy and tough beef is the overcooking over high heat; thick beef cuts are suggested to cook over medium heat, so if you are looking for a way to achieve soft and fluffy textured beef, make sure to cook it long and slow on the stove with medium heat.

How do you make stir-fried beef so it turns out tenderized?

Stir-fried beef can turn out tough if cooked without attention to each instruction, and who likes the meat chewy, not the Asian people?

So here are some ways you can skip the hard and dry meat after it’s been cooked well:

• Thin slices
• Velveting method
• Baking soda marination
• Room temperature meat
• Don’t skip the salt
• Cook it slow with low heat
• Check the internal temperature to be at 165 Fahrenheit
• Give rest to your meat so that it can reabsorb the juices
• Cut against the grain so it doesn’t get flaky.

How to store and reheat the leftover Beijing beef?

The key to storing the leftover Beijing beef is to first let it come to room temperature, then put it in an airtight container with 2–3 tablespoons of water.

This will keep the meat from getting dry when you are ready to reheat it but rest the frozen Beijing beef for 3–4 hours after taking it out of the freezer.

Is Beijing beef good for health?

Yes, Beijing beef is good for health as it doesn’t require deep frying or extra oiling, and it comes with healthy, freshly cut vegetables like onions, green onions, and red bell peppers.

The white rice and generous amount of crunchy and soft beef round out the meal, keeping your energy up and your body functioning until the next meal. To prove it’s healthy for you to eat it every week, here’s the nutrition it holds for you:

NUTRITIONAL VALUE:

NUTRITIONAL VALUE	PER SERVING
Calories	470kcal
Cholesterol	25mg
Carbs	46g
Sugars	24g
Fat	26g
Sodium	660mg
Potassium	0mg
Protein	13mg

SUMMARY:

• The Beijing beef is the quickest meal idea for dinner.
• It is ready in under half an hour with crispy beef, tenderized veggies, and a lot of flavors.
• You can make this for a weeknight, gameday, or just for a friend coming river for a night stay.
• A dish doesn’t take time but it’s the prep that takes a whole lot of time, so prepare everything before taking it to the stove.
• Adding baking soda to your marinade will make the beef tenderized just like the restaurant one.
• You can eat Beijing beef as it is made or substitute plain rice with sushi rice or coconut rice.
• Any of the beef cut types can work although always remember to cut against the grain to get tendered results.

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