Sichuan Boiled Beef (Shui Zhu Niu Rou)

Sichuan boiled beef (水煮牛肉) features the most tender slices of beef and crispy vegetables in a spicy and tingly sauce that is signature of the Sichuan province. Aside from being absolutely delicious, this Chinese dish is beautiful and wonderful for impressing guests with. It is layered with a base of stir fried vegetables, followed by succulent beef and spicy broth, topped with spices, garlic, and cilantro made aromatic with a sizzle of hot oil. The results are mouth watering.

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• Ingredients
• Substitutions
• Variations
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Shuǐ zhǔ (水煮) translates to 'water boiling' and niú ròu (牛肉) means 'beef'. This doesn't infer that the beef is boiled in water. Rather, that it is cooked in broth after being given a 'velvet' coating that serves to protect the beef from the hot broth while keeping the juices locked inside.

The 'velveting' technique involves soaking the thinly sliced beef in a marinade of water, cornstarch, egg white, and salt; as well soy sauce and white pepper for added flavouring. The marinade envelopes the beef in a thin coating that protects it from heat, transforming into a lush and silky coating with incredibly tender meat inside.

You may be familiar with another one of Sichuan's famous dishes, mapo tofu. Since these dishes share some ingredients, if you make one I recommend that you try making the other since you will already have some of the things you will need on hand. Plus they're both delicious!

Ingredients

• Beef - I used beef tenderloin, though a more inexpensive cut of steak can be used. A tender steak with minimal fat is preferable for this dish. Avoid tough cuts that are meant for stewing.
• Water
• Cornstarch - We will use the blend of water, cornstarch, egg white, and salt to marinate the beef in a technique known as 'velveting.' When the beef is blanched in the wok, the thin coating of marinade will set and protect the beef from the hot broth, while becoming luxurious and silky in texture.
• Dark soy sauce - A sweeter and darker soy sauce than the regular variety.
• Egg white - An alkaline ingredient that changes the pH of the beef before cooking.
• Salt
• White pepper - This ingredient is popular in China, though it originated in French cuisine. White pepper is from the same plant as black pepper, but harvested later from fully ripened berries, fermented, and outer shell removed. The result is slightly milder.
• Peanut oil - You could use vegetable oil instead, but I love the taste of peanut oil in this dish.
• Oyster mushrooms
• Soybean sprouts
• Fresh ginger
• Scallions
• Sichuan peppercorn powder - (Huājiāo fěn / 花椒粉) A staple in Sichuan cuisine, the peppercorns are the dried berries of Chinese prickly ash tree. It has a tingly, numbing effect on the tongue. It tastes slightly bitter and of woodsy pine and lemony citrus. While not spicy itself, the tingling acts as a flavour enhancer so it is used in combination with chili to create a numb-heat sensation (màlá / 麻辣). Adjust this ingredient to your preference.
• Sichuan peppercorns - (Huājiāo / 花椒) The whole version of the powder. The quality of the peppercorns is important in this dish. Look for bright peppercorns with open husks revealing few black seeds left inside. The aroma should be potent; and chewing one should give you a strong numbing sensation for several minutes with no excess bitterness. Red or green varieties are both acceptable.
• Garlic
• Doubanjiang - (Dòubàn jiàng / 豆瓣醬) This Sichuan chili bean paste has a strong umami, salty, and spicy flavour. A famous Sichuan ingredient, it is a spicy, fermented broad bean paste that adds a wonderful savoury flavour to a dish. It can greatly vary in salt and spice depending on the producer, so you may need to adjust. If you can, get 'Pixian broad bean paste' (Píxiàn dòubàn / 郫县豆瓣); Pixian is an area of Sichuan province famous for making the best doubanjiang. You may need to roughly chop before cooking.
• Chicken stock - I used a low-sodium chicken stock.
• Sugar - This is added to balance the saltiness and spiciness of the dish.
• Cilantro
• Chilli flakes

See recipe card below for quantities.

Sichuan peppercorns

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Doubanjiang

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Sichuan Peppercorn Powder

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Substitutions

The following are appropriate substitutions that you can use in this Sichuan boiled beef recipe:

• Beef tenderloin: substitute with another tender steak cut with minimal fat.
• Dark soy sauce: substitute with regular soy sauce.
• White pepper: substitute with black pepper.
• Peanut oil: substitute with vegetable or canola oil.
• Oyster mushrooms: substitute with enoki mushrooms.
• Chicken stock: substitute with beef stock (not water).

Variations

• Spice level - I would consider this Sichuan boiled beef recipe to be mild to medium spicy, depending on your spice tolerance. To make this dish spicier, add more doubanjiang and chilli flakes. You can also reduce them to make it less spicy, but you shouldn't eliminate them completely or this dish won't taste right.
• Tingle - The Sichuan peppercorns and peppercorn powder can be adjusted to change the amount of tingle in the dish. However, be aware that adding more will increase the bitter flavour in the dish as well, so add more sparingly.
• Dried chilies - Some like to use dried chilies in this dish. If you choose to add these, before you begin stir frying the vegetables, stir fry a small handful in oil over low heat just until aromatic. Roughly chop then set aside until you add them along with the sizzle topping ingredients. Choose a variety that suits your spice preference, but not so spicy that it drowns out the other flavours of this dish.
• Vegetables - You can add different kinds of crispy vegetables if you like, but they should always be stir fried at the beginning. Napa cabbage, romaine lettuce, celery, and leeks are popular options.

Instructions

Velveting

Cut the beef into thin slices about 2mm in width, making sure to cut against the grain. Thicker or thinner slices will result in beef that is not as tender.

In a medium bowl, stir together the marinade ingredients: water, cornstarch, egg white, salt, soy sauce, and white pepper.

Add in the thinly sliced beef and mix together by hand until thoroughly coated. Set aside for now.

Vegetables

Heat a wok over high heat. Add 1 tablespoon of peanut oil. When the oil just begins to smoke, toss in the bean sprouts and stir fry for about 2 minutes. Add in the sliced oyster mushrooms and continue stir frying until the mushrooms have softened.

Remove the wok from the heat. Transfer the bean sprouts and mushrooms into a large, somewhat deep serving dish and spread along the bottom. Clean the wok before you continue.

Broth

Heat ¼ cup (60ml) peanut oil in the wok over medium heat. Add in the ginger slices and cook until they turn a light brown colour. Then, add in the scallions and Sichuan peppercorns. Stir fry for a couple minutes, being very careful not to burn them.

Add in the garlic and stir fry for about 20 seconds, then add in the doubanjiang. Continue stir frying for about 4 minutes until you get a bright red colour (the heat should be at medium in order to achieve this red colour).

Mix in the chicken stock and sugar. Turn the heat up to high and continue to stir as you bring to a boil.

As soon as the broth begins to boil, turn down the heat to low and immediately add in the marinated beef. Gently stir and separate the pieces of beef. Cook at a simmer briefly, just until the outside of the beef has browned or become opaque. It's ok for the inside of the beef to be still pink as this will result in more tender meat.

Remove the wok from the heat and transfer the beef and broth on top of the vegetable layer in the serving dish.

Sizzle Topping

Top the beef with chilli flakes, garlic, cilantro, and scallion greens. In a small saucepan, heat 2 tablespoons of peanut oil over high heat until it begins to shimmer. In a thin, steady stream, drizzle this hot oil over the fresh toppings, giving a nice sizzle. Sprinkle with Sichuan peppercorn powder to finish the dish.

Serve Sichuan boiled beef in its layered form, then mix everything together right before eating and enjoy with lots of white rice.

Equipment

• Wok - To get the best results, you should use a wok to make this dish. I used this stainless steel wok that I seasoned to prevent sticking.
• Small sauce pan
• Serving dish - You will need a large serving dish with at least some depth to it.
• Mixing bowls

wok

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Storage

Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3-4 days.

Tips for Success

• Have all of your prep completed before you start cooking. Stir frying moves quite quickly.
• The main highlight of this dish is the extremely tender beef. To help ensure that you achieve this, make sure that when you slice the beef you are cutting against the grain. A sharp knife really makes this easier. If you still struggle to cut the fresh beef, you could partially freeze the meat about halfway to make it a bit firmer for cutting.
• Save any leftover sauce and enjoy with noodles the next day.

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