This dish features tender beef slices, crisp vegetables, and a bold, spicy dressing that captures the essence of Sichuan province’s renowned flavours and textures. It can be served as an appetizer or as part of a multi-dish meal. For the best texture, serve the beef as soon as it has cooled. Although it’s not traditional, you can also wrap this salad in lettuce leaves or tuck it into mantou (steamed buns) or shaobing (Chinese sesame flatbread).
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Sichuan-Style Braised Beef Salad
- Prep Time: 15 minutes + 1 hour Standing Time
- Cook Time: 2 hours 30 minutes
- Total Time: 3 hours 45 minutes
- Yield: Serves 6 1x
Ingredients
Chili Oil
3 cloves garlic, finely minced
¼ cup (60 mL) Sichuan chili flakes or Korean gochugaru
2 tbsp (30 mL) white sesame seeds
2 EACH whole star anise and bay leaves
1 tbsp (15 mL) finely ground Sichuan peppercorns, see Tip
1 tsp (5 mL) EACH ground coriander and cumin
½ tsp (2 mL) MSG (optional)
1 cup (250 mL) peanut or canola oil
1 tbsp (15 mL) light soy sauce
Beef
2 lb (1 kg) Beef Cheeks
5 slices (¼ inch/0.5 cm thick) gingerroot
2 tsp (10 mL) whole Sichuan peppercorns
1 tsp (5 mL) EACH whole cumin seeds, coriander seeds, fennel seeds and white peppercorns
3 EACH whole cloves and bay leaves
2 whole star anise
3-inch (8 cm) cinnamon stick
1 EACH Chinese black cardamom pod and small piece dried tangerine peel (chenpi)
3 large green onions, Welsh onions or small leeks (see Note*), trimmed
2½ oz (70 g) rock sugar
⅓ cup (75 mL) EACH Shaoxing wine and light soy sauce
1 tbsp (15 mL) dark soy sauce
Salad
2 cloves garlic, grated
1 tsp (5 mL) finely ground Sichuan peppercorns, see Tip
1 tsp (5 mL) MSG (optional)
¼ tsp (1 mL) salt
2 tbsp (30 mL) Chinese black vinegar
1 tbsp (15 mL) light soy sauce
2 green onions, julienned
½ cup (125 mL) julienned English cucumber
½ cup (125 mL) lightly packed fresh cilantro sprigs (coarse stems removed, sprigs cut into 2-inch/5 cm pieces)
1 tbsp (15 mL) crushed roasted peanuts
1 tsp (5 mL) toasted sesame seeds
Instructions
- Chili Oil: Stir together garlic, chili flakes, sesame seeds, star anise, bay leaves, ground Sichuan peppercorns, coriander, cumin and MSG (if using) in a deep stainless steel bowl (the mixture will bubble when you add the hot oil so a deep bowl is necessary for safety precautions). Pour oil into a small saucepan; heat over medium heat until it reaches 300ºF (150ºC) on a candy/deep-fry thermometer. Immediately pour into bowl and stir with a wooden spoon until bubbling subsides; stir in soy sauce. Let cool to room temperature. Use immediately or cover and refrigerate for up to 1 month.
- Beef: Place the beef in a large pot and add water to cover by about 3 inches (8 cm). Bring to a boil over high heat; reduce heat and boil for 5 minutes, skimming off any scum that rises to the top. Drain and rinse well under cold, running water; drain again. Clean the pot and return the meat to pot.
- Enclose gingerroot, Sichuan peppercorns, cumin, coriander and fennel seeds, white peppercorns, cloves, bay leaves, star anise, cinnamon stick, cardamom and tangerine peel in a cheesecloth bundle, a tea filter bag or spice infuser. Add to the pot along with the large green onions, rock sugar, wine, light soy sauce and dark soy sauce. Add just enough water to cover the beef. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Cover, reduce heat to low and simmer for 2½ hours, checking occasionally and maintaining the liquid level by replenishing with water as necessary, until the meat is fork-tender but not falling apart. Remove from heat.
- Remove the spice bundle and onions; discard. Transfer the pot to a sink; fill sink with cold water to come halfway up sides of the pot. Let beef cool in the cooking liquid for about 1 hour, until cooled to room temperature.
- Salad: Remove beef from liquid and transfer to a cutting board. Measure ½ cup (125 mL) cooking liquid; discard excess or reserve remaining for another use. Stir together measured cooking liquid, garlic, Sichuan pepper, MSG (if using), salt, vinegar and soy sauce in a liquid measuring cup or bowl. Cut beef across the grain into thin slices and arrange in an overlapping spiral on a deep serving platter. Pour sauce over the meat and drizzle with ⅓ cup (75 mL) Chili Oil. Scatter with green onions, cucumber, cilantro sesame seeds and peanuts. Serve immediately, passing extra Chili Oil at the table.
Notes
For the Chili Oil and the Salad, the Sichuan peppercorns can be ground in a spice grinder or mortar and pestle. If using a mortar and pestle, sieve ground peppercorns through a fine mesh sieve then regrind the particles left in the sieve. Measure 1 tbsp (15 mL) for the Chili Oil and 2 tsp (10 mL) for the Beef.
* For the Beef, the “large green onions”, also called large scallions, look similar to a regular green onion or a small leek but are thicker and have a larger portion of white to green; Welsh onions are also called bunching onions or Japanese onions and have hollow leaves and a small white portion. Both are available at Asian grocery stores; small leeks can be used for the braise, as well. For the Salad, use regular green onions.
The Beef can be prepared ahead through step 4; transfer meat in liquid to an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 2 days, then proceed with step 5.
Any extra cooking liquid can be refrigerated or frozen in an airtight container and used to add a burst of flavour to soup.
