Authentic and traditional Szechuan style Mala beef with a dry-frying method.
Sichuan cooking actually is quite diversified! There are lots of cooking method and theories in this cuisine. The dishes can be fresh, sweet, mala, hot and sour etc. This dry-fried beef is also a traditional beef dish which has been popular for a long time in real Sichuan restaurants. Although this is not famous outside China, it is quite indispensable to complete the perceive of Sichuan cuisine.
Kung pao chicken has been the first choice for most of you guys when you visit a Sichuan restaurant. Yes, it is delicious but only with a relatively lower frequency in home cooking. The humblest dish usually are meat and fresh peppers. For example, pork and pepper stir fry and beef with fresh peppers. In general, most of the meat stir fry in Chinese cuisine pursue a tender texture so starch (either cornstarch or sweet potato starch) is used to form a protecting shell, prevent the meat being overcooked by hot oil. However, this Sichuan beef wants a different texture which is dry and aromatic (干香). When water is expelled completely, seasonings find their positions, not by attaching, but by occupying. So this Sichuan dry-fried beef has a more profound flavor. This is extremely similar with dry-fried green beans (干煸四季豆) and other dry pot dishes.
How to shred beef
Firstly cut the beef into thin slices against the grain. Then lay the sliced and further cut into 0.2m wide shreds. Do not cut the beef too thin to prevent breaking in frying process.
Instructions
Cut beef into shreds and marinate with salt, sugar, white pepper and cooking wine. Mix well and set aside fro 10 minutes.
Heat vegetable cooking oil in wok until hot (around 160 degree C) and then place the beef shreds in. Quickly move and pour the extra oil out when the shreds are well separated and dried well.
Place in garlic, ginger, pepper flakes and dried chili peppers and continue Sautee with a middle high fire.
Place celery in. Mix well.Drizzle black vinegar along with the wok for a better combination of seasonings, then add sesame oil. Mix well and serve hot!!
Szechuan dry fried beef, Mala beef
- 150 g beef , shreds
- 2 cloves garlic , shredded
- 1 thumb ginger , shredded
- 8 dried chili pepper , shredded and remove the seeds
- 4 celery , cut into smaller sections
- 1/2 cup vegetable cooking oil
- 1 tsp. sesame oil
- 1 tsp. Chinese black vinegar
- 1/2 tbsp. red pepper flakes
- 1 tsp. freshly grounded Sichuan peppercorn
- 1/2 tsp. salt
- 1/4 tsp. sugar
- 1/4 tsp. white pepper
- 1/2 tbsp. Chinese Shaoxing cooking wine
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Cut beef into shreds and marinate with salt, sugar, white pepper and cooking wine. Mix well and set aside fro 10 minutes.
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Heat vegetable cooking oil in wok until hot (around 160 degree C) and then place the beef shreds in. Quickly move and pour the extra oil out when the shreds are well separated and dried well. This is extremely important to use a large amount of oil if you are using a iron wok. Oil can take the water away quickly.
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Place in garlic, ginger, pepper flakes and dried chili peppers and continue Sautee with a middle high fire. Place celery in. Mix well.
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Drizzle black vinegar along with the wok, then add sesame oil. Mix well and serve hot!!
Oh my god, it looks so delicious yet light and healthy!
This is a brilliant beef dish for me.
What type of beef do you use?
I use beef tenderloin.