Sichuan poached beef (水煮牛肉) features the most tender slices of beef and stir fried vegetables cooked in a spicy and tingly sauce that is signature of the Sichuan province of China. The succulent beef achieves its texture through a marinating technique called 'velveting' and the results are mouth watering. This dish is also beautiful and wonderful for impressing guests with.
This dish is directly translated as 'water boiled beef', however, I think that 'Sichuan poached beef' is much more fitting because at no point is the beef actually boiled in water.
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 use beef tenderloin, though another cut of steak could 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 like the taste of peanut oil in this dish.
- Oyster mushrooms
- Soybean sprouts
- Fresh ginger
- Scallions
- Sichuan peppercorns - Rather than peppercorns, these are buds from the prickly ash tree. A famous ingredient in Sichuan cuisine, they give a pleasant tingle on the tongue that enhances spicy dishes.
- Garlic
- Doubanjiang - Sichuan spicy bean sauce
- Chicken stock - I used no salt added chicken stock. You could also use low-sodium.
- Sugar
- Cilantro
- Chilli flakes
- Sichuan peppercorn powder
See recipe card near the bottom of this post for quantities.
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Instructions
We begin making Sichuan poached beef by 'velveting' the meat. This technique involves soaking the thinly sliced beef in a marinade that contains 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 the heat of the wok and transforms into a lush and silky coating with incredibly tender meat inside. In a medium bowl, mix the beef with the marinade ingredients by hand until thoroughly coated. Set aside for now.
Heat a wok over high heat. Add a tablespoon of peanut oil. When the oil just begins to smoke, toss in the bean sprouts and stir fry for about two 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 bowl and spread them along the bottom. Clean the wok before you continue.
Heat 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 twenty seconds, then add in the doubanjiang (Sichuan spicy bean sauce). Continue stir frying for about four minutes until you get a bright red colour (make sure that heat is at medium in order to achieve the red colour).
Mix in the chicken stock and sugar. Turn the heat up to high and continue to stir as you bring the broth to a boil.
As soon as the broth begins to boil, turn down the heat to low and immediately add in the marinated beef. Slowly stir and separate the pieces of beef from each other. Cook for a brief amount of time, just until the outside of the beef has browned or become opaque. It's ok for the inside of the beef to be less cooked and 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.
Next, we are going to prepare the special sizzle topping for this dish. Top the beef with chilli flakes, garlic, cilantro, and scallion greens. In a small saucepan, heat a couple 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. This will give you a nice sizzle. To finish off the dish, sprinkle the top with Sichuan peppercorn powder.
Serve Sichuan boiled beef in its layered style, then mix everything together right before eating and enjoy with lots of white rice.
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 canola oil
- Oyster mushrooms: substitute with enoki mushrooms.
- White rice: substitute with brown rice.
Variations
I would consider this Sichuan poached 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.
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.
You can use different kinds of crispy vegetables if you like, but they should always be stir fried at the beginning. Napa cabbage or leeks are popular options.
Equipment
Storage
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to three to four days.
Tips
The main feature 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.
📖 Recipe
Sichuan Poached Beef in Spicy Sauce {Shui Zhu Niu Rou}
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 3 servings 1x
- Category: Main dish
- Cuisine: Chinese
Description
Sichuan poached beef features incredibly tender, velvety beef and stir fried vegetables in a spicy and tingly, signature-style Sichuan broth. This delicious Chinese dish will be sure to impress.
Ingredients
Marinade:
300 g beef tenderloin - cut against the grain into thin slices
2 tablespoons water
1 tablespoon cornstarch
2 teaspoons dark soy sauce (or regular)
1 egg white
pinch of salt
pinch of white pepper
Vegetables:
1 tablespoon peanut oil
200 g oyster mushrooms, sliced
200 g soybean sprouts - rinsed, drained, and trimmed
Broth:
¼ cup (60 ml) peanut oil
4 thin slices ginger
4 scallions, white parts only - cut into 1 cm pieces
1 ½ tablespoons Sichuan peppercorns
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons doubanjiang (Sichuan spicy bean sauce)
1 ½ cup (355 ml) no salt added chicken stock (or low sodium)
1 teaspoon sugar
Sizzle Topping:
1 tablespoon garlic, minced
1 tablespoon cilantro, chopped
2 teaspoons scallions, green parts only - chopped
1 teaspoon chilli flakes
2 tablespoons peanut oil
pinch of Sichuan peppercorn powder
Serve with:
white rice
Instructions
In a medium bowl, mix the beef with the marinade ingredients by hand until thoroughly coated. Set aside for now.
Heat a wok over high heat. Add a 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 oyster mushrooms and continue stir frying until softened.
Remove wok from the heat. Transfer bean sprouts and mushrooms into a large, somewhat deep serving bowl and spread them along the bottom. Clean the wok before you continue.
Heat ¼ cup (60 ml) peanut oil in wok over medium heat. Add ginger 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 (make sure that heat is at medium in order to achieve the red colour).
Mix in the chicken stock and sugar. Turn the heat up to high and continue to stir as you bring the broth to a boil.
As soon as the broth begins to boil, turn down the heat to low and immediately add in the marinated beef. Slowly stir and separate the pieces of beef from each other. Cook briefly, just until the outside of the beef has browned or become opaque. It's ok for the inside of the beef to still be pink as this will result in more tender meat.
Remove wok from heat and transfer beef and broth on top of the vegetable layer in the serving dish.
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 stream, drizzle this hot oil over the fresh toppings. This will give you a nice sizzle. To finish off the dish, sprinkle the top with Sichuan peppercorn powder.
Notes
I use beef tenderloin in this dish. Other tender cuts of steak with minimal fat can be used. Make sure that you cut the beef against the grain when slicing.
This recipe makes a mild to medium-level spicy dish, depending on your spice tolerance. Add more doubanjiang and chilli flakes to make it spicier, or reduce if you prefer but don't eliminate entirely.
This recipe makes enough for 3 servings when served with rice. Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3-4 days.
See post above for suggested substitutions.
Nutrition
- Serving Size:
- Calories: 581
- Sugar: 3.5 g
- Sodium: 1881.1 mg
- Fat: 44.5 g
- Carbohydrates: 21.7 g
- Protein: 36.5 g
- Cholesterol: 64 mg
Keywords: Sichuan poached beef, Sichuan boiled beef
Paula says
WOW so delicious. I made this on Saturday for my boyfriend and me (our first year together so anniversary of sorts).
It turned out so well that he at first did not believe I made it; but thought I have ordered in from some fancy restaurant.
Asha says
Thanks Paula, that's so awesome to hear! I'm a huge fan of this dish as well 🙂 Glad it turned out great!
Cindy Mom the Lunch Lady says
This is the first time I've heard of velveting but I can see that the beef is so deliciously tender. This looks like a wonderful at home take-out meal!
Asha says
Thanks so much, Cindy 🙂 I really appreciate it. Velveting is a wonderful cooking technique.
Elaine says
Your clear and detailed instructions make this recipe so easy to follow. I love the hints of ginger in this dish--there, but not overpowering!
Asha says
Thank you Elaine, that's so kind of you to say! 🙂 Appreciate the review.
Bernice says
One look at your photos and my mouth immediately started watering. I love learning about techniques and flavours and this beef dish is big on both. Saving to make it soon.
Asha says
Thanks so much for your kind words, Bernice!
nancy says
Your sichuan spicy beef is really tasty - i love this classic dish so much!
Asha says
Hi Nancy, thank you for the kind words! I'm a big fan of Sichuan food 🙂
Fouzia says
Love your beef dish and my mouth was watering as I was reading through the recipe. It is interesting to know about the velveting technique and it is something new that I learnt. Thanks so much for sharing this delicious recipe with easy to follow, clear cut instructions and good tips. Any reason you used chicken broth instead of beef broth?
Asha says
Thank you so much, Fouzia 🙂 Velveting is such a wonderful technique for wok cooking. The meat comes out with such amazing texture. Good question about the chicken broth! Chicken broth is the popular choice to use when making this dish. I believe that is because chicken broth is such a major staple in the Chinese kitchen that it is commonly used in various meat dishes. However, beef or vegetable broth would make good substitutions.
Terri says
You had me at "velveting' the meat! I can't wait to cook this for guests. What a beautiful dish!
Asha says
Thanks so much! 🙂