Chinese Style Beef + Potatoes

Chinese Style Beef + Potatoes

• May 26, 2022

The first recipe in my blog series "Chinese Food on a Budget: Feed a Family of 4 for £30 a week" is this Chinese style beef and potatoes.

Beef mince, potatoes and onion are regular staple buys for many families in a Western supermarket, but instead of making cottage pie or beef hotpot, I'll be turning this into a Chinese style dish to be eaten alongside rice. The sauce that coats the beef and potatoes is what I call a Chinese style gravy, and the carb (potatoes) on carb (rice) just make it even better. A dish that is full of home comforts, it's bound to be a family favourite. 

Potatoes and onions are cheap to buy and is perfect for bulking out a pack of protein. There's always some extra vegetables as an accompaniment, and again, I've chosen sweetheart cabbage and carrots are these are cheap and really pads out a meal. I ended up only using half a head of the cabbage as there was so much of it when it was all chopped.

Gather all the ingredients. 

Peel and dice potatoes and onions.

Pan fry onion and potatoes on high heat for 5 minutes. Take off the heat, transfer to a plate and set aside.

Fry the beef mince. Add white pepper, Shaoxing wine then stir fry for 5-7 minutes until the meat is browned.

Put the potatoes and onions back in and then add in the soya sauce, oyster sauce, sesame oil and stir well. Add 1 cup of water then put a lid on the pan and turn heat down to medium-low. Simmer for 10 minutes until the potatoes are soft and half the water has evaporated. Turn off heat and dish up.

Wash and then cut the cabbage and carrots into shreds.

Stir fry in high heat for 5 minutes until slightly wilted. Add in soya sauce and oyster sauce. Fry for another 2 mins and plate up

Ingredients:

For the beef + potatoes:

500g beef mince

4 potatoes

2 onion

2 tbsp soya sauce

2 tbsp oyster sauce

1 tbsp sesame oil

2 tbsp Shaoxing wine

1 tsp ground white pepper

1 cup water

5 tbsp oil

For the vegetable side:

2 carrots

1/2 sweetheart cabbage

3 tbsp oil

1 tbsp soya sauce

1 tbsp oyster sauce

Directions:

1) Steam rice according to instructions

2) Peel and dice potatoes and onions

3) In a pan, heat up 3 tbsp of oil and pan fry onion and potatoes on high heat for 5 minutes. Take off the heat, transfer to a plate and set aside

4) In the same pan, turn the heat to high and heat up another 2 tbsp of oil then add in the mince beef. Immediately add 1 tsp white pepper, 2 tbsp Shaoxing wine to the beef and then stir fry for 5-7 minutes until the meat is browned

5) Put the potatoes and onion back into the pan with the beef, add in the soya sauce, oyster sauce, sesame oil and stir well. Add 1 cup of water then put a lid on the pan and turn heat down to medium-low

6) Simmer for 10 minutes until the potatoes are soft and half the water has evaporated. Turn off heat and dish up

7) Wash and then cut the cabbage and carrots into shreds. Heat 3 tbsp of oil, add in cabbage and carrots and stir fry in high heat for 5 minutes until slightly wilted. Add in soya sauce and oyster sauce. Fry for another 2 mins and plate up

8) Serve with rice

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