Recipe

Sweet Chili Chinese Beef Soup with red pepper

Sweet Chili Chinese Beef Soup with red pepper is an easy Chinese-style recipe with beef, mushrooms, rice noodles or rice, and a simple sweet chili sauce. The directions are written by minute, heat level, and cookware so the meal is easy to follow.

Yield4 servings
Prep Time16 minutes
Cook Time26 minutes
Total Time42 minutes

Why this easy recipe works

Sweet Chili Chinese Beef Soup with red pepper is built for home cooks who want clear timing and familiar cookware. The sauce gives the dish a balanced sweet, savory, tangy flavor, and the vegetables keep the meal fresh.

Cookware and heat guide

  • Cookware: Dutch oven or heavy soup pot
  • Heat: medium heat, then a gentle simmer
  • Best side: rice noodles or rice

Helpful answer

Prep the sauce before the pan gets hot, keep the protein in one layer, and add the sauce near the end so it coats the food without burning.

Ingredients

What you need

  • 1 lb flank steak or sirloin, thinly sliced across the grain
  • 2 cups mushrooms, cut into bite-size pieces
  • 1 cup rice noodles or rice
  • 2 tablespoons neutral oil, divided
  • 3 tablespoons sweet chili sauce
  • 2 tablespoons soy sauce
  • 1 tablespoon rice vinegar or lime juice
  • 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
  • 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
  • 1 teaspoon fresh ginger, finely grated
  • 2 tablespoons chopped scallions
  • 1 teaspoon sesame seeds or crushed peanuts, optional

Directions

How to make it

  1. Minute 0-5, cutting board and knife: slice the beef thinly across the grain so it stays tender. Slice mushrooms thinly so it cooks fast.
  2. Minute 5-8, Dutch oven: warm 1 tablespoon oil over medium heat, then stir in garlic and ginger for 30 seconds.
  3. Minute 8-14, Dutch oven: add the protein and cook until the outside is no longer raw. Pull beef from the pan while it is browned but still juicy.
  4. Minute 14-20, same pot: add 4 cups broth, soy, rice vinegar, sesame oil, ginger, garlic, and a little sweet chili sauce, and mushrooms. Bring to a gentle simmer.
  5. Minute 20-28, gentle simmer: add rice noodles or rice and cook until tender. Keep the heat low enough that the soup barely bubbles.
  6. Minute 28-32, bowls: finish with scallions, taste, and add a little more lime or vinegar if it needs brightness.

Tips

Make it yours

  • Keep the pan at medium heat, then a gentle simmer; lower the heat if the sauce darkens too fast.
  • Cut mushrooms evenly so the pieces cook at the same speed.
  • Make the sauce before cooking so the final toss takes less than 2 minutes.
  • For meal prep, store the sauce separately and reheat gently.

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