Sichuan-Style Poached Beef (Mildly Spicy)
I’m not a big fan of spicy food and rarely cook it, but Portland’s long, rainy season is so damp that my mom told me to eat a little spicy food now and then to help dispel the dampness. Hence today’s mildly spicy Sichuan-style boiled beef.
Ingredients
fatty beef slices
0.5 box
enoki mushrooms
1 packet
baby Chinese cabbage
as needed
egg
1
scallions
as needed
ginger
as needed
garlic
as needed
fermented chili bean paste
a pinch
spicy hot pot seasoning packet
1 packet
cornstarch
a pinch
Instructions
1
Step 1
I just bought a box of fatty beef slices, and half a box is enough for two people. If you have good knife skills, you can buy beef and slice it yourself. Freeze the beef solid first so it is easier to cut into thin slices.
2
Step 2
Finely chop the scallions, ginger, and garlic. Wash the baby Chinese cabbage and enoki mushrooms, then set them aside with the fermented chili bean paste, seasoning packet, and one egg.
3
Step 3
Separate the egg yolk from the egg white. Add the egg white to the fatty beef and stir to coat; this makes the beef more tender and refreshing.
4
Step 4
Heat a little oil over low heat and fry the scallions, ginger, and garlic until fragrant.
5
Step 5
Add 2-3 tablespoons of fermented chili bean paste and 1 packet of spicy hot pot seasoning, then stir-fry them together.
6
Step 6
Pour in 1 bowl of water and bring it to a boil over high heat.
7
Step 7
Add the baby Chinese cabbage and enoki mushrooms and cook until tender.
8
Step 8
Remove the cooked vegetables from the broth and place them at the bottom of a serving bowl.
9
Step 9
Add the fatty beef slices to the pot one at a time and cook over high heat for 3-4 minutes.
10
Step 10
Mix 1 tablespoon of cornstarch with a small amount of water until smooth. Pour it into the broth and stir to thicken the sauce.
11
Step 11
Serve the beef in the prepared bowl and garnish with a little cilantro. Classic Sichuan poached beef is topped with fried red chilies and drizzled with hot oil to intensify the chili aroma, but that step is omitted here because the dish should not be too spicy.
12
Step 12
It is delicious.
