Sichuan Boiled Beef in Fiery Sauce

Remove any fat from the beef and cut it, against the grain, into thin slices about 5 x 8 cm (you should have about 9 oz / 250g beef after trimming).

Add salt, light soy sauce, Shaoxing wine, slurry (water + cornstarch), mix well, and leave to marinate while you prepare everything else.

Heat ¼ cup of oil in a wok until hot but not yet smoking. Add the chillies and Sichuan pepper and stir-fry until they are fragrant and the chillies are just beginning to brown (take care not to burn them). Then immediately tip the spices into a bowl, pouring the oil in another bowl (for use later).

When they have cooled down a little, tip them on to a chopping board, and chop them finely. Set them aside to use later.

Chop the napa cabbage, celtuce, garlic greens, and chinese celery.

Heat 3 tablespoons of remaining chili oil in the wok over a high flame, until just beginning to smoke. add the vegetables and stir-fry for a minute or two, adding 1/4-1/2 teaspoon of salt and chicken broth to taste, until they are hot and just cooked but still crunchy (80% done). Pour into a bowl and set aside.

In the same wok, add the remaining chili oil, tip in the Pixian bean paste and stir-fry for about 30 seconds, until the oil is red and fragrant. Add the chili powder, stock and the light soy sauce, fermented sweet rice, season to taste with salt, and return to the boil over a high flame. When the sauce is boiling vigorously, drop in the beef slices. Wait for the sauce to return to the boil and then use a pair of chopsticks to gently separate the slices. Simmer for 4 -5 minute or so, until the beef is just cooked, and then spoon it on to the waiting vegetables.

Swiftly rinse out the wok and dry it well. Heat another 4 tablespoons of oil in the wok until smoking. Sprinkle the chopped chillies and Sichuan pepper over the beef dish and then pour over the smoking oil, which will sizzle dramatically. If you move quickly, the dish will still be fizzing when you bring it to the table.

Top with chopped cilantro and serve hot.

1. You can rinse the dried chili with water, it is not easy to burn when stir-fry. 2. If the soup is not strong enough, you can add water + starch slurry in the pot when boiling the meat slices. 3. When marinating the beef, add a little ground peppercorn or peppercorn oil, the taste of meat will be richer and tender.