Crunchy Bean Sprouts with Beef
Submitted by peccaj
Stir-fried flank steak with a soy-sherry gravy over crunchy scalded bean sprouts and onion, seasoned with homemade Szechuan pepper salt. A textural Chinese beef dish.
YIELD
4 servingsPREP
20 minCOOK
25 minREADY
45 minThis Chinese beef dish is all about contrast. Tender, quickly seared flank steak in a glossy soy-sherry gravy gets poured over a bed of scalded bean sprouts and onion that still have serious crunch.
The homemade Szechuan pepper salt is worth the extra five minutes. Toasting the peppercorns in a dry wok until they’re fragrant, then crushing them with salt creates a tingling, floral seasoning you can’t buy in a bottle. A light sprinkle over the scalded sprouts gives them a numbing warmth that’s distinctly Szechuan.
Scalding the sprouts and onion in boiling water instead of stir-frying them is the smart move here. It softens them just enough to take the raw edge off while keeping them crisp and crunchy. Stir-frying would wilt them into limp, watery strands.
Kitchen Tips
- Slice the steak against the grain, thin. Cutting with the grain leaves you chewing through long, tough fibers.
- Get the wok smoking hot before the oil goes in. That high heat sears the beef fast so it browns instead of steaming.
- Dribble the cornstarch paste in slowly. You want a light, silky gravy that coats the meat, not a thick, gloopy sauce.
Variations
- Substitute chicken breast or pork tenderloin for the flank steak using the same stir-fry timing.
- Add sliced red chilies to the stir-fry for visible heat alongside the Szechuan pepper’s numbing tingle.
- Toss in julienned carrots with the bean sprouts for extra color and sweetness.
Ingredients
Directions
Rinse bean sprouts; drain.
Separate layers of onion and slice into thin strips to match sprouts.
Cut steak into slices across the grain ¼ inch wide by 2 inches long.
Mix stock, soy sauce and sherry in a cup.
Prepare Szechuan pepper/salt: heat dry wok to medium and add Szechuan peppercorns, stirring constantly until peppercorns exude a strong aroma; remove from heat.
Crush peppercorns with salt, using rolling pin or blender.
Sift to remove coarse pieces.
Store in closed jar.
Scalding: In large bowl, cover onions with boiling water; drain in 10 minutes.
Add sprouts, cover both with boiling water; drain in 3 minutes.
Sprinkle with about ½ teaspoon Szechuan pepper/salt.
Stir-fry: Add oil to hot wok.
When oil starts to smoke, add steak, and stir-fry briskly for 1 minute or until meat loses pinkness.
Push meat aside in wok; add stock mixture and bring to boil.
Dribble in thin cornstarch paste until light gravy is formed.
Mix with beef.
Pour over sprouts and onions in a serving bowl.
Serve.
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