Chinese Hunan Beef Recipe

Hunan Beef is a healthy, popular Chinese-American dish made with tender pieces of beef stir-fried with lots of veggies and tossed in sweet and spicy sauce. The original dish is from the Hunan province of China and is traditionally spicy and loaded with hot chili peppers. I decided to keep the traditional Chinese flavor, but make the steps of this one-pan dish as simple as possible. So, if you want the taste of spicy Chinese cuisine in an easy-to-make dish, you have to try preparing this Hunan beef stir fry.

My girlfriends and I have a nice tradition of ordering Chinese take-out and gather to one of us to watch cheesy movies every Sunday night. This week, I wanted to update our tradition a little and cook some homemade Chinese dishes myself and bring them to the movie night instead of ordering. One of these dishes is the Hunan beef as it is one of our favorites!

Hunan Beef FAQs

Before getting started, I thought of gathering some of the most frequently asked questions about this Chinese recipe. Is quite essential to understand some basic details about a traditional recipe before preparing it, especially when you want to really rock it!

• What is Hunan beef made of? – Hunan Beef is made of thinly sliced beef, loaded with colorful veggies, and tossed in a hot and spicy sauce. A traditional Chinese one-pan dish that is full of spicy flavors and tender beef pieces.
• What is Hunan beef vs Szechuan beef? – The key difference between the two types of cooking is that besides chili peppers, in Sichuan cuisine you’ll often find the flavor of numbing Sichuan peppercorns. On the other hand, in Hunan cuisine, spicy peppers are used without a numbing agent, creating a “gan la” or “dry spicy” flavor rather than a “ma la” or spicy numbing flavor. Hunan dishes are more purely spicy, with dried, fresh, and/or pickled peppers used to add depth and variation.

• What does Hunan beef taste like? – This original Hunan Beef Chinese stir fry has a mildly spicy, tangy, and lightly sweet flavor that makes for a perfectly balanced dish. Also, the vinegar, ginger, and soy sauce add rich flavor layers. 
• What is Hunan sauce made of? – Hunan Sauce is a classic Chinese stir-fry sauce that’s a little spicy, a little tangy, and a little sweet. It contains soy sauce, Chinese black vinegar, sugar, ginger, pepper, shallots, and dried chili peppers.

Hunan Beef Recipe

Now that we know a little more about the Hunan beef recipe, is time to actually learn how to prepare it. The instructions are simple, but here I strongly recommend you follow them, not to improvise too much! Considering the fact that we cook with the heat really high, everything should be prepared and in place, as the time is limited.

What Ingredients You Need for Hunan Beef Recipe

Here you have all the ingredients you need for this Hunan beef recipe.

What ingredients do you need to prepare the beef pieces?

• 1 pound flank steak (sliced in 1/4-inch thick pieces);
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda;
• 2 tablespoons water;
• 1 teaspoon oyster sauce;
• 1/3 cup cornstarch.

What ingredients do you need for the Hunan sauce and the stir-fried vegetables?

• 1 red Holland pepper;
• 1 small green bell pepper;
• 1 small red bell pepper;
• 1/2 teaspoon brown sugar;
• 2 tablespoons hot water;
• 1/2 teaspoon Chinese black vinegar;
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper;
• 1/3 cup vegetable or canola oil (for frying);
• 1 tablespoon fresh ginger (sliced)
• 1/2 cup shallots (thinly sliced);
• 5 cloves of garlic.

How to Make Hunan Beef Step-by-Step

Now that we noted what ingredients we should have on hand, it’s time to learn the steps of this Chinese beef recipe. Even though it appears to be super easy to prepare, it’s important to know your steps! We’ll be cooking using high heat and the probability to overcook your ingredients is quite big, especially if you don’t know what’s next!

1. First of all, combine the sliced flank steak with the baking soda, water, and oyster sauce in a medium bowl. Massage these ingredients into the beef until any liquid has been absorbed by the meat. Then, let it marinate for 30 minutes.

2. Lightly dredge all of the beef slices in cornstarch. They are ready to be fried!
3. Next, heat your wok over high heat until smoking. Spread 1/3 cup vegetable oil around the wok, and fry the beef in three batches on both sides until browned and slightly crispy on the outside. 

4. After frying the beef, leave about 2 tablespoons of the oil in the wok, and remove any excess. 
5. Set the wok over medium heat, add the sliced ginger, and fry until caramelized, about 30 seconds.

6. Next, add the sliced shallots.

7. Continue to fry for another 30 seconds, and add the fresh peppers. Turn the heat up to high and stir-fry for 2 minutes.

8. Then, add the sliced garlic, salt, and pepper.

9. Stir the sugar into 2 tablespoons of hot water until dissolved. Add the Chinese black vinegar and ground white pepper, and mix until well combined. Set aside.

10. Finally, add the fried beef and pour over the pre-prepared sauce. Maintain the highest heat possible and stir-fry everything together for 1 minute. Continue to cook until most of the sauce has evaporated.

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Enjoy Your Delicious Dinner!

Finally, I want to strongly advise you to eat take-out dishes infrequently. I know that our time is more limited than ever and can be a more enticing alternative to home cooking. However, cooking at home allows you to control the amounts of salt, sugar, fat, and preservatives in your food. Fresh, whole ingredients are the best for our bodies and cooking at home lets you make use of them.

Lastly, don’t forget to share your feedback about the recipe. It really helps me know what you think and how you would improve my recipes. I am always excited to hear from you!

And if you are looking for more, here are three more Asian-inspired recipes that are easy to prepare at home in no time!