Big Batch Chinese Beef - A tasty, make-ahead meal of slow-cooked saucy Chinese beef. Perfect when you're cooking for a crowd!
I'm always looking for meal that I can make in bulk.
Every other Sunday, the family gathers at my grandad's house and we all squash in around the table in his kitchen. The kids have their own mini table - all set with a tablecloth and food garnishings (like the adult table), and we probably make enough noise to make his neighbours dread Sundays!
Tea at grandad's has been a thing since I was a little girl. My grandad used to make a big buffet with piles of buttered bread, meat, pork pies plus homemade fruitcake and scones. It's not quite as easy nowadays for him to cook for so many people, so we take turns, bringing food for everyone to share.
I live about 90 minutes drive away, so I find it easier to make something at home, then heat it up when I arrive. This means stews and casseroles are a definite favourite.
Chinese beef was my latest meal - served up with piles of fluffy white rice, chopped up spring onions, chilli flakes and some freshly chopped chillies for those that like a bit of heat.
We all love this one - my grandad and the kids without the chillies, and everyone else with the chillies. I served it with some green veg - stir-fried broccoli and bok choy for a bit of added crunch too.
Two kgs of beef cooked over the course of three hours, gone in 10 minutes flat! If you like this recipe then why not try some of my other big batch or Asian recipes.
Equipment:
In order to make this big batch Chinese beef you will need:
- Measuring Spoons.
- A good Kitchen Knife
- Chopping board
- Garlic press
- A small mixing bowl to mix the coating/marinade ingredients in. Instead of a mixing bowl we use loads of these for mixing, prepping, and serving.
- A Large Bowl to coat and marinade the ribs.
- Tray with rack
- Measuring jug.
- A cast iron heavy based pan or dutch oven.
- Wooden or silicon coated spoons. We have recently bought these and love them.
Or you could use a slow cooker for this recipe.
The Big Batch Chinese Beef Recipe:
Big Batch Chinese Beef
Ingredients
- 3 tbsp vegetable oil
- 2 kg braising beef - chopped into bitesize chunks
- 5 tbsp plain/all-purpose flour
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ tsp pepper
- 2 large onions - peeled and chopped
- 6 cloves garlic - peeled and minced
- 2 tbsp minced fresh ginger
- 1 tsp Chinese five spice
- 1 litre beef stock
- 120 ml dark soy sauce
- 2 tbsp soft brown sugar
- 30 button mushrooms
- 1 tsp chilli flakes - (optional)
- Sliced spring onions - scallions
To Serve:
INSTRUCTIONS
- Preheat the oven to 160c/325f
- Heat the 1 tbsp of the oil in a dutch oven or large, heavy-based pan. Dredge the chunks of beef in the flour, salt and pepper and fry one third of the beef for 5-6 minutes until golden brown all over. Remove from the pan and place in a bowl. Repeat twice more, until all the beef is seared.
- Add the onions to the pan and cook on a low heat for a 5 minutes. If the onions are starting to catch (due to crispy bits left in the pan from the beef) add a tablespoon or two of water. Add in the garlic, ginger and five spice and stir though for 30 seconds.
- Add the beef back to the pan, along with the beef stock, soy sauce, brown sugar and the mushrooms. Bring to the boil, stirring a few times to release any remaining crispy bits from the bottom of the pan. Place a lid on the pan and cook in the oven for 3-4 hours – stirring a couple of times during cooking - until the meat begins to fall apart. You can add a little more water or beef stock if it starts to look too dry. Alternatively you could transfer to a slow cooker and cook on high for 5-6 hours or low for 7-8 hours, or, you could cook on a low heat, on the hob, with the lid on for 2-3 hours.
- Serve with boiled rice and top with chilli flakes if you like, and some thinly sliced spring onions. I like to serve this with some green veg too - such as stir-fried broccoli or bok choy.
✎ Notes
Nutrition
If you’ve tried my Chinese Beef recipe then please rate the recipe and let me know how you got on in the comments below, I love hearing your thoughts and add-ons to my recipes!
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Lisa Kelly says
Hello, this recipe looks lovely. I'm hoping to make it this week. I wanted to ask about what vegetables you suggest would bulk out this dish as well as how strong the flavours are. We like quite a bit of heat in our dishes - how would you suggest stepping up the spice?
Nicky Corbishley says
Sorry for the late reply. I hope you enjoyed the recipe. Yes this is quite a mild recipe, so you could certainly add in from fresh chopped chillies or chilli powder.
I would add in chopped peppers, green beans or chopped courgette (zucchini). Possibly some tenderstem broccoli and/or mangetout (snow peas) could be added in in the last 10-15 minutes for a bit of crunch.
Kathryn says
What can I say, but AMAZING. My son's favourite ever dish, a regular on our recipe rotation.
Chels says
This is an excellent recipe. Tastes amazing and easy to load it up on veg. I'll be making this very often, thank you!
Christina says
A GREAT TASTY RECIPE....WELL WORTH TRYING I WILL DEFINITELY MAKE IT AGAIN
Jean McMahon says
Delish! Thanks for sharing.
Catriona blanchfield says
Hi there,can this be prepared in full and frozen for say a week?
Chris Corbishley says
Hi Catriona,
Yes this is fine to freeze. Once its cooked, cool, cover and refrigerate/freeze the leftovers. Defrost in the refrigerator overnight, then reheat in a pan until piping hot throughout.
Thanks
Chris