Crispy-Fried Beef Strips

Ganbian Niurousi (干煸牛肉丝)

Crispy fried strips of beef are coated in chili powder and sesame seeds in this spicy, numbing dish full of dried red chilies and Sichuan pepper.

This dish really just breaks all the rules of cooking beef. If you’re imagining medium rare, ultra-tender beef, this dish flips that on its head. Think of this dish more like a good beef jerky. The beef should be dry, with a crispy texture and just a bit of chewiness. The beef should still have a tender bite and not be overly hard or burnt tasting. Instead, the unique texture should pop with spicy, sizzling, and fragrant Sichuan flavors.

The cut of beef used for Crispy-Fried Beef is extremely important. You must use beef tenderloin as this cut will not be extremely fatty or have an abundance of connective tissue. Other cuts of beef when fried in this manner will become tough and nearly impossible to eat. Tenderloin, however, will become crispy but still have a tender bite similar to jerky. When purchasing tenderloin, I would recommend purchasing an entire beef tenderloin. This is the most economical option as the tenderloin can be used for multiple dishes. To prepare an entire tenderloin, simply trim off the excess fat and separate the tenderloin into sections. (Be sure to set aside the filet mignon! This can be used for excellent dishes like Stir-Fried Beef and Green Chilies 青椒牛肉). A good section of the tenderloin to use for this dish is the center cut or middle of the tenderloin.

The most crucial step in preparing Crispy-Fried Beef is the initial frying stage. When the strips of beef are added to the hot oil, the water, blood, and fat will render out of the meat and merge with the oil. For most dishes, it’s undesirable for the oil to become cloudy or soupy. For Crispy-Fried Beef, however, this is the norm. The beef will be cooked in this soupy oil until all water has evaporated and the beef begins to fry. This will require some patience and good heat control – i.e., cooking the beef at low to medium heat.

Prep Time: 20 min.

Cook Time: 15 min.

Total Time: 35 min

Serving: 2 - 4 people

Ingredients

500 g. Beef Tenderloin (牛里脊)

Aromatics
4 cloves of Garlic
1 4-inch block of Ginger
1 4-inch white stalk of Big Scallion (大葱)

Chilies
2 cups of Dried Red Chilies (Amount when snipped into slivers; About 30 grams of Slivers; Preferably Dried Warhead Chilies 弹头干辣椒)
1/2 Tbsp. Green Sichuan Pepper

Garnish
1 stalk of Small Scallion (小葱)
2 tsp. Sesame Seeds

Peanut Oil

1/8 cup of Red Chili Flakes (Preferably Freshly Ground; You can make this quickly by adding Dried Sichuan Chilies to a blender or food processor, and processing them just enough to achieve flakes. DO NOT use Red Chili Powder).

Seasonings
1 Tbsp. Light Soy Sauce
1 tsp. Salt
1 tsp. Sugar
1 tsp. MSG

Brightening Oil
2 tsp. Sichuan Pepper Oil

Directions

1.) Wash off the Beef and pat it dry thoroughly with paper towels. Cut the Beef into 1/2-inch-thick slices and then cut the slices into long 1/2-inch-thick strips.

(The strips should be about the thickness of a chopstick. The Beef will shrink quite a bit during the frying process, so it’s best to start with slightly thick pieces. Unlike with most Beef dishes, the Beef used here should not be soaked in water, washed, or boiled after it’s cut).

2.) Prepare the Aromatics, placing each into the same bowl.

• Peel and cut the Garlic into 1/2-inch slices.
• Peel and slice the Ginger. Cut the slices into 1/2-inch strips and then chop the strips into 1/2-inch cubes.
• Cut the Big Scallion into 1/2-inch pieces.

3.) Snip the Dried Red Chilies into long, thin slivers and place them in a bowl along with the Sichuan Pepper. This will be the bowl of Chilies.

4.) Finely slice the Small Scallion and set aside on a small plate for later.

5.) Fill a seasoned wok at least 1/3 full with Peanut Oil and heat on medium. When hot, add the Beef slivers and cook them for a long time until all the water in the Beef and Oil has evaporated.

(It will usually take around 10 to 15 minutes for the Beef to reach this stage. When the Beef is added to the oil, the water will come out of the meat and make the oil soupy and cloudy. Continue to cook the Beef until the oil clears. The Beef will boil at first, but once the water evaporates from the oil the Beef will fry. As it fries, the Beef should become a dark brown; it should be crispy and dry but not burnt. If the Beef is cooking a bit too fast, reduce the heat to medium-low. Also, constantly stir the Beef with a gentle pushing motion during the entire cooking process. A black sludge-like substance may form in the bottom of the wok as the Beef cooks. This is normal – it’s simply impurities from the Beef that have cooked at a faster rate than the meat and settled at the bottom. Do not mix this in with the Beef or try to scrape it off the bottom of the wok during this frying process – it will be removed in the next step).

6.) Remove the Beef and Oil from the wok. Quickly clean out the wok. Return the Beef back to the wok along with 1/4 cup of the Oil and heat on medium-low.

(There will likely be residue from frying the Beef that has settled in the bottom of the wok during the deep-frying process. Therefore, it’s necessary to either switch to a different, clean wok, or else, to quickly clean out the wok before adding the Beef again).

7.) Immediately add the Red Chili Flakes and stir-fry quickly until every piece of Beef is coated.

(DO NOT burn the Chili Flakes!)

8.) Add the bowl of Chilies to the wok and stir-fry them until everything is mixed thoroughly and extremely fragrant with the spicy aroma.

(DO NOT burn the Chilies! Dried Red Chilies can easily burn if not careful, which is why it’s best to use Dried Warhead Chilies 弹头干辣椒. Dried Warhead Chilies can endure more heat than many other chilies, keeping their bright red color longer).

9.) Add the bowl of Aromatics and Seasonings (Light Soy Sauce, Salt, Sugar, and MSG), stir-frying them with the Beef until mixed thoroughly.

10.) Finally, add about half of the Sesame Seeds and give a quick stir. Splash in the Brightening Oil (Sichuan Pepper Oil), mix quickly, and then slide the delicious Crispy-Fried Beef onto a large serving dish. Garnish with finely sliced Scallion and the remaining Sesame Seeds.

 

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