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. It may not exactly sound all that appetizing, but it’s a vaguely seafood-y, umami-laden condiment, and this Sha Cha Beef Stir-fry puts it front and center.
Where You Might’ve Seen Sha Cha Sauce
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.
A Simple, Tasty Stir-fry That I Definitely Didn’t Make Up
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!
Sha Cha Beef Stir-fry Recipe Instructions
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 my dad’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, Sha Cha 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 facts
I live by myself — is it okay to lick the plate? :) The fabulous taste belies how easy this is. This goes in my regular rotation. At the end I did add a handful of of bean sprouts I needed to use up.
As always, Sarah, thank you for such a wonderful recipe.
You’re welcome! Also, can confirm: totally ok to lick the plate.
Great recipe. Can we substitute other meats for the beef, like chicken. Thank you
Yep!
酱 (sauce) not 奖(prize)
Thanks for catching that typo, Izzy! Fixed!
Can I use X O sauce ?
Certainly! That would also be tasty.
Thanks for mentioning that this contained dried shrimp. I have a shellfish allergy and probably would not have known this was an ingredient. I have made many of your recipes with excellent results and love your site. Keep up the great work!
Of course, Donna. Glad I made that clear. My dad actually has a scallion beef stir-fry that sort of resembles this dish and doesn’t have shellfish in it, if you want to give it a try! Here’s the link: https://thewoksoflife.com/2015/10/scallion-beef-stir-fry/
Thank you so much. Will be giving that a try!
Coming across this comment three years later…I came across this recipe searching for ways to use an older can of sacha I’d bought at 99 Ranch, and realized that I’d accidentally bought the vegetarian version with the green lid:
https://www.amazon.com/Bull-Head-Brand-Vegetarian-Sauce/dp/B002HLDZ6G
Shrimp is not in the ingredients list: (soy bean oil, sesame, coconut powder, ginger, salt, soya protein oat fiber, wheat fiber, chili powder, soy sauce (soy bean, wheat, salt), blended sesame oil (soy bean oil, sesame oil), pepper, flavoring).
The recipe worked fine with it.
Can you please specify what cut of beef you used in this recipe? I’m trying to learn what cuts to buy for certain preparations. Thanks!
Hey Howard, i used flank steak for this recipe.
I cooked the sha cha Beef stir fry tonight,it was absolutely fabulous,so easy to follow and with so few ingredients,many thanks
You’re welcome! Glad you liked it, Colleen!
Hi there It looks delicious. I cannot seem to find the sauce you have in the picture. Have you used the other brands like Lee Kum Kee which on its label says Chinese BBQ Sauce but in brackets says Char Siu Sauce; the other brand that I have seen in the shops is the Koon Chun sauce. Can you tell me whether you have used any of these brands to make your recipe. Thanks
Hey Mary Anne, that jar pictured is the only one we buy. It’s pretty commonly found in most asian grocery stores. Maybe take the photo into the store and ask the staff to find it for you?
Oh, wow. Fond memories of this great condiment. I used to work at a small Thai restaurant and would make frequent trips over to Seattle and the most asked for items were Sha Cha and Black Sesame drink. The guys I worked with would make something similar to your recipe and add deep fried hard boiled eggs and whole basil leaves.
Wow, deep fried hard-boiled eggs, huh? Never would’ve thought of that. Sounds super interesting!
Good use of the Bullhead sauce, I’m going to try it! When I taught at Wuhan U. long ago, my colleague and best friend Chen Weihang, who was a *great* cook, taught me many of his tricks. One was something he’d learned when he’d travelled to Singapore for a conference: use Bullhead as an an overnight marinade for satay skewers. Then, when the skewers are grilled over charcoal, the meat (beef, chicken, or pork) changes magically into wonderful bbq. Simply divine. We make a dipping sauce out of peanut butter (or sesame paste), la ja jiang, cocoanut milk, and lime juice. Yum!
Thanks for sharing, George!