Sticky Hoisin Beef
This is a takeout-style beef bowl you can knock together in 35 minutes flat. Thin-sliced beef marinated with a touch of baking soda for tenderness, seared hard and hot, then tossed through a sticky hoisin and garlic sauce.
Searing the beef in batches rather than all at once matters more than it sounds like it should. Overcrowd the pan and the beef steams instead of browning, and you lose that seared edge the whole dish is built around.
Five bowls over jasmine rice, finished with spring onion and sesame seeds. Quick enough for a weeknight, good enough to make on repeat.
Sticky Hoisin Beef
HOISIN BEEF BOWLS · BEEF · MEAL PREP · EASY
Takeout-style beef, done faster and better
The baking soda in the marinade does real work here, it breaks down the surface of the beef slightly so it stays tender through the hard sear instead of turning chewy.
Searing in batches over high heat gives you that proper browned edge on the beef, which is where most of the flavour in a stir-fry like this actually comes from, not just the sauce.
And it comes together faster than most takeout would even arrive, with five containers to show for it.
Sticky Hoisin Beef Bowls
Ingredients
Beef
- 800 g Rump or Sirloin (Porterhouse) Steak Sliced
- 15 ml Neutral Oil
- 10 ml Light Soy Sauce
- 2 g Cornflour Cornstarch
- 1 g Bicarbonate of Soda
- 3 Garlic Cloves Grated
- 15 g Ginger Grated
Sauce
- 60 g Hoisin Sauce
- 30 ml Light Soy Sauce
- 15 ml Oyster Sauce
- 20 g Honey
- 5 ml Sesame Oil
- 30 ml Chicken Stock
- Salt & Ground White Pepper To Taste
Rice
- 300 g Jasmine Rice Washed
- 550 ml Chicken Stock
Serving
- Spring Onion (Scallion) Sliced
- Sesame Seeds Optional
Method
- Rinse the rice under cold water until clear. Cook with the chicken stock — bring to a boil, cover, reduce to low and cook for 12 minutes. Rest covered for 5 minutes, then fluff and set aside.
- Mix the beef with soy sauce, cornflour, bicarbonate of soda, garlic and ginger. Let it sit for 10-15 minutes.
- Heat a large pan or wok over high heat. Add the oil and sear the beef in batches until well browned. Don't overcrowd the pan.
- Add the hoisin sauce, soy sauce, oyster sauce, honey, sesame oil, black pepper and chicken stock. Stir and bring to a simmer.
- Toss the beef through the sauce. Cook for 2-3 minutes until glossy and thickened.
- Divide the rice evenly across 5 containers, top with the hoisin beef and finish with spring onion and sesame seeds.
Why add baking soda to the beef marinade?⌄
It's a classic Chinese cooking technique called velveting. The baking soda slightly breaks down the surface proteins of the beef, so it stays tender through a hot, fast sear instead of turning tough.
Can I use a different cut of beef?⌄
Yes, flank or skirt steak both work well sliced thinly against the grain. Avoid anything too lean without much marbling, as it can dry out during the hard sear.
Can I make the sauce less sweet?⌄
Yes, cut the honey back by half and add an extra splash of soy sauce to balance it out. The hoisin will still bring some natural sweetness, but it'll be a lot less sticky-sweet overall.
Can I use chicken instead of beef?⌄
Yes, thinly sliced chicken thigh works well with the same marinade and sauce. Just make sure it's cooked through fully before tossing it through the sauce, since chicken needs to reach a higher safe temperature than beef.
