This week, Lucy revisits a super tasty old school takeaway classic which she uses to woo her loved ones.

When I first met Clyde, when the world was in black and white, a Chinese Takeaway was quite the pinnacle of a Saturday night treat. We would order all our favourite dishes, nip to pub for a sly g&t while it was being prepared/warmed through, then run home clutching our carrier bag full of tasty dinner time treats. We rarely tried anything new, and why would you when your top choices were a Chinese Style Chicken Curry and the classy Crispy Chilli Beef. Accompanied by a large special fried rice and a bag of pork balls, Saturday night life was sweet and we were young and slim. Now, with purse strings and waistbands tightening, I decided it was time to treat us to an updated, home-cooked version of our favourite takeaway classic. So this week, to coincide with celebrating the ones we love, here’s my Crispy Chilli Beef to woo with.

I know how to get my own way at home, and it revolves around filling stomachs. If there’s something I need doing or something I am trying to get out of doing myself, the way to get it done is to butter up family members with a world class supper. Crispy Chilli Beef is one of those suppers. Tender steak, lightly fried then coated in chilli and soy sauces. Stir fried along with some onions and carrots, and that’s all there is to this takeaway classic. I based mine on this wonderful recipe from Frugal Feeding, with thanks for the inspiration. I have lighted my version by shallow-ish frying the beef, this way it still has a bit of bite to it and is on the medium rather than crisped to death side. Serve this however you please, I chose a handful of bean sprouts for the 70’s banter and some chopped chilli and coriander. If you’re skipping the carbs, just go with some sesame stir fried greens instead.

Of course, you don’t have to woo anyone with the wonderful dish, just make if for yourself and devour it, revelling in it’s old school charm. My recipe serves a generous 4 guests, so if you need quite a few favours called in, this is the dish for the job.

This recipe will feature on Lucy Loves, later on this week.

Crispy Chilli Beef Recipe

Serves 4, generously 

No challenging equipment needed here

• 600g frying steak, I used my favourite feather steak from Ocado
• 4 tablespoons cornflour
• salt and pepper
• oil for frying, around 100ml, or just enough to cover your frying pan in a thin layer
• 1 onion, thinly sliced
• 2 to 3 carrots, cut into batons or spiralized
• 6 tablespoons sweet chilli sauce
• 4 tablespoons soy sauce
• salt and pepper to taste
• Beansprouts, fresh sliced chilli, coriander and sesame seeds to garnish

Measure out your cornflour and season well with salt and pepper.

Thinly slice your beef and toss in the cornflour mixture. In a large high sided frying pan, heat enough oil to just cover the bottom of the pan.

When the oil is hot, cook the coated beef in small batches for a couple of minutes, or until just crisping and starting to brown. Remove each batch to a plate while you cook the rest of the beef. Don’t over crowd the pan or the beef won’t crisp sufficiently.

Wipe the pan round with some kitchen paper to remove all but a teaspoon of oil. Throw in the thinly sliced onions, cook for a couple of minutes to soften then add your carrot batons or spirals. Cook for a further minute or two then stir in the sweet chilli and soy sauces.

Add your sautéed beef back to the pan, stir well then bring up to the simmer to ensure everything is piping hot, check for any additional seasoning. Serve immediately with rice, noodles, stir fried vegetables, bean sprouts, chopped chilli and/or fresh coriander. Devour, then have another bowl.