Sichuan beef is another quick and easy but super flavorful meal that is perfect for a weeknight. This recipe is from Woks of Life and I love pretty much all their recipes. Most of the flavor in this dish comes from the spicy bean paste, which you can buy here. It is important to the dish, so don’t substitute this one.
This recipe uses flank steak and I think that works best. You could substitute really any steak though if you can’t find flank. You want thin strips of steak, so a great trick to slicing your steak (or any meat) thin is to put it in the freezer for about 30 minutes before you slice. It won’t be fully frozen but it is slightly more solid and allows you to get thinner slices.
This recipe called for celery and carrot for the veggies. I always like to boost the vegetables up a little to make the meal stretch further with my teens and also to get more veggies in them. When they are coated in tasty sauce they go down easier. I usually add some sliced onion and some sliced red bell pepper to this dish.
You also really need the Sichuan pepper for this dish. You can buy either whole Sichuan peppercorns and grind them yourself, or you can buy already ground. As with black pepper, freshly ground is more flavorful but either works here.
Sichuan Beef
Ingredients
- 3 tbsp oil
- 1 lb flank steak thin sliced
- 3 inch piece fresh ginger julienned
- 4 garlic cloves thin sliced
- 1-2 tbsp spicy bean paste to taste
- 2 stalks celery sliced
- 1 carrot sliced into coins
- 1 tbsp Shaoxing wine
- 3/4 tsp sugar
- 1 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tsp sesame oil
- 1 tsp ground sichuan pepper
- pinch of chili flakes
- sliced scallions for garnish
Instructions
- Heat a frying pan over high heat with 1 tbsp oil until it starts to smoke.
- Spread the beef in a single layer and don't move until it is well browned on one side. Stir and let the other side brown. Do not over cook. This only takes a few minutes.
- Wipe out the pan and add 2 tbsp oil. Get it hot again. Add the onions, carrots, celery and pepper and let them get some blistered spots. You want these crisp tender, not really that cooked, so just let them char a bit for a minute or two. Remove to the side and lower the heat to medium low.
- Add the garlic, ginger, and spicy bean sauce. Let it cook for a minute. Add the veggies and cooked meat back in. Add the wine, sugar, soy, sesame, ground pepper, and chili flakes and stir to combine everything.
- Serve over hot steamed rice and garnish with scallions.