Beef · Air fryer

Air Fried Crispy Chilli Beef (School of Wok)

Crispy chilli beef gets the air fryer treatment, and honestly, it might be better than the wok version. Half-frozen rump steak chunks, a dusty cornflour coating, and roasted garlic in the second drawer means you'll get the crackle without the oil splatters, and that's a win for your kitchen and your taste buds.

R By Richard · Adapted from School of Wok · Published 10 June 2026
👁 61.8k source views ❤️ 1.2k source likes
⏱Prep 20 min
🌡Temp 205°C
⏲Air fry 9 min
🍽Serves 2
Air Fried Crispy Chilli Beef | Wok Wednesdays with @InstantPotUKOfficial

Source video by School of Wok on YouTube. This recipe was adapted with strict source-fidelity rules and is marked for human review.

School of Wok revamps their crispy chilli beef using an air fryer instead of a deep fat fryer, using around 90% less oil. Rump steak is marinated, dredged in seasoned cornflour and double-fried at high heat for maximum crispness. A second drawer roasts garlic and dried chillies, which then go into a sticky sauce of Chinkiang black vinegar, honey, ketchup and dark soy. Finished in the wok with ginger, bird's eye chilli and coriander.

Ingredients

Beef and marinade
  • rump steak, half frozen, cut into similar-sized chunks then halved
  • light soy sauce
  • sesame oil
  • sugar
  • 1egg, cracked in
Coating
  • seasoned cornflour, in a large mixing bowl
  • oil spray
Aromatics
  • 1garlic bulb, skin on, sprayed with oil
  • dried red chillies, soaked in hot water to soften
  • ginger, finely chopped
  • 2bird's eye chillies, finely chopped
  • coriander stalks, chopped
Sauce
  • 3 partsChinkiang black vinegar
  • 2 partshoney
  • 1.5 partstomato ketchup
  • dark soy sauce
  • roasted garlic, squeezed from the roasted bulb, pressed into the sauce
To finish
  • 0.5 tbspoil
  • coriander leaves (add late)

Method

  1. Set one air fryer drawer to air fry at 205°C and start preheating. Set the second drawer to roast at 160°C.

  2. Spray the whole garlic bulb (skin on) with oil and place into the roasting drawer. Roast at 160°C for 15 to 20 minutes.

    ~18 min

  3. Soak the dried red chillies in hot water to soften. Finely chop the ginger, bird's eye chillies and coriander stalks and set aside.

    ~5 min

  4. Cut the half-frozen rump steak into similar-sized chunks, then cut each chunk in half. Tip into a bowl with light soy, sesame oil and a pinch of sugar. Massage well so the marinade is picked up by the beef.

    ~5 min

  5. Crack in one egg and mix through, then tip the beef into a large bowl of seasoned cornflour. Toss so every piece is coated and looks dry and chalky white. Shake off any excess cornflour.

    ~3 min

  6. Lay the coated beef onto the preheated air fryer tray in a single layer with space between each piece. Spray well with oil. Air fry at 205°C for 4 minutes.

    ~4 min

  7. Spray the beef again with oil and return to the air fryer for a second fry of 5 minutes at 205°C until crisp.

    ~5 min

  8. Add the soaked dried chillies into the roasting drawer with the garlic for the last few minutes so they take on an even roast.

  9. Make the sauce: combine Chinkiang black vinegar, honey and ketchup in a ratio of 3 : 2 : 1.5. Add a splash of dark soy for colour. Squeeze the soft roasted garlic in and press it into the sauce.

    ~3 min

  10. Heat about half a tablespoon of oil in a wok over high heat. Fry off the ginger, bird's eye chilli, coriander stalks and the roasted dried chillies briefly.

    ~1 min

  11. Pour in the sauce and let it come up to a fierce bubble, making sure to scrape in all the roasted garlic.

    ~1 min

  12. Tip in the crispy air-fried beef and toss quickly to coat every piece in the bubbling sauce.

    ~1 min

  13. Fold through coriander leaves and serve immediately.

Frequently asked

Do I need to preheat the air fryer for crispy chilli beef?
Yes. Preheating to 205°C means the cornflour coating starts to set the moment the beef hits the tray, which is what gives you that crisp shell. The Instant Vortex Plus used here preheats in around a minute.
Why double-fry the beef?
Air fryer airflow is not quite the same as deep frying, so a single cook can leave the coating a little soft in places. A 4 minute first fry then a 5 minute second fry, with a fresh spray of oil in between, gives a much crisper, more even finish.
Can I use a different cut of beef?
Rump is used in the video for its balance of flavour and tenderness. Sirloin or bavette work well too. Whatever you choose, half-freeze it first so you can slice neat, even chunks that cook at the same rate.
What if I do not have Chinkiang black vinegar?
Chinkiang gives the sauce its dark, malty depth. If you cannot get it, a mix of balsamic vinegar with a small splash of rice vinegar is the closest swap, though the flavour will be slightly sweeter and less smoky.
Do I have to roast the garlic in a second air fryer drawer?
No. If you only have a single-basket air fryer, roast the oil-sprayed garlic bulb at 160°C for 15 to 20 minutes first, set it aside, then crank the air fryer up to 205°C for the beef.
Extraction notes (transparency): Most quantities are not stated. The transcript only gives a sauce ratio of '3 to 2 to 1 and a half' (vinegar to honey to ketchup) without absolute amounts, plus 'half a tablespoon' of oil for the wok. Beef weight, marinade quantities, cornflour amount, ginger, chilli and dark soy quantities are not specified. Servings estimated from a typical rump steak portion for two. Garlic roast time given as 15-20 min, used midpoint. | Second-pass critique flagged 0 fabricated and 10 quantified issues. See critique.issues for detail.