Beijing Beef Recipe

Beijing Beef is a Panda Express classic where tender beef is tossed in a tangy and sweet sauce. Serve alongside fresh veggies and a bowl of rice to bring the taste of classic takeout to your own home!

On today’s menu we’re making Beijing Beef, another copy cat recipe from Panda Express that’s as popular (if not more) as the famous Orange Chicken.

Ingredients and Substitutions

*The Recipe Card below includes all the full measurements for these ingredients!

Beef:  There are many beef options you can choose from. The most tender cuts include rib eye and sirloin, which give the overall dish the best amount of fat and flavor. Other tasty cuts include flank, skirt, and hanger that also work fine in this recipe.

Baking soda: A common method in Chinese cooking, baking soda helps create more tender beef, which is especially helpful for more tougher cuts, such as flank.

Cornstarch: Starch not only gives the beef a crisp exterior, but it will also give the sauce a chance to cling onto the beef rather than slide off of it.

Soy sauce, hoisin sauce, sesame oil, ketchup, oyster sauce, brown sugar, apple cider vinegar: A mixture of these sauces provides the perfect amount of sweet, savory, and umami for this dish. Oyster sauce can be omitted if you have shellfish allergies. Brown sugar can be replaced with granulated sugar. Apple cider vinegar can be replaced with white vinegar, rice wine vinegar, or lime juice.

Sweet chili sauce, chili flakes: To provide a bit of heat, I like to use a mix of sweet chili sauce and chili flakes. You could also omit this or reduce the amount of flakes if you’d prefer your dish to not be overly spicy.

Instructions

*The Recipe Card below includes all the full detailed instructions! 

Marinate the thinly-sliced beef for 30 minutes. Once marinated, coat with cornstarch and fry in batches until golden and crisp. Set aside.

Fry the onions and bell peppers in an oiled wok or pan. Add in the garlic and fry until golden. Pour in the prepared sauce and simmer briefly to thicken.

Add in the beef and toss until fully coated in the sauce. Serve immediately.

Cooking Tips

Slice the beef against the grain: The grain refers to the direction in which the muscle fibres are aligned. Cutting “against” or perpendicular to those protein fibres makes it easier to chew and more tender to eat.

Fry the beef in batches: Avoid overcrowding your pan and fry the beef in batches. Overcrowding can lower the temperature of your oil too much, leading to soggy beef and issues of them sticking together in the pan.

Let the sauce simmer until thickened: A common mistake when making any stir-fried dish is adding the proteins too early when the sauce has not had a chance to reduce. Let the sauce simmer until reduced by about 3/4 of its original amount, then add in the fried beef slices. Doing so will prevent sogginess and ensure a crisp and crunchy outcome.

Chop your veggies into similar sizes: Cutting them similarly allows for more even cooking. This way, you won’t get pieces of vegetables that are undercooked and others being overcooked/soggy.

FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions)

Can I add more vegetables to this?

You definitely can. Toss in carrots, mushrooms, celery, or even broccoli to make the dish even more filling and healthy.

Can I reduce the sugar?

Yes, the sauce is entirely customizable. You can add the sugar little by little and see if it’s up to your tastes, though Beijing Beef, in general, does tend to be more on the sweet and savory side.

Can I make this ahead of time?

You can make this ahead of time, but do note that the beef coating does start to get soft after a couple hours of sitting in the sauce. I’d suggest keeping the sauce and fried beef separate initially if you don’t plan on serving them just yet.

How do I store leftovers?

Leftovers can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up 3-4 days. To reheat, you may use a microwave, stovetop, or an air-fryer until the beef is fully warmed-through. To maintain the beef’s crispiness, I’d suggest using an air-fryer if you have one!

Looking for more weeknight dinner ideas? Here’s some you might like:

• Chili Peanut Noodles
• Char Siu Chicken
• Filipino Bistek
• Sushi Bake