Sichuan Dry-Fried Beef 🌶 🇨🇳

When I hanker for a spicy, bold-flavoured stir fry to go with steamed rice, this Sichuan dry-fried beef is the usual fix.  Essential to this dish is a good cut of beef such as porterhouse or rump steak which can be cooked quickly in the wok while retaining its tenderness.  If cheaper cuts of beef are used, it might be necessary to tenderise it with baking soda prior to cooking like some Chinese restaurants do. Using top quality meat saves you the trouble.  The beef is 'dried fried' first, un-marinated, until they are crisp.  For the amount of beef in this recipe, cook them in two batches to avoid overcrowding the pan and stewing the meat.  The other two key ingredients are chilli bean sauce for its spicy, complex flavour and Sichuan peppercorn powder for its pleasantly 'numbing' effect, sensations characteristic of dishes from the province.

Serves 4

INGREDIENTS

• 340g / 12oz beef porterhouse steak or rump steak
• 6 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 5 thumb-sized pieces of ginger, julienned
• 2 stalks celery (about 100g), julienned
• 1 small carrot (about 90g), julienned
• 1 tablespoon chilli bean sauce
• 1 tablespoon Chinese Shaoxin wine
• 1 tablespoon light soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1 teaspoon sesame oil
• 1 teaspoon Sichuan peppercorn powder*
• 2 spring onions

*While you can purchase Sichuan peppercorn powder from Asian grocery stores, I recommend making your own for best results.  Make a small quantity as they tend to lose their potency over time. Keep them in a small lidded jar in the pantry ready for all your favourite Sichuan dishes.  

To make Sichuan peppercorn powder, place a few tablespoons of Sichuan peppercorns in a small frying pan.  Toast them over low heat, shaking the pan to move the peppercorns around for 1-2 minutes until they are aromatic.  Leave them to cool, then process the peppercorns in a blender or a mortar and pestle until they are crushed.

METHOD

1. Make spring onion curls by cutting each spring onion across into 2 or 3 sections, then into thin strips.  Submerge strips in a bowl of ice water for a few minutes.  Remove and drain when the spring onions curl up.  Set aside.
2. Trim fat and sinew off the steak.  Slice the beef across the grain into 1cm / ½" thick pieces then further cut into strips.  Avoid cutting the strips too thinly.
3. Heat the wok over high heat until very hot.  Add 2 tablespoons oil and swirl it around to coat the surface of the wok.  Add half the beef.  Spread them out in a thin layer and let them fry, undisturbed, for about a minute until caramelised on one side, then flip them over to cook through.  Remove to a plate.  Repeat with the other half of the beef.
4. In the same wok, add 2 tablespoons oil over low heat and sauté the ginger for a minute or until aromatic.  Add the chilli bean sauce and sauté for another minute.  Turn the heat up and add the beef, celery and carrot.  Stir in the wine, soy sauce, sugar and sesame oil.  Sauté for 1-2 minutes, or until heated through.  (The vegetables just need to be softened a little, not cooked.)
5. Remove to a serving plate.  Sprinkle over Sichuan peppercorn powder.  Top with spring onion curls.  Serve with steamed rice.