topic Re: Chef Chu's Szechuan Beef in Recipes

Chef Chu's Szechuan Beef

sfnative — Tue, 09 Feb 2016 01:45:08 GMT

Here's a wonderful recipe I make occasionally. It is not a "throw in the pan and be done in 5 minutes" type of dish. But, for those of us who enjoy Chinese food and wish to increase our recipe stash at home, this is a good one. (Chef Chu's cooking classes were great!)

Szechuan Beef – Chef Chu

Strips of marinated beef are deep-fried twice to create a light, crispy texture on the outside. Just before serving, the beef is hot-mixed in a tangy sauce made with garlic, ginger, soy sauce and red rice vinegar, then served on top of puffy rice noodles.

Makes: 6-8 servings

Cooking Time: 15 minutes

1 pound flank steak or hot iron steak

Marinade

2 tsp light or regular soy sauce

1 egg white

1 Tbs cornstarch

1 Tbs vegetable oil

Batter

½ cup cornstarch

¼ cup water

Vegetable oil, for blanching

2 ounces rice sticks

Sauce

5 Tbs soy sauce

¼ cup water or chicken broth

1 Tbs red rice vinegar (or red wine vinegar)

1 Tbs sugar

½ tsp minced fresh ginger

1 large clove garlic, minced or pressed

Cornstarch paste

1-1/2 tsp hot chile oil

½ tsp sesame oil

1 green onion (including top), chopped

Cut flank steak against the grain into ¼ by 1 to 1.5 inch thick slices. Combine with MARINADE ingredients in the order listed, mixing well. Let stand for 10 minutes. Combine cornstarch and water to make a paste; set aside.
To deep fry: Heat 4 cups oil in a wok or electric deep fat fryer to 350. Dip beef slices, a few at a time, into cornstarch paste and then deep-fry in oil until a hard crust is formed. Remove, drain, and keep oil warm. Skim oil for any leftover crust and discard. Combine SAUCE ingredients thoroughly; set aside.
To deep fry again: Bring oil back to 350. Add beef all at once and fry for about 1 minute until hard crust forms again. Remove and drain.
To hot mix: Remove all but 3 Tbs oil from wok. Add ginger and garlic, cooking until fragrant. Stir in sauce, bring to a boil and thicken with 1 Tbs cornstarch paste until the consistency of syrup is reached. Sprinkle with chili oil and sesame oil. Return beef to wok and toss with green onion. Mix well and serve on top of rice sticks.
To Serve: Toss beef with rice sticks at the table.

Re: Chef Chu's Szechuan Beef

blackhole99 — Tue, 09 Feb 2016 02:26:34 GMT

We love Chinese, sounds really good and does not seem difficult to make, thanks for the recipe.

Re: Chef Chu's Szechuan Beef

Ruthie-Roo — Tue, 09 Feb 2016 03:09:23 GMT

Sfnative, THANKS!! Wow, that looks super. I've never heard of Chef Chu. I am nuts for Chinese/Asian food. I'm fond of Szechuan dishes, mmmm. If you have anymore recipes, please feel free to share them, if posdible. Thank you. :-)

Re: Chef Chu's Szechuan Beef

QSuzy — Fri, 19 Feb 2016 19:08:22 GMT

I purchase a cookbook by Chef Chu many years ago. It is my go-to for chinese at home. We have had the Roast Pork and Szechuan Dry Braised Shrimp MANY times!! Highly recommend the book...can be found very reasonably priced (25 cents plus shipping!!) on amazon!

http://www.amazon.com/Chef-Chus-Distinctive-Cuisine-China/dp/0060915056/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1455908621&sr=8-1&keywords=chef+chu%27s+cookbook

Re: Chef Chu's Szechuan Beef

Honeybit — Sun, 21 Feb 2016 00:34:24 GMT

@QSuzy Thanks for the info on your book along with the link. I'm looking for a good Chinese cookbook.