Shui Zhu Niu Rou
水煮牛肉·(shuǐ zhǔ niú ròu)
Cangying Guanzi (The Weekend Fly Restaurant)
Friday night at a plastic table in the fly restaurants of Sichuan, cooks don't lean on prime cuts; they rely on brilliant technique. Begin with a quarter-cup of doubanjiang, forcing the beef to drink up aromatic water before sealing it in starch, dropping the velveted flank steak into the rolling broth, and scattering dry-toasted chilies. When the cheap melamine bowl lands, the hot oil hisses against the chilies, unlocking homeland flavors from Tuesday market ingredients. Keep a cold beer handy, steam some white rice, and lean over the bowl.
Before you start
Make the ginger-scallion water.
Soak the smashed ginger slices and scallion white in a quarter cup of warm water for ten minutes, then strain and reserve three tablespoons of the liquid for the beef marinade.
Ingredients
- warm water1/4 cup
- fresh ginger2 small
- scallion1 med
- flank steak1 lb
- kosher salt1/2 tsp
- light soy sauce1 tbsp
- egg white1 large
- sweet potato starch2 tbsp
- neutral oil1 tbsp
- dried Chinese red chilies15 med
- whole red Sichuan peppercorns1 tbsp
- neutral oil1 tsp
- Napa cabbage2 cup
- celery stalk2 med
- mung bean sprouts1 cup
- neutral oil1 tbsp
- kosher salt1/8 tsp
- neutral oil3 tbsp
- Pixian doubanjiang3 tbsp
- fresh ginger1 tbsp
- garlic1 tbsp
- low-sodium chicken stock3 cup
- light soy sauce1 tbsp
- sugar1 tsp
- ground white pepper1/2 tsp
- garlic clove4 med
- scallion2 med
- neutral oil1/4 cup
- fresh cilantro1/4 cup
Method
- 01
Massage the sliced beef with the salt, soy sauce, and three tablespoons of ginger-scallion water until the liquid is entirely absorbed and the meat feels tacky.
Mix in the egg white until coated, then sprinkle in the sweet potato starch to form a slick, velvet-like paste before folding in one tablespoon of neutral oil to seal it and setting aside for twenty minutes.
- 02
Toast the dried chilies and Sichuan peppercorns with a teaspoon of oil in a skillet over low heat until brittle and aromatic.
Watch carefully so they do not turn black and bitter, then immediately transfer to a cutting board to cool before roughly chopping into a coarse, flaky powder with a chef's knife.
- 03
Stir-fry the Napa cabbage, celery, and bean sprouts with oil and a pinch of salt over high heat just until their raw bite is gone.
Do not let them get soggy; transfer the vegetables to the bottom of a large, deep serving bowl to wait for the broth.
- 04
Fry the minced Pixian doubanjiang in three tablespoons of oil over medium-low heat until the oil bleeds into a vibrant red.
Add the minced ginger and garlic, cooking until deeply fragrant, then pour in the chicken stock, soy sauce, sugar, and white pepper and bring to a rolling boil.
- 05
Reduce the boiling broth to a simmer and carefully drop the velveted beef slices into the liquid piece by piece.
Do not stir immediately or the starch coating will fall off; let it sit untouched for thirty seconds, then gently separate the slices with a spatula and simmer for one to two minutes until opaque.
- 06
Pour the beef and the red broth directly over the waiting bed of vegetables.
- 07
Pile the chopped chili mixture, minced garlic, and scallions in the center of the beef, then pour smoking hot oil directly over the aromatics.
Heat a quarter cup of neutral oil to around 400 degrees Fahrenheit until it just begins to smoke; pouring it over the aromatics will cause a violent crackle, releasing a magnificent roasted aroma before garnishing with cilantro and serving with rice.
Notes
Seek out sweet potato starch for the most authentic texture.
While cornstarch works in a pinch, sweet potato starch creates a heartier, more resilient barrier that won't wash off in the boiling broth, providing that slick mouthfeel iconic to fly restaurants.
The Dao Kou La Jiao can be made in large batches ahead of time.
Keeping a jar of this hand-chopped chili and peppercorn mix in the pantry reduces the active cooking time to under fifteen minutes, perfect for a Tuesday night.
From Cook Sichuan in America.