Sichuan Boiled Beef

Tags: dinner - beef - keto - Asian
Active Time: 30 minutes
Passive Time: 15 minutes
Serves: 2-3

Traditional Sichuan dish

Adapted from Dunlop's book (Land of Plenty: A Treasury of Authentic Sichuan Cooking by Fuchsia Dunlop)

• Flank steak: 0.75 - 1 lb, thinly sliced against the grain into 1 by 2 inch pieces
• Shaoxing wine: 1 tbsp
• Table salt: 1/4 tsp
  
  
• Peanut oil: 10 tbsp (or other neutral oil), divided
  
  
• Dried chili peppers: 8 - 10, snipped in half, seeds discarded
• Red sichuan peppercorn: 2 tsp (whole)
  
  
• Celery: 1 head (~1 lb), fibrous outer edges removed, each stalk cut into 3-4 sections, each section sliced lengthwise into 1/2 inch sticks
• Scallions: 4, gently crushed, chopped into 3 sections to match celery stick lengths
  
  
• Doubanjiang: 3 tbsp
  
  
• Chicken stock: 3 cups
• Dark soy sauce: 2 tsp
  
  
• Cornstarch: 3 tbsp
• Water: 3 tbsp

• Can use sirloin or ribeye in place of flank
• I reduced cornstarch/water from 6 tbsp of each as that amount made the resulting broth undesirably thick

1. Marinate beef with wine and salt while you prepare everything else
2. Heat 3 tbsp of oil in wok until hot but not yet smoking. Add chilis and peppercorn and stir-fry until fragrant and the chilis are just beginning to brown (do not burn). Remove chilis and peppercorn and set aside, leaving the infused oil in the wok
3. Continue to heat wok over high flame until smoking. Add scallions and celery and stir-fry for a minute or two until they are just cooked but still crunchy. Pour contents of wok into serving bowl
4. Heat 3 tbsp of oil in wok over high eat until just smoking. Turn heat down to medium, add doubanjiang and stir-fry for a few seconds until fragrant
5. Add stock and soy sauce, turn heat up to high, and bring to boil
6. Stir cornstarch/water mixture into the marinating beef until coated, then add beef to pot. Wait until pot returns to boil, then separate beef slices. Simmer for a minute or two, until the beef is just cooked. Pour contents of pot into same serving bowl as vegetables
7. Coarsely chop or grind the chilis and peppercorns that were set aside earlier and sprinkle over top the serving bowl. Heat 4 tbsp oil in wok until smoking then pour the oil over the serving bowl (with caution and an apron on). Serve immediately