Crispy Shredded Beef

Method

1. Trim any excess fat from the beef and cut it into thin strips, about one centimetre thick is perfect. Peel and grate the ginger and the garlic and combine those in a bowl with the soy sauce, sesame oil and ground white pepper. Add the beef and coat it well in the marinade. Let it sit in the bowl for about thirty minutes.

2. Wash and cut the peppers into strips, and peel and slice the onion. Set aside for now.

3. Peel and grate the garlic and ginger for the sauce. Wash and finely chop the chilli, if you like a bit of extra chilli kick, use the whole chilli including the seeds and pith. If you want a milder sauce, discard those and just use the flesh of the chilli. Heat a splash of sesame oil in a small pan over a high heat. Reduce the heat to medium and add the garlic and ginger. Sauté for a minute and add the chopped chilli. Cook for one more minute and add the vinegar, rice wine, soy sauce and honey. Stir to combine everything well and bring to a simmer. Let the pot bubble gently away while you cook the beef.

4. Crack the egg into the beef and mix it into the marinated beef. Put the cornflour into a wide bowl or a large plate. Now dredge the strips of beef in the corn flour a few at a time, making sure they are well coated. Shake any excess cornflour off the strips as you go and make sure the strips are separated. Heat the sunflower oil in a large pan, bringing it to 180 Celsius.

5. Carefully add the coated beef to the pan and fry it for no more than two minutes. Do this in two batches to avoid crowding the pan. When the first batch has had a minute or two in the hot oil, remove it using a slotted spoon and transfer it to a plate lined with kitchen towel. Bring the oil back up to 180 Celsius and repeat to fry the second batch. Again, transferring it to a plate lined with kitchen towel to drain once you take it out of the oil.

6. Heat a wok or heavy based pan over a medium/high heat and add a tablespoon of sesame oil. Stir fry the sliced onions for a minute and add the sliced peppers. Stir fry until both are just cooked through but retain some crispness. Set aside until you are ready to serve.

7. Bring the sunflower oil back up to 180 Celsius and give the beef its second fry. Again, it only needs a minute or two in the hot oil and you can fry it all in one go this time. Drain the beef again on some kitchen towel while you finish the sauce and assemble the dish.

8. Add the lemon juice to the sauce, by now it should have reduced quite a bit and have a light syrup like consistency. Taste and add more lemon juice or soy sauce to your own preference.

9. Mix the stir-fried vegetables and the crispy beef and serve them up on a platter or big plate. Drizzle over the sauce, coating as much of the beef as possible. Garnish with some thinly sliced red chilli and chopped spring onions or coriander. Serve immediately.