Even though we have nits to pick with this recipe from Simple Chinese Cooking, this is an absolutely fantastic way to cook beef!First, the two nits: Despite measuring the ingredients to a T, we ended up with too much liquid in the skillet, making this more a braise than a stir-fry. (Perhaps draining the marinade from the meat and using less frying oil will help next time.) Although a nice condiment, the "Sichuan pepper and salt" does not add much to this recipe, in our opinion, and can be avoided.
The most difficult part of this recipe is remembering to marinade the meat ahead of time (at least 2 hours, but ideally overnight). The rest is easy: heat vegetable oil in a very hot wok or skillet, stir-fry the meat (in batches, if necessary) for under a minute, pour the cooking sauce over all the meat and stir fry for another minute or two. Serve with lemon wedges and "Sichuan pepper and salt" (1 part Sichuan Pepper and 3 parts salt dry roasted in a pan and ground up in a mortar or a spice grinder).
- 0.5kg / 1lb beef fillet, sliced
- 2 Tbsp vegetable oil
- 2 Tbsp Sichuan pepper and salt
- 2 lemons, cut into wedges
Marinade
- 2 Tbsp shao hsin wine or dry sherry (or dry white wine, in our case)
- 2 Tbsp kecap manis
- 2 Tbsp white sugar
- 2 Tbsp ginger, diced
- 3 cloves of garlic, diced
- 1 Tbsp oyster sauce
- 1 Tbsp (light) soy sauce
- 2 tsp malt vingegar
- 0.5 tsp sesame oil
Cooking Sauce
- 1 Tbsp shao hsin wine or dry sherry (or dry white wine)
- 1 Tbsp white sugar
- 1 Tbsp (light) soy sauce
- 0.5 tsp sesame oil