Sitchuan Stewed Beef Sichuan Stewed Beef

Published: Feb v, 2020 · Updated: Apr 8, 2022 by ·

Succulent beefiness and crispy vegetables seasoned with generous amounts of spices, Sichuan boiled beef is super flavoursome!

If yous are a regular reader of my web log, you must have noticed my passion for Sichuan cuisine. Today's recipe Sichuan boiled beef (Shui Zhu Niu Rou/水煮牛肉) is another archetype dish on my Sichuan list. It's truly irresistible so you lot must give it a attempt!

What does Sichuan boiled beef taste like

The Chinese name for this dish is "Shui Zhu Niu Rou/水煮牛肉", literally meaning h2o boiled beef. Sounds plain and balmy, right? In fact, it'southward super pungent and exciting. It's a sister dish of Sichuan Boiled Fish which is i of the near popular recipes on my blog.

Succulent beef slices and crispy vegetables are seasoned with generous amounts of dried chilli, Sichuan peppercorn, chilli bean paste, ginger, garlic, etc. Hot, numbing and effluvious, information technology creates a mini party on your tastebuds!

Six steps to cook Sichuan boiled beef

Let's firstly talk about the workflow of cooking Sichuan boiled beef. The following six steps outline the methods and sequence required:

1. Marinate the beef: Combine beef slices with rice wine, soy sauce, egg, cornstarch and water. Glaze with a sparse layer of sesame oil.
2. Fry the spicy topping: Fry dried chillies and Sichuan peppercorns with a little oil and then chop small.
3. Fry the vegetables: Fry crispy vegetables until they lightly wilt.
4. Prepare the broth: Fry ginger, garlic, Sichuan chilli bean paste and chilli powder until fragrant. Then pour in stock/water.
5. Cook the beef: Add marinated beef piece past piece. Simmer until fully cooked. Add to the vegetables.
6. Sizzle & garnish: Identify garlic & chopped spicy topping over the beef. Pour hot oil over. Garnish with coriander.

Please refer to my tutorial video (in the recipe carte du jour below) to see how I cook it.

How to brand the beefiness succulent

The about of import part of cooking Sichuan boiled beef is to make sure the beefiness is tender and succulent. Tough, chewy beefiness would ruin the enjoyment of the dish even if you've got the flavor right. Here are four tips to help you lot succeed:

one. Choose the right cut of beef

Different cuts of beef take quite unlike textures. Based on the availability and your budget, choosing the right cut of beefiness is the first decision yous need to make.Tendre cuts with a piffling fat are preferable.

To be honest, I don't have much in-depth knowledge of beef cuts (notwithstanding learning every day). But I found some expert online resources on this matter. "The Complete Guide to Beef Cuts" explains the standard cuts in the UK, whereas "Beefiness Cuts Explained: Your Ultimate Guide To Different Cuts of Beef" shows a listing of American key cuts.

I apply "Thick Rib" bought from British mainstream supermarket (I believe it's the equivalent of Cross-Rib Chunk in the US). It's an cheap cutting, nonetheless very flavourful and tender plenty for this dish when marinated properly.

2. Piece the beef the right fashion

For Sichuan boiled beef, you need to cut the beef into thin slices, ideally around 2mm in thickness.

• Sharpen your knife first. This helps a lot.
• Make sure you lot piece the meat against the grain for the best tenderness.
• If you notice it difficult to piece fresh beefiness, put it into the freezer until half frozen and so cut.

3. Marinate to lock in the moisture

To marinate the beef slices, yous would need to:

• Mix beef with salt, Shaoxing rice wine, dark soy sauce (or regular soy sauce), egg, cornstarch and water.
• Rub and stir with hand until all the liquid is absorbed.
• Drizzle a little sesame oil to separate the beef slices and to add together actress season.

four. Cook it for the correct time

As the name "Sichuan boiled beef" suggests, the beef slices are cooked in the broth instead of stir-frying. To avert overcooking the beefiness thus making it tougher, you should:

• Plow down the heat when y'all start putting the beef into the goop.
• Add beef slice by piece to avoid sticking.
• Simmer the beef, instead of violently humid.
• Remove from the estrus every bit soon as no pinkness can't be seen on the surfaces of the meat.

Make a delicious broth

To brand a delicious broth in which the beef slices are cooked, you lot will need:

• Cooking oil to fry the seasoning
• Sichuan chilli bean paste & chilli pulverization to spice upward the broth
• Sliced ginger & garlic to add flavour
• Unsalted stock or water

Sichuan chilli bean paste (Doubanjiang/豆瓣酱), aka broad bean paste, is the key ingredients for the tasty broth. It'due south widely used in Sichuan cuisine and can be purchased in Chinese stores/online shopping platforms. The best-known diversity is Pixian Douban (郫县豆瓣, Pixian broad bean paste) which needs to exist coarsely chopped prior to cooking.

Cull crispy vegetables

Sichuan boiled beefiness is not purely a meat dish. Underneath the beef, you always find some crispy vegetable. Bean sprouts (either mung bean sprouts or soybean sprouts), celery, lettuce, and Chinese cabbage are the pop choices. I employ the combination of edible bean sprouts and romaine lettuce for this recipe. Delight feel gratuitous to make your own pick.

Utilize good quality chilli & Sichuan pepper

What makes Sichuan boiled beefiness super addictive is the wonderful Málà (hot & numbing) awareness created past stale chillies and Sichuan peppercorns. Using those two spices with the best quality possible will brand your dish stand out.

Mix dissimilar types of chillies

Skilful chillies should non only be hot but also aromatic. You may choose the diverseness that suits your level of tolerance to spiciness. Overly hot chillies tend to impale other flavours thus are non recommended.

I mix 2 types of Chinese stale chillies to create a Xiāng Là (香辣, hot & fragrant) taste for this dish:

• Facing heaven chilli (Chao Tian Jiao/朝天椒). It'south a diverseness of chilli commonly used in Sichuan cuisine. It's about 4-six cm long and has a quite loftier oestrus level.
• Lantern chilli (Deng Long Jiao/灯笼椒). It's named after its lantern-similar shape and is balmy in heat only very fragrant.

The quality of Sichuan pepper matters

The numbing awareness and citrus smell delivered by Sichuan pepper is critical besides. As my post "Sichuan pepper: your questions answered" explains, there isn't whatsoever substitute for this unique spice. Proficient quality Sichuan peppercorns will add a lot of excitement to the dish.

When buying, you need to wait out for the following traits:

• Wait: They are even in size and vivid in color. Husks open up with very few black seeds left inside.
• Smell: They accept a powerful, enticing aroma. Rub a few peppercorns and then smell your fingertips. The smell should be very noticeable.
• Gustation: Chew one peppercorn. The tingling, numbing sensation should be stiff and linger for several minutes in your mouth. No foreign bitterness though.

Also, please experience free to utilize either regular cherry-red Sichuan peppercorns or the green variety. Or, use the mixture of both.

Two steps to bring out their all-time flavour

Heat brings out the best aroma and flavour of chilli and Sichuan pepper. Follow two steps to achieve this:

one. Fry stale chillies and Sichuan peppercorns in a footling oil over low oestrus until fragrant. Spotter attentively to make sure you don't burn them.

2. Chop the spices pocket-size then place onto the cooked beef. Pour hot oil over to sizzle. This last procedure actually enhances the "Málà" gustatory modality of the dish.

Looking for more spicy dishes? Bank check out my other recipes, such as:

• Mala chicken (La Zi Ji, 辣子鸡)
• Mapo tofu (麻婆豆腐)
• Hunan Beef Stir-Fry (小炒黄牛肉)
• Chinese Hot Pot (火锅)

For the beef

• ▢ 300 m beefiness, 10oz, run across notation 1
• ▢ 1 pinch salt
• ▢ 1 teaspoon Shaoxing rice wine
• ▢ one teaspoon dark soy sauce, or regular soy sauce
• ▢ 1 egg
• ▢ 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• ▢ 2 tablespoon water
• ▢ one teaspoon sesame oil

For the spicy topping

• ▢ i teaspoon cooking oil
• ▢ ane handful dried chillies, seeds removed, see annotation 2
• ▢ one tablespoon Sichuan peppercorns, run across note 3

For the vegetables

• ▢ one-half Romaine lettuce, coarsely chopped
• ▢ i handful bean sprouts

For the broth

• ▢ 2 tablespoon cooking oil
• ▢ 6 slices ginger
• ▢ 3 cloves garlic, sliced
• ▢ 2 tablespoon Sichuan chilli bean paste, come across note 4
• ▢ i teaspoon chilli powder, or to taste
• ▢ 500 ml unsalted stock or water, ii cups

For the garnish

• ▢ 2 tablespoon cooking oil
• ▢ 1 tablespoon minced garlic
• ▢ coriander, chopped

Marinate the beefiness

• Cut the beefiness, confronting the grain, into thin slices (about 2mm).

• Put them into a mixing basin. Add salt, Shaoxing rice wine, night soy sauce, egg, cornstarch and water.

• Rub and mix with hands until the liquid is captivated.

• Add sesame oil then stir well.

Fry the spicy topping

• Add oil, stale chillies and Sichuan peppercorns in a wok.

• Fry over low rut until fragrant (practice not burn).

• Transfer onto a chopping board. Chop minor then set aside.

Fry the vegetables

• Put romaine lettuce and bean sprouts in the aforementioned wok.

• Fry with the remaining oil over medium heat until they lightly wilt.

• Transfer to the serving bowl and set aside.

Prepare the goop

• Cascade oil into the wok. Add ginger, garlic, Sichuan chilli bean paste and chilli powder. Fry over depression heat until fragrant.

• Pour in stock/water. Cook over high estrus until it starts boiling.

Cook the beef

• Turn the heat to medium. Add together marinated beef, one piece at a time.

• Simmer until fully cooked (no pinkness on the surface).

• Pour the beef and stock onto the vegetables.

Sizzle & garnish

• Place minced garlic & chopped spicy topping over the beef.

• Heat up the oil in the wok (cleaned and dried) until smoking. Pour information technology over the garlic & spices.

• Garnish with coriander and serve immediately with manifestly rice.

1. You may use any cuts of beef (except for some tough cuts for stewing dishes). I quite similar thick rib which is an cheap cut, withal very flavourful and tender enough for this dish (when marinated properly).

2. Choose dried chillies that accommodate your level of tolerance to spiciness. I use two types of Chinese dried chillies for this dish:

• Facing heaven chilli (Chao Tian Jiao/朝天椒) which has a quite high heat level.
• Lantern chilli (Deng Long Jiao/灯笼椒) which is mild in heat just very fragrant.

3. Y'all may use regular cherry Sichuan peppercorns or the green diversity. Please refer to my mail service "Sichuan pepper: your questions answered" to acquire more than nigh this unique Chinese spice.

4. Sichuan chilli bean paste (Doubanjiang/豆瓣酱, aka spicy broad bean paste) is widely used in Sichuan cuisine and can exist purchased in almost Chinese stores. The all-time-known variety is Pixian Douban (郫县豆瓣) which needs to be coarsely chopped prior to cooking.

Serving: ane serving | Calories: 410 kcal

Bear witness me your dish or ask me questions @red.house.spice

Author: Wei Guo

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