Say hi there to “dry” stir fry

Not like the saucy Chinese language meals you may know, Sichuan dishes use tons of aromatics and chilies for taste. Suppose “dry” stir fry, the place the substances get a crispy crust and take in all of the spices with little to no sauce. Sichuan dry fried inexperienced beans (干煸四季豆) is a basic instance.

This Sichuan crispy beef belongs to the identical class. In China we name it dried fried steak, or 干煸牛肉 (Gan Bian Niu Rou). 

The phrase “Gan Bian”, or dry fry, refers to a Chinese language cooking strategy of slowly cooking the substances in minimal scorching oil to allow them to dehydrate barely, making a crispy chewy crust. As soon as dry fried, you’ll end up the meat with scallions and chili crisp. 

Totally different from the silky texture you get from velveting, or crispy deep fried meat, dried fried beef has a novel chewy texture that resembles tender beef jerky.

Crispy beef substances

• Beef flank steak: Different cuts of beef work too. 
• Baking soda: Marinating the meat with baking soda will tenderize the meat, so the meat will keep juicy and tender throughout cooking.
• Cornstarch: Use cornstarch to create a skinny coating, for additional crispy texture.
• Chili crisp: The principle seasoning on this dish. See the notice beneath on choosing a top quality chili crisp.
• Scallion: Scallion is used as an fragrant and a vegetable, so as to add umami, a candy style, and a young texture.  

Choose a top quality chili crisp

To create one of the best tasting Sichuan crispy beef, get a jar of Lao Gan Ma (老干妈), generally translated as The Godmother. It’s some of the common sauces in China, and I at all times hold a jar of it in my fridge. The model has quite a few forms of flavors, however this recipe makes use of essentially the most fundamental taste Chili Crisp Oil, or 香辣脆油辣椒. You could find it in Chinese language markets, some huge Asian grocery shops, or on Amazon.

One other chili crisp I like is Mr Bing Chili Crisp. If you don’t just like the MSG in Lao Gan Ma, this can be a nice various.

The best way to make Sichuan crispy beef

1. Marinate the meat for half-hour, then coat the cornstarch proper earlier than cooking. The marinating course of is essential. Not solely does it impart taste to the meat, the baking soda additionally retains the meat tender.

2. Pan fry the meat till crispy on the sides. In comparison with my different stir fry recipes, this recipe requires an extended cooking time for the meat. The tactic overcooks the surfaces to create the chewy crispy impact. However since we additionally use baking soda, the within of the meat will stay tender.

3. As soon as the meat is cooked, toss it with the chili crisp and scallion. 

That’s it! It looks like an very simple dish, however you’d be stunned how flavorful it’s and by the superb texture of the meat. 

Crispy beef, cooked with little oil

To correctly dry fry the meat, use simply sufficient oil to thinly cowl the pan. You wish to use sufficient oil so the cornstarch on the meat is totally coated with oil, however not a lot that there’s a whole lot of oil pooling within the pan. The tactic for this dish is to make use of the new pan to slowly cook dinner the meat to dehydrate the floor, creating the crispy chewy texture. For those who use an excessive amount of oil, the new pan will trigger a whole lot of splatter throughout cooking.

The best way to serve Sichuan crispy beef

Serve Sichuan crispy beef with steamed rice as a important dish, and pair it with some greens similar to cucumber salad, bok choy stir fry, or broccoli with garlic sauce. A easy egg drop soup or tomato egg drop soup is a good addition to the meal as nicely.

Different common Sichuan dishes