Chinese takeout is a beloved staple across America When you open up those iconic white cartons, familiar favorites like General Tso’s Chicken, Beef and Broccoli, and Crab Rangoon greet you with tantalizing aromas But often tucked amongst the classics is a dish literally named to grab your eye – Rainbow Beef. With its colorful medley of textures and sweet sticky glaze coating tender strips of beef, Rainbow Beef delivers an irresistible scrunch with every bite that has made it a menu must-have. But what exactly is the story behind this Chinese restaurant staple? This guide breaks down everything that makes up the legend of Rainbow Beef.
Origins of Rainbow Beef
To understand Rainbow Beef we have to travel back to its roots in Cantonese cuisine. Known as “ngau lau si” in Cantonese it translates simply to “beef tenderloin strips.” The name Rainbow Beef is an American invention, used to describe the multi-hued array of ingredients. Traditionally, this dish was made using the tenderloin cut of beef, prized for its tenderness. But here in the U.S., restaurants often opt for more affordable cuts like sirloin or flank steak.
How It’s Made
Part of what distinguishes Rainbow Beef is the technique involved in its preparation:
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The beef is sliced into thin 3-4 inch strips, then marinated in soy sauce, rice wine, and cornstarch. This tenderizes the meat and adds flavor.
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The strips are fried twice for maximum crunch and texture. The first fry cooks them through while the second fry makes them crispy.
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Vegetables like carrots, bell peppers, and onions are stir-fried separately to retain their vibrant colors.
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A sweet, sticky sauce is made using ingredients like ketchup, soy sauce, honey, and rice vinegar.
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The fried beef is tossed in the sauce and mixed with the colorful veggies for a dish that lives up to its name.
It’s this mixture of flavors, textures, and colors that make Rainbow Beef a standout dish.
Common Variations
Rainbow Beef is huge in Hawaiian cuisine. Local joints like L&L Hawaiian Barbecue have made it a flagship menu item. Their version uses pineapple in the sauce for added sweetness.
Some recipes call for additions like ginger, sesame oil, oyster sauce, and chili paste to give the dish more depth. Stirring in roasted cashews or peanuts adds extra crunch.
Shaking on fresh cilantro or green onions right before serving provides color and freshness. Swapping out vegetables like using water chestnuts instead of carrots changes up the flavors.
What Makes It So Delicious
There are a few key factors that make Rainbow Beef an addicting takeout treat:
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Twice Fried Beef – Frying the beef twice ensures every strip gets ultra crispy outside while staying juicy inside. The texture contrast is everything.
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Sweet & Salty Sauce – The bright, sticky sauce infuses the beef with sweet and salty flavor. It has just enough thickness to cling to each piece.
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Colorful Veggies – The mix of stir-fried vegetables adds great textural variety from tender-crisp carrots to snappy bell peppers.
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Customization – It’s easy to tweak Rainbow Beef to your preferences by adjusting ingredients like meat, vegetables, and sauce components.
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Addictive Crunch – Each saucy, crispy piece bursts with flavor. You can’t help but keep reaching for more beefy goodness.
How to Order Rainbow Beef Like a Pro
Here are some tips to get the most out of an order of Rainbow Beef:
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Request it made with flank steak or sirloin if you want beefier flavor than tenderloin offers.
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Ask them to go light on the sauce if you don’t want it to get soggy.
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Substitute veggies like mushrooms, snap peas, or water chestnuts if you want to change it up.
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Request extra sauce on the side if you want more to drizzle over rice or dip pieces in.
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Add a squirt of sriracha or chili oil for extra heat and spice.
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Get a side of steamed rice to enjoy drizzled with the Rainbow Beef sauce.
Make Your Own at Home
Once you have a taste, you’ll be craving this takeout treat again and again. Luckily it’s easy to recreate the magic of Rainbow Beef in your own kitchen. Grab some steak, fire up the wok, and whip up a batch to enjoy whenever that Chinese food fix comes calling. Just make sure to double fry the beef – that’s the rainbow secret!
So the next time you get a hankering for Chinese, look for Rainbow Beef and experience this flavor-packed dish in all its multicolored glory. It will quickly become your new go-to over General Tso’s!
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I made this last night. I cut the peppers in strips about 1/3″ wide. Also, added one thinly sliced celery stalk. Fresh soba noodles go really well with it because they taste and smell much better than dry ones.
I know this comment is from two years ago, but I agree that a recipe should have that kind of information. For those who are new to cooking, here’s a tip: cut the peppers however you like and cook them until they’re done the way you like. in this particular recipe, you can do this. I cut pepper pieces into strips and then cut those strips in half before I cook with them. the long strips are pretty but not particularly easy to eat. (see also: fajitas, etc).
Im a big fan of this recipe. You can change the meat and add almost any vegetable you like. It would taste great with pork. We have plenty of eggplant right now as well as random peppers, so thats going in, too.
A Serrano pepper went well and added a bit of heat.
Used 4 tablespoons of hoisin and substituted gin for the rice wine. Delicious. Make this frequently, especially when I want something a little healthier.
I used two NY steaks and doubled the recipe. I used rice vinegar and didn’t have an Anaheim chili, so I used a jalapeño and took out the seeds. Next time, I will make sure to cut the steak into very small pieces. It was served over coconut rice.
Very good. A little sweet. 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes was enough. Need a non-stick wok to get a sear (stuck to regular wok).
I couldn’t find an anaheim pepper where I live, so I left it out. The dish still tasted great; even my picky daughter liked it a lot and asked me to make it again.
Growing up, 1980s style Chinese pepper steak was one of my favorite dishes. Now its in my weeknight repertoire and my family loves it. I’m still working on my stir-frying skills, but I know that adding one star anise to the beef marinade (I take it out before cooking) and a teaspoon of Szechuan pepper corns makes the dish taste better without being too spicy.
This is a good recipe. I thought it would be better with a little more acid at the end, which I could get by using rice wine instead of dry sherry.
No need to salt the veggies
I added thinly sliced celery, carrots and onions. I added one garlic too many (total of 3) it was a bit garlicky but delicious. I would try and marinate the meat over-night in order for the meat to be more tender.
Used 4 tablespoons of hoisin and substituted gin for the rice wine. Delicious. Make this frequently, especially when I want something a little healthier.
It doesn’t say, but I’m sure they mean for us to slice the peppers. Since this comes together pretty quickly, I’d get them sliced ahead of time. As others have said, it’s easy to sub any veggies. I had some cabbage, zucchini, and onion on hand, so I used those instead of one of the peppers. Since the mushrooms cook more quickly than the peppers, I cooked them and then plated them. Then cooked the peppers (and other veggies). Good stuff!.
I didnt have hosein sauce on hand, so used plum sauce. This added a lovely sweet note to the heat, a combination my husband and I love. Delicious dish and a standard in our kitchen.
Made this last night! Had a NY Strip I needed to use. Used 2 medium tangerines instead of oranges. 1. 5 inches of ginger seemed like a lot so I added a little more garlic. Subbed Sambal Oelek for the jalepeno (because its an asian-ish dish, right?). AMAZING. The beef was really stuck to my pan, but I scraped it off, even though it put my arms at risk. Added a teaspoon of corn starch slurry to help thicken the sauce. Served with veggies over noodles.
My husband loves this dish, and I’ve made it many times. I do add a little more beef and mushrooms so that there is enough for leftovers the next day. Wonderful recipe!.
Delicious! I’ve made this many times now, and it’s become a family favorite. I stir in some ramen noodles or soba noodles at the end, and the kids love it. They would prefer more beef, but I’m glad it’s light on meat for health and eco-related reasons.
It was delicious. I used veal stew meat that had been cut into thin strips and three Thai birds that had been mostly seeded and deveined and then chopped up very small. Yes, the bell peppers I cut into stripes too.
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