Panda Express Beijing Beef Copycat (Best Recipe) - Rasa Malaysia (2024)

FAQs

What is in the Beijing beef at Panda Express? ›

Crispy beef, bell peppers and onions in a sweet-tangy sauce.

Slice steak against the grain and marinate with baking soda, white pepper, soy sauce, cornstarch and egg white for 30 minutes in the fridge. Cut pepper and onions into 2” pieces. Chop 2 cloves of garlic and set aside. Mix together soy sauce, hoisin sauce, oyster sauce, sugar, sriracha, and ketchup to form your sauce.

Beijing beef is lightly coated in egg and cornstarch for a crispier texture, while Mongolian beef is tender when cooked. Mongolian beef is typically milder in flavor, but in some recipes you'll find dried chili peppers which add to the heat level.

Panda Express' Mongolian Beef typically consists of tender strips of marinated beef, wok-tossed with scallions and garlic, and glazed in a rich and savory sauce. The key ingredients that contribute to the dish's distinctive flavor profile include soy sauce, brown sugar, ginger, garlic, hoisin sauce, and cooking wine.

This is a common Chinese cooking technique called velveting the meat. Basically, the meat is marinated in egg whites and cornstarch (other optional seasonings may be added, depending upon what flavor you wish to achieve), then refrigerated for about an hour before cooking.

Usually we'll try to marinate the chicken with some soy sauce, cooking wine, salt, white pepper powder for flavor, starch to lock the water in the meat, egg white to make it taste tender. And don't forget ginger, the enzyme in ginger can make the meat taster tender too.

MANDARIN (Northern Chinese): Mandarin style, also known as Peking (or Beijing) style can be generally categorized by its light, elegant, mildly taste and by the liberal use of garlic and scallions.

Soy sauce (jiàng yóu, 酱油), the most common of Chinese sauces, sounds simple, and for the most part, it is.

In Chinese cooking, proteins like beef, pork or chicken are velveted first before stir-frying them. There are several ways to velvet, but at its most basic level, it involves marinating meat with at least one ingredient that will make it alkaline. This is what tenderizes the meat, especially cheaper, tougher cuts.

This is the KEY ingredient to super tender beef. Baking soda is commonly used in Chinese cooking to tenderize beef. If you're curious about the science behind it – baking soda neutralizes acid and raises the pH level, which causes the meat to become more alkaline.

Which is better Hunan or Szechuan beef? ›

The answer comes down to unique preferences. Those who prefer a more intense heat may enjoy Hunan dishes more while those who look for a unique type of spice may look to Szechuan dishes instead.

Mongolian Beef can be described as having a savory soy-based sauce with scallions as its main aromatic. Szechuan Beef has a similar soy sauce-based profile but with the addition of a spicy element, such as fresh or dried chilis and/or Sichuan peppercorns for a numbing sensation.

What's the best cut of beef for making Mongolian Beef? Restaurants often slice up flank steak for this type of stir-fry. It's also a great choice for beginner cooks, because the grain on flank steak is really, really obvious, which makes it easy to make sure that you're slicing against the grain.

Turns out the idea was a hit, Panda Express Beijing Beef is a totally popular pick. The breading keeps a crunch to the outside even though it is covered in the sweet, spicy, sticky sauce and the red bell peppers and onions provide a soft, deliciously sweet counterpart to the spicy beef.

Less tantalizing is the nutrition content of Beijing Beef, making it a dish to avoid at Panda Express. A 5.6-ounce serving contains 470 calories. Not terrible, but more than half of those (240) are from fat (via Panda Express).

Heads Up! The Beijing Beef at Panda Express does contain milk.

What does Beijing Beef taste like? Strips of tender beef are quickly cooked and tossed with sauteed peppers, onions, and a sweet/umami-licious sticky sauce. The combination has just the right bit of sweetness with also a hint of spicy flavor from the crushed red pepper.