Spicy Boiled Beef

Shuizhu Niurou (水煮牛肉)

Delectable slices of beef tenderloin with a velvety smooth texture are boiled in a sizzling spicy soup along with layers of stir-fried vegetables.

Spicy Boiled Beef, also known by its literal translation Water Boiled Beef (水煮牛肉), is a sizzling spicy or Ma-La dish. There are numerous Spicy Boiled Dishes in Sichuan, but what sets this recipe apart is its combination of Sichuan Chili Bean Paste and Hotpot Soup Base. In fact, the majority of Spicy Boiled Dishes use Chili Bean Paste and a few others use Hotpot Soup Base, but it is Spicy Boiled Beef that combines these elements perfectly.

Hotpot Soup Base is a solid block of beef tallow filled with aromatics, spices, chilies, and Sichuan peppercorns. The beef tallow gives the Soup Base a concentrated beef flavor so that, when melted, the Hotpot Soup Base becomes like a super-charged beef stock. While Hotpot Soup Base isn’t necessary for Spicy Boiled Beef (unlike Sichuan Chili Bean Paste), a few cubes are highly recommended.

The Aromatics in the following recipe are not minced but simply sliced, which saves time in a somewhat lengthy cooking process. The large chunks of Pickled Chilies, Garlic, and Ginger are stir-fried and then boiled as the soup is made. The stir-frying and boiling process extracts all of the delicious flavors just as well as if the Aromatics had been minced. These larger pieces of Aromatics are less likely to burn than a mince. Remember, by using Hotpot Soup Base, the stir-frying process is slightly extended. The Aromatics are also easier to remove from the soup once their flavor has been extracted. It’s unnecessary to remove them but doing so leaves behind a pure soup of restaurant quality.

Prep Time: 30 min

Cook Time: 10 min

Total Time: 40 min

Serving: 2 - 4 people

Ingredients

500 grams of Beef Tenderloin

Marinade
1 Tbsp. Light Soy Sauce
2 tsp. Dark Soy Sauce
1 tsp. Shaoxing Rice Wine
1/2 tsp. Salt
1/4 tsp. Ground White Pepper
1 Egg
2 - 4 Tbsp. Corn Starch
2 Tbsp. Peanut Oil

Vegetables (Choose Two to Three + Bean Sprouts; About 500 grams Total)
40 stalks of Chinese Celery (About 200 grams)
1 – 2 stalks of Garlic Sprouts (蒜苗; About 50 to 100 grams)
1 stalk of Celtuce Leaves (莴笋叶; OR Any Leafy Green; About 100 grams)
1 large handful of Bean Sprouts (About 100 – 150 grams)

Aromatics
6 to 10 Pickled Red Chilies
4 – 6 cloves of Garlic
1 2-inch block of Ginger
1 tsp. Sichuan Peppercorns

Chili-Oil Toppings
5 Dried Red Chilies
2 cloves of Garlic
1/2 bunch of Cilantro (the Bottom Half with Stalks)
2 – 4 Tbsp. Knife-Cut Chili Flakes
1 tsp. Sesame Seeds

Garnishes
1 clove of Garlic
1 green stalk of Small Scallion (小葱)
1/2 bunch of Cilantro (the Top Half with Leaves)
1 tsp. freshly ground Green Sichuan Pepper

Peanut Oil

2 – 3 Tbsp. Sichuan Chili Bean Paste

1-inch by 2-inch block of Hotpot Soup Base

8 cups of Water

Seasonings
1/2 tsp. Salt
1/2 tsp. MSG
1/4 tsp. Ground White Pepper

Directions

1.) Cut the Beef into slices:

• Place the Beef on a cutting board with the meat’s grain running to the side.
• Cut across the meat grain, slicing the Beef at least an 1/8-inch-thick or thinner – the slices can even be paper-thin.
• Place all of the slices in a large bowl, fill the bowl with water, and gently massage the slices under the water to remove excess blood.
• Remove the Beef slices from the water, squeeze out any excess liquid, and set aside in a clean dry bowl.

Marinate the Beef slices:

• Add the Light Soy Sauce, Dark Soy Sauce, Shaoxing Rice Wine, Salt, and White Pepper to the Beef slices and mix by hand until fully absorbed by the meat.
• Add the Egg to the Beef and mix again by hand until every slice is coated and most of the liquid has been absorbed.
• Add the Corn Starch, mixing by hand until all the slices are thoroughly coated.
• Finally, add the Peanut Oil and mix gently.
• Allow the Beef slices to rest for about 30 minutes while preparing the other ingredients.

3.) Prepare the Vegetables, placing them all into the same large bowl:

• Garlic Sprouts: smack the Sprouts flat with the side of a cleaver and cut them into 4-inch-long pieces.
• Celtuce Leaves: Cut off the top leafy section of the Celtuce and set the stalk aside for other recipes. Use a knife or your hands to separate the leaves into individual pieces.
• Chinese Celery: Since Chinese Celery is quite thin and contains little water, the stalks simply need to be cut into 4-inch-long pieces.
• Bean Sprouts: Simply add the Bean Sprouts to the bowl after washing them.

4.) Prepare the Aromatics, placing them into the same bowl:

• Cut the Pickled Red Chilies into 1/2-inch pieces
• Peel and slice the Garlic.
• Peel and slice the Ginger.
• Add the Sichuan Peppercorns to the bowl.

5.) Prepare the Chili-Oil Toppings:

• Dried Red Chilies: Snip the Red Chilies into 1/2-inch-pieces and discard most of the seeds. Place Red Chili pieces in a neat pile on the plate.
• Garlic: Peel and mince 2 large cloves of Garlic. Then, add them to the plate.
• Cilantro: Wash a small bunch of Cilantro and shake off any excess water. Cut the bunch in half setting aside the leafy portion. Finely slice the bottom half with the stems and place them in a neat pile on the plate.
• Mala Chili Flakes: Prepare them according to the recipe in the link if not already made. Place the Mala Chili Flakes in a neat pile on the edge of a plate.
• Sesame Seeds: Add the Sesame Seeds to the plate in a neat pile next to the Mala Chili Flakes.

6.) Prepare the Garnishes, placing them together on a plate:

• Small Scallion: Finely slice the green stalks of Scallion and place them in a neat pile on the plate.
• Garlic: Peel, smash, and mince 1 clove of Garlic and add it to the plate.
• Cilantro: Roughly chop the leafy half of the Cilantro and place them on the plate.
• Green Sichuan Pepper: Freshly grind the Sichuan Peppercorns into a fine powder and add it in a neat pile on the plate.

(There should now be 5 main components: the Beef, the Vegetables, the Aromatics, the Chili-Oil Toppings, and the Garnishes).

7.) Heat a seasoned wok on medium-high heat and add 1/4 cup of Peanut Oil. When hot and nearly smoking, add a pinch of the Aromatics, followed by the Vegetables. Stir-fry everything vigorously until everything is tender-crisp. Add a pinch of salt to taste, mix once more, and then arrange everything in the bottom of a deep serving dish.

(If using a smaller wok such as those commonly used by home cooks, stir-fry the Vegetables in batches. In this case, prepare an extra amount of Aromatics so that there is plenty to flavor everything and use slightly less Oil when stir-frying the Vegetables. The Vegetables can also be simply blanched in boiling water).

8.) Clean out the wok briefly after cooking the Vegetables, return the wok to heat and add another 1/4 cup of Peanut Oil. When hot, add the remaining Aromatics and stir-fry them just a few seconds until fragrant.

9.) Pull the wok away from the heat and add the Chili Bean Paste, stirring briefly to combine it with the Oil. Return the wok to heat and stir-fry the Chili Paste a few more seconds until fully combined with the Oil.

10.) Pull the wok away from heat and add the Hotpot Soup Base, breaking it into pieces as it begins to melt. Return the wok to heat and stir the Hotpot Soup Base until fully melted and bubbly.

11.) Immediately pour in 8 cups of Water, increase the heat to high, and bring the Soup to a boil for 3 minutes. Optionally, use a wire strainer to remove and discard any large debris for a purer Soup. Then, add the Seasonings (Salt, MSG, and Ground White Pepper), mixing them into the Soup.

12.) Reduce the heat to medium-low until the Soup is at a low boil. Add the Beef slices to the Soup and stir gently, separating the pieces. Simmer at a low boil until the Beef is just cooked.

13.) Remove the Beef slices with a large slotted spoon and arrange them in the middle of the serving dish on top of the Vegetables. Pour the hot Soup in around the sides.

14.) Sprinkle the Chili-Oil Toppings over the Beef with most remaining in the center.

(Add most of the Chili-Oil Toppings to the center of the dish, because the hot Oil will spread them the edges of the Soup. The hot Oil will turn these Toppings into an extremely fragrant Chili Oil on the surface of the Soup. Bring the dish to the table if wanting to show-off the sizzling Oil).

15.) Quickly switch to a deep skillet, small sauce pan, or clean wok and add 2 cups of Peanut Oil. Heat the Oil until nearly smoking, go quickly to the dish, and ladle the hot Oil over the Chili-Oil Toppings until a nice layer of sizzling Oil covers the entire dish.

(Not all of this Oil needs to be used, but at least 1 cup of it should be added. There should be a decent layer of Oil on top of the dish. Everything will sizzle dramatically as the Oil fuses the flavors of the Toppings with the Soup. Obviously, be safe when adding hot Oil to the dish).

16.) Finally, add the Garnishes (Green Sichuan Pepper, Garlic, Scallion, and Cilantro) in the order listed and serve the Spicy Boiled Beef along with individual bowls of white rice.

 

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