Firecracker Beef
User Reviews
5.0
357 reviews
Excellent
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Prep Time
3 mins
-
Cook Time
3 mins
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Servings
4
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Calories
326 kcal
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Course
Main Course
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Cuisine
Asian
Firecracker Beef
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Recipe video above. This is a thrifty yet excellent dinner for all those times you need to scratch your Spicy Asian Food itch, fast! Seared beef mince gets tossed through a fiery Firecracker Sauce, tastes a bit like a spicy beef version of the much-loved Vietnamese Caramelised Pork Mince. Sweetness & spice level - Fairly spicy! See notes to reduce. Firecracker sauce is supposed to be a bit sweet to offset spice, also see notes.
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Ingredients
- 1½ tbsp oil (vegetable, canola, peanut)
- 500g / 1 lb beef mince / ground beef (Note 1)
- 2 garlic cloves , finely minced
- 1 tsp chilli flakes / red pepper flakes (adjust to your taste)
- 3 tbsp water
Firecracker sauce:
- 2 tbsp soy sauce , light or all-purpose (Note 2)
- 2 tbsp rice vinegar (Note 3)
- 4 tbsp Sriracha sauce (Note 4)
- 4 tbsp brown sugar (tightly packed)
To serve (optional!):
- Rice, soba or vermicelli noodles
- 1 green onion , finely sliced
- 1 tsp sesame seeds
- Diced cucumber, julienned carrot, finely sliced red radish
- Extra sriracha sauce , if you dare!
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Instructions
- Sauce: Mix Firecracker sauce ingredients in a small bowl and set aside.
- Cook beef: Heat oil in a large frypan over high heat. Add beef and cook, breaking it up as you go, until you can no longer see raw meat (2½ minutes). Add garlic and chilli flakes and cook for 1 minute.
- Caramelise beef: Add Firecracker sauce ingredients, stir to coat the beef. Cook for 5 to 7 minutes, stirring only every minute or so initially, then more towards the end, until the sauce reduces and you can see the beef caramelising. Caramelise well for good flavour!
- Water: Add the water and cook for 1 minute (the water makes the beef saucier!)
- Serve over rice, sprinkled with sesame seeds, green onion and a squirt of extra sriracha if you're feeling brave! Add a pile of vegetables of choice on the side. Dive in!
Notes
- Spiciness - Fairly spicy but not blow-your-head-off levels. Reduce spiciness firstly by reducing or omitting the chilli flakes. Then reduce the sriracha, if need be. Try not to reduce sriracha because it's a key flavouring.
- Sweetness - I use minimum sugar to be able to get good beef caramelisation and balance the spiciness/tang of siracha. If you reduce the sugar the spice comes through a quite a bit more and is not the typical Firecracker sauce flavour, albeit still very tasty!
- Other proteins - This recipe will work well with pork, chicken and turkey mince. Crumbled tofu - reduce sugar by 1 tbsp.
- Soy sauce - Use light or all-purpose soy. Don't use dark soy sauce, the flavour will be too intense. More on different types of soy sauce here.
- Rice vinegar - Substitute with apple cider vinegar.
- Sriracha - A Thai chilli sauce found everywhere these days. Adds more than just spiciness, it adds flavour too as it's flavoured with garlic, vinegar, sugar and salt.
- Storage - Leftover cooked beef will keep for 3 to 4 days in the fridge, or freezer for 3 months. When reheating, add a splash of water to juice it up!
- Nutrition per serving, beef only (ie not rice or vegetables).
Nutrition Information
Show Details
Calories
326cal
(16%)
Carbohydrates
13g
(4%)
Protein
26g
(52%)
Fat
18g
(28%)
Saturated Fat
6g
(30%)
Polyunsaturated Fat
2g
Monounsaturated Fat
9g
Trans Fat
1g
Cholesterol
81mg
(27%)
Sodium
934mg
(39%)
Potassium
472mg
(13%)
Fiber
0.3g
(1%)
Sugar
12g
(24%)
Vitamin A
51IU
(1%)
Vitamin C
11mg
(12%)
Calcium
38mg
(4%)
Iron
3mg
(17%)
Nutrition Facts
Serving: 4Serving
Amount Per Serving
Calories 326 kcal
% Daily Value*
| Calories | 326cal | 16% |
| Carbohydrates | 13g | 4% |
| Protein | 26g | 52% |
| Fat | 18g | 28% |
| Saturated Fat | 6g | 30% |
| Polyunsaturated Fat | 2g | 12% |
| Monounsaturated Fat | 9g | 45% |
| Trans Fat | 1g | 50% |
| Cholesterol | 81mg | 27% |
| Sodium | 934mg | 39% |
| Potassium | 472mg | 10% |
| Fiber | 0.3g | 1% |
| Sugar | 12g | 24% |
| Vitamin A | 51IU | 1% |
| Vitamin C | 11mg | 12% |
| Calcium | 38mg | 4% |
| Iron | 3mg | 17% |
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.
Genuine Reviews
User Reviews
Overall Rating
5.0
357 reviews
Excellent
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