Ingredients:

Ingredients not in prep bowls:

• Liao jiu / shaoxing cooking wine
• Ginger (parboil stage)
• Green onions
• Dark soy sauce
• Light soy sauce (optional)
• Tianmianjiang /sweet wheat paste
• Red oil Pixian Doubanjiang
• 1 can beer (optional)

Spice Prep Bowl:

• ~20 red sichuan peppercorns
• 1 inch segment of chinese cinnamon split into 2-3 pieces
• 2 pieces of Bai Zhi (can be substituted for Sha Jiang/Sand Ginger)
• 1 piece of Black Cardamom
• 2 pieces of star anise
• Small handful of fennel seeds
• 2-3 whole cloves

Stir Fry Prep Bowl:

• 2 inch segment of ginger minced
• 3-4 cloves of garlic minced
• 8-10 xiao mi la dried chilis cut into ¼ inch segments (can substitute for minced 4 pickled Erjingtiao peppers for more deep flavor but have to make pickled chilis homemade so requires more work)

Braise Veggie Prep Bowl:

• 2-3 potatoes with a 1 inch rolling cut dice
• 1 large carrot with 1 inch rolling cut dice
• Optional: Turnips with same rolling cut dice

Cooking Steps:

Stage 1: Parboil

1. Slice beef chuck into cubes

1. You can alternatively slice into slabs and cut into cubes after step 5

2. Bring a large pot of water to a boil
3. Take a 1-2 inch knob of ginger, loosely smash it and add to the pot. Also add a green onion’s white-light green (not the very green stem) portion, cut into 2-3 inch segments
4. Add ½ a cup of liao jiu/shaoxing cooking wine to the pot, then add beef
5. Boil on high and skim the foam on the top. After ~10 minutes and all the foam has been skimmed, remove the beef

Stage 2: Stir Fry

6. Heat up 1-2 cups of caiziyou (virgin rapeseed oil) on high until it’s slightly smoking, then turn down to medium and add spice prep bowl + stir vigorously so spices dont burn until the aroma of spices releases
7. Turn back heat to high, let the oil get slightly hotter for 10-15 seconds, and then add the beef.
8. Stir fry the beef making sure the spices don’t sit at the bottom and get burned, until there is slight browning/maillard on the beef
9. Add Stir-Fry prep bowl, stir fry on high until aroma releases
10. When beef sufficiently browned and garlic/ginger/chilis aroma has been released, add 2-3 spoons of pixian doubanjiang. Stir fry on medium/low heat to release the red oil, else will burn
11. Add 4-5 tablespoons of dark soy sauce for color, stir well
12. Add 1 spoon of tianmianjiang (sweet wheat paste), make sure is properly melted/incorporated into the stir fry oil/liquid mixture

Stage 3: Braise

13. Add 1 can of beer, and then add a bunch of water until beef is covered fully + 2-3 more inches of liquid on top to make room for veggies. If no beer, can use only water.
14. Let boil on high for 20 minutes, refilling the water so it doesn’t dry out/reduce too much
15. Add 0.5-1 tablespoons of salt (to taste, depends on how much you’re making etc. if unsure can always undersalt here and adjust salt later)
16. Braise liquid seasoning:

1. Add 1 teaspoon white pepper powder
2. Add 2 teaspoons chicken essence
3. Add 0.5 tablespoons sugar for freshness flavor
4. Optional: Add a splash of light soy sauce

17. Add braise veggie prep bowl. Stir to mix everything evenly
18. Braise for 30-40 minutes until veggies are soft and meat isn’t tough
19. Add green portion of green onion to finish + optionally scallion oil (called ‘brightening oil’ in sichuan cooking theory)
20. Serve with rice

Comments:

• Recipe is synthesized from several teachings from Sichuan chef “Wang Gang”
• I also may experiment with doing the braise step in a pressure cooker/instant pot to save time + make beef more tender