Today, I’m taking you to China’s Sichuan province for one of its spiciest dishes: Sichuan beef.
If you didn’t know, Sichuan is a province in southwest China and home to the giant panda! Sadly, pandas aren’t edible, so instead let’s talk about the region’s famously spicy cuisine.
Sichuan cooking is known for its generous use of Sichuan pepper and for its fiery dishes in general. I have a full article on Chinese cuisine that covers these topics in more detail if you’re interested.
In this Sichuan beef recipe you can swap the Sichuan pepper for regular peppercorns; you’ll lose some heat and authenticity, but the dish will still be delicious, just different.
Ingredients for Sichuan Beef
Shaoxing wine: a staple cooking wine in Chinese cuisine, truly indispensable! If you cook Chinese food often, a bottle will pay for itself in no time.
For example, my red pork recipe uses it generously. If you’d like to learn more or find a substitute, check out my article on Shaoxing wine.
Light soy sauce: Not to be confused with dark soy sauce. Use it instead of salt to season the dish as it cooks; be sure to read the label and pick a brand with as few additives as possible. I have a full article on the different kinds of soy sauces.
Sesame oil: I use only one tablespoon and recommend you do the same, as this fragrant oil can easily overwhelm the other flavors.
Sichuan pepper: Sichuan pepper lends an unmistakable flavor; these days you can find it almost anywhere
Tips for Sichuan Beef
Because Sichuan pepper is potent, don’t add extra beyond what the recipe calls for. Taste as you go or you may be in for a fiery surprise, and your guests might drastically raise your water bill (or your toilet paper budget…)
The other key ingredient is Shaoxing wine. You can replace it with sherry, but the flavor won’t be quite the same; you can find it here on Amazon
This recipe cooks fast, so keep an eye on it. It can burn easily, and once the pan gets that scorched flavor everything changes. I speak from experience: look away to answer a text and boom, you’ve crossed the point of no return
So be careful! (I may sound dramatic, but this is actually one of the simplest recipes on my site, so “Keep calm and cook Sichuan beef”)
I have other recipes from the region too: Sichuan caramelized chicken and kung pao chicken with its delicious spicy coating sauce
For restaurant-style tenderness, you can tenderize the meat with baking soda
Matériel
- 1 Wok
Ingredients
- 300 g sliced beef
- 5 sliced ginger
- 4 sliced red chilies
- 1 sliced onion
- 4 sliced spring onion shoots
- 2 carrots cut lengthwise
SAUCE
- 1 tablespoon Shaoxing wine
- 1 tablespoon sesame oil
- 1 tablespoon light soy sauce
- 1 pinch salt
- 1 tablespoon whole Sichuan peppercorns
- 1 tablespoon sugar
Procédé
- Heat one tablespoon of oil over high heat and stir-fry the beef for 3-4 minutes. Set aside. In a bowl, mix the sauce ingredients.
- Over low heat, brown the ginger then add the chilies, onion and carrots. Stir-fry over medium heat for 4-5 minutes.
- Add the beef, spring onion shoots and the sauce, and reduce the liquid. Serve immediately.
