Sha Cha Beef (沙茶牛肉)

5 from 2 votes

Sha Cha Beef (沙茶牛肉)

Discover a new way to make stir-fried steak! This Sha Cha beef recipe reveals how to elevate flavor with a popular sauce and achieve a succulent texture.

Prep Time15

Cook Time3

Total Time18

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Chinese

Servings:

Calories: 306kcal

Author: Wei Guo

Ingredients

For the beef

1 lb beef steaks see note 1 for cut options
1 tablespoon Sha Cha sauce see note 2
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 teaspoon Shaoxing rice wine or dry sherry
1 teaspoon dark soy sauce or regular soy sauce
¼ teaspoon sugar
⅛ teaspoon ground white pepper
2 tablespoon water
1 tablespoon neutral cooking oil

For stir-frying

15 spears asparagus see note 3
1½ tablespoon neutral cooking oil
3 cloves garlic sliced
6 slices ginger
1 tablespoon Sha Cha sauce
¼ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon sesame oil

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Marinate the beef

Cut the beef steak, across its grains, into slices of about ⅛ inch (3mm) thickness.
In a large bowl, mix Sha Cha sauce, cornstarch, Shaoxing rice wine, sugar, white pepper, and water until smooth.
Add the beef slices, and gently rub by hand until the marinade liquid has been fully absorbed. Pour in oil then rub to coat all pieces evenly.
Leave to marinate for about 10 minutes.

Prepare the vegetables

While waiting for the beef to marinate, trim or snap the woody ends of the asparagus, then cut each spear, at an angle, into shorter sections.
OPTIONAL: If you’re using other vegetables that take longer to cook through, such as broccoli, or Gai Lan, you’d need to give them a quick blanch before the next step.

Stir-fry the dish

Heat a wok over high heat until lightly smoking, then pour in oil (If using non-stick cookware, add the oil first then heat it).
Add sliced ginger and garlic. Sizzle for a few seconds then put in the marinated beef. Use chopsticks or a spatula to quickly loosen the beef so that all pieces can be fried evenly.
Once most of the beef loses the bright pink color, add asparagus and another tablespoon of Sha Cha sauce. Toss for a further 30 seconds. Make sure to keep the heat high and swiftly stir fry.
Finally, stir in the salt and sesame oil before dishing out to serve.

Notes

1. The following beef steaks are suitable for this dish: flat iron, flank, skirt, sirloin, tenderloin, etc.

2. More information on Sha Cha sauce can be found in the post above. You can use XO sauce as a substitute.

3. You may use other vegetables, such as broccoli, Gai Lan (Chinese broccoli), celery, bell pepper, onions, etc.

Nutrition