Chinese · Authentic-ish Chinese
Chilli Beef
346 kcal a serving, against 611 for the traditional version. That is 265 kcal off, or 43%, with 35.1g of protein. Serves 4. 35 minutes.
What the traditional version is
Thin strips of flank or skirt steak tossed in egg and a heavy blanket of cornflour, then plunged into a wok of boiling oil until rock hard. The crispy strips are then tossed in a bubbling syrup made almost entirely of white sugar, soy sauce and fiery chillies.
What changed, and what each change costs
200g of frying oil for 15g of oil and a very hot oven
Deep frying acts as a massive fat multiplier. Baking the beef on a wire rack strips out the excess grease while keeping the lean meat intact.
What it costs you. You lose the spectacular shatter. The baked beef gets chewy and crisp on the edges, but it will never snap between your teeth like the takeaway version does.
80g of sugar down to 25g
The original sauce is basically a hot jam. Cutting the sugar leaves enough sweetness to balance the vinegar, but stops the dish from tasting like a hot pudding.
What it costs you. So: a looser sauce that coats the meat rather than encasing it in a hard shell. A thick sticky glaze anymore was never on the table once the fat came out.
Adding 200g of carrots to bulk out the beef
Carrots cut into thin matchsticks mimic the shape and chew of the beef strips. They absorb the fiery sauce brilliantly and add plenty of bulk to the plate.
What it costs you. Purists will moan about vegetables intruding on their meat dish. Ignore them. You need the extra volume to make up for the missing batter.
The numbers
| Per serving | Traditional | Lightened |
|---|---|---|
| Calories | 611 | 346 |
| Protein | 35.5g | 35.1g |
| Fat | 32.8g | 13.4g |
| Saturated fat | 6.6g | 4.3g |
| Carbohydrate | 42.3g | 19.7g |
| Protein per 100 kcal | 5.8g | 10.1g |
Every figure is computed from the recipe's own weighed ingredient list against public food composition databases. The appendix in Authentic-ish Chinese prints the exact database row used for each ingredient, so any number here can be checked.
Allergens. eggs, gluten, soybeans, sulphites.
The method is in the book
This is the only way I cook chilli beef now. You trade the intense, jaw-breaking crunch of the deep-fried original for a massive reduction in grease. The heat from the fresh ginger and red chilli still punches through beautifully. It tastes aggressive, sharp and savoury, exactly as it should. Just remember that the cornflour crust has a very short lifespan once it hits the wet pan. Eat it immediately before it goes completely soggy.
The quantities and the method for this dish are in Authentic-ish Chinese, along with 55 more. Buy the paperback