Sichuan Boiled Beef

• 300g rib-eye or sirloin
• 200g bean sprouts
• 4 spring onions
• 3 garlic cloves
• A thumb size piece of ginger
• Handful of coriander to garnish
• Vegetable oil

The marinade

• 2 teaspoons Shaoxing wine
• 1/2 tsp salt
• ½ tbsp cornflour

Chilli paste

• 12 dried chillies
• 1 tbsp sichuan peppercorns

The Sauce

• 2 tablespoons chili bean paste
• 1 tablespoon Chinese light soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon Shaoxing wine
• 300ml chicken stock

On a wok at medium heat, heat 2 tablespoons of oil. Fry the sichuan peppercorns and the chillies until they become fragrant (1 -2 minutes). Drain the excess oil and transfer to a mortar crushing both ingredients and form a very rough paste.

Finely chop the garlic and ginger and set aside. Finely slice the spring onion and set aside in the same mixing bowl as the chopped ginger and garlic. 

Finely slice the meat, place it in a mixing bowl and add all the marinade ingredients. Using your hands, massage the ingredients into the meat until it is well coated.

Heat half a tablespoon of oil in a wok over medium heat. Add the bean sprouts and stir-fry for 1 minute. Transfer them to a bowl. 

Add another 1 tablespoon of oil to the wok and return to smoking point. Add the spring onion, ginger and garlic mix and stir fry for 2 minutes. Add the chilli bean paste and stir, bring to a boil before adding the shaoxing wine and soy sauce. Top it up with the chicken stock and simmer for 2-3 minutes to create a flavoured stock.  

Add the beef slices to the wok and cook in the flavoured stock for 30seconds to a minute. 

Transfer the cooked beef to the bowl with the cooked bean sprouts. Top the bowl with the flavoured stock and a couple of tablespoons of the sichuan peppercorns and chillies paste.

In a clean wok heat the vegetable oil over a high heat until smoking-hot and pour over the beef bowl. 

Garnish with coriander leaves and enjoy.