Sha Cha Sauce (沙茶酱) is really underrated, and I’m not sure why. Often labeled on its packaging as “Chinese BBQ Sauce” in English, sha cha sauce is a mixture of shallots, garlic, dried shrimp, fish, and chilies that may not exactly sound all that appetizing, but when combined together in whatever magical process they use to make it, yields a savory, vaguely seafood-y, umami-laden condiment, and this Sha Cha Beef Stir-fry puts it front and center.
Sha Cha sauce is most often used in hot pot dipping sauces. If you’ve ever been to a hot pot restaurant and stood overwhelmed by choice at the sauce bar, you know that Sha Cha is just one of many different condiments that can go into a good hot pot dipping sauce. Everyone has different preferences for what they’d like their sauce to be, and as a result, sha cha is rarely featured as a key ingredient.
Even I love the stuff and have never used it in a stir-fry. Which is why, when I was brainstorming new recipes to blog, I thought, “how about a sha-cha-based stir-fry?”
As it turns out, I am not the first person to think of this. Surprise surprise.
Sha Cha Beef is indeed a real dish, dating back thousands of years. I’d just never tried it!
My version is pretty simple, featuring beef, scallions, ginger, and two big tablespoons of the good stuff. This Sha Cha Beef stir-fry is super satisfying with steamed white rice and a veggie side, and it only takes minutes to put together.
Here’s how to make it!
You’ll need:
- 1 pound beef, thinly sliced
- 1 teaspoon soy sauce, plus 1 tablespoon
- 2 teaspoons cornstarch
- Vegetable oil
- 1-2 tablespoons minced ginger
- 3 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
- 2 tablespoons Sha Cha Sauce
- 2 teaspoon sugar
- 5 scallions, cut on an angle into 2-inch lengths
To the beef, add 1 teaspoon soy sauce, 2 teaspoons cornstarch and 1 tablespoon vegetable oil. Mix well. For more information and preparing beef, see Bill’s post on How to Slice and Velvet Beef for stir fries.
Heat your wok over high heat until smoking. Add 2 tablespoons vegetable oil, and sear the beef until it just turns opaque (it can still be slightly pink). Remove the beef from the wok and set aside.
Reduce the heat to medium, and add another couple tablespoons of oil to the wok. Add the ginger and cook for 1 minute. Add the garlic, sacha sauce, and sugar, and fry this mixture for 2 minutes.
Add the scallions and beef back to the wok, along with the remaining tablespoon of soy sauce. Increase the heat to high, and stir-fry for 1 minute, until the scallions are wilted.
Serve with rice!
Sha Cha Beef Stir-fry
Ingredients
- 1 pound beef (450g, thinly sliced against the grain; can use flank steak or sirloin)
- 1 teaspoon soy sauce (plus 1 tablespoon)
- 2 teaspoons cornstarch
- Vegetable oil
- 1-2 tablespoons ginger (minced)
- 3 cloves garlic (thinly sliced)
- 2 tablespoons Sha cha Sauce
- 2 teaspoon sugar
- 5 scallions (cut on an angle into 2-inch lengths)
Instructions
- To the beef, add 1 teaspoon soy sauce, 2 teaspoons cornstarch and 1 tablespoon vegetable oil. Mix well. Heat your wok over high heat until smoking. Add 2 tablespoons vegetable oil, and sear the beef until it just turns opaque (it can still be slightly pink). Remove the beef from the wok and set aside.
- Reduce the heat to medium, and add another couple tablespoons of oil to the wok. Add the ginger and cook for 1 minute. Add the garlic, sacha sauce, and sugar, and fry this mixture for 2 minutes.
- Add the scallions and beef back to the wok, along with the remaining tablespoon of soy sauce. Increase the heat to high, and stir-fry for 1 minute, until the scallions are wilted.
Nutrition
Tay says
Hi; where can u buy sa cha sauce? I’ve never seen it on the supermarket shelves in Singapore!
Sarah says
Hi Tay, I’m not sure about where to find it in Singapore, as I’ve actually never been, but it’s a relatively common ingredient for hot pot dipping sauces––do you have any Chinese hot pot restaurants that you could go to to see if they have it and perhaps ask where they purchased it?
Emily says
What cuts of beef would be best for this dish?
Sarah says
Hey Emily, flank steak cut against the grain works well!
Emily says
Thank you!
Anna says
I made this tonight and it was amazing! Even our picky toddler finished his plate and asked for more! This is definitely going in my ‘make again soon’ collection but I am hoping to add more to it to stretch the meat further and increase overall nutrition. My husband and I were thinking maybe bell peppers, shiitake mushrooms, and mung bean sprouts, but I wasn’t sure what would go best with the sha cha sauce or if we should double the non-beef ingredients to accommodate. Thoughts?
Sarah says
Hey Anna, love the idea of adding additional veg to the dish. You could definitely add bell peppers, mushrooms, and bean sprouts, and it would be delicious! Julienned carrot and thinly sliced onions would also make great additions.
Anna says
Thanks! Would you advise doubling the sauce ingredients with the added vegetables?
Sarah says
Depends on the volume of veggies you add, Anna. If you want to double the volume of meat/veg in general, it would be fine to double the amount of sauce. Though you might want to cook this in 2 batches, as crowding the wok with too many vegetables will likely give you a dish that tastes like it was steamed rather than stir-fried.