In our family, I’m notoriously finicky when it comes to eating out. Maybe I’m a tiger mom when it comes to most restaurants out there, but I find that a lot of them just serve mediocre food! Dry Fried Sichuan Beef (干煸牛肉, gan bian niu rou) is a great example of that.
Too often, it’s filled with soy sauce and too sweet. Or they use the same pre-made sauce in everything. The so-called Sichuan Dry Fried Beef that results doesn’t taste anything like the original dish! Hence, I don’t usually order it because it’s never executed correctly.
What Sets Our Sichuan Beef Apart
Not surprisingly, others have run into these issues, and a reader requested that we make our version of Dry-fried Sichuan Beef. We jumped at the chance to put our spin on it. I made a few modifications to the traditional recipe, and I’m pretty pleased with the result (which is saying something given the aforementioned tiger mom status). Here’s how this recipe is different:
This Sichuan beef dish usually asks for beef tenderloin. While beef tenderloin is tender, it lacks flavor. Instead, I use flank steak, our top choice for stir-fries. It’s tender and flavorful.
- The beef is usually thinly julienned and marinated, then quickly stir-fried to keep the beef tender, but it’s not the original intent for this dish. Instead, the beef should be browned on high heat to lock in its juices and flavor. Hence, the phrase “dry-fried.”
- I cut the beef slightly thicker to avoid drying it out during the browning process. And the un-marinated beef really helps to give this dish a strong beef flavor, similar to a really good steak!
- Lastly, most restaurants don’t even bother to add Sichuan peppercorns, but it’s a signature flavor of the dish! You can adjust the amount of peppercorns to your taste / tongue-numbing preferences.
BTW, if spicy food isn’t your thing, you can omit the spicy bean sauce/paste and instead substitute regular sweet bean sauce/paste and omit the chili flakes.
Recipe Instructions
Heat the wok over high heat until it starts to smoke. Add 1 tablespoon oil, and coat the wok before adding the beef. Immediately spread the beef in a single layer. (This step will prevent the beef from sticking to your wok.) Brown the beef until the liquid cooks off and the meat is well-seared. This step should take about 2-3 minutes. Remove the beef from the wok, and set aside.
Turn the heat down to low, and add 2 tablespoons of oil to the wok. Crisp the ginger…
And add the spicy bean sauce.
Cook for about a minute until the oil turns red, adjusting the heat as needed to avoid burning.
Next, add the celery, carrot, and cooked beef. Turn the heat up to high, and stir to mix well. Immediately add the Shaoxing wine, sugar, light soy sauce, sesame oil, ground Sichuan peppercorn, chili flakes (optional), and the scallions.
Stir quickly for about a minute and mix everything well.
Transfer to a dish and serve with plenty of rice! You’ll need it.
Dry Fried Sichuan Beef
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons oil
- 12 ounces flank steak (340g, cut into ⅓ inch thick strips)
- 5 slices ginger (julienned)
- 1 tablespoon spicy bean sauce
- 2 stalks celery (julienned)
- 1 small carrot (julienned)
- 1 tablespoon Shaoxing wine
- ¾ teaspoon sugar
- 1 tablespoon light soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- 1 teaspoon ground Sichuan peppercorn
- 1/8 teaspoon chili flakes (optional)
- 2 scallions (julienned)
Instructions
- Heat the wok over high heat until it starts to smoke. Add 1 tablespoon oil, and coat the wok before adding the beef. Immediately spread the beef in a single layer. (This step will prevent the beef from sticking to your wok.) Brown the beef until the liquid cooks off and the meat is well-seared. This step should take about 2-3 minutes. Remove the beef from the wok, and set aside.
- Turn the heat down to low, and add 2 tablespoons of oil to the wok. Crisp the ginger, and add the spicy bean sauce. Cook for about a minute until the oil turns red, adjusting the heat as needed to avoid burning. Next, add the celery, carrot, and cooked beef. Turn the heat up to high, and stir to mix well. Immediately add the Shaoxing wine, sugar, light soy sauce, sesame oil, ground Sichuan peppercorn, chili flakes (optional), and the scallions.
- Stir quickly for about a minute and mix everything well. Transfer to a dish and serve with plenty of rice! You’ll need it.
nutrition facts
I make this recipe regularly. It is so delicious and quick and easy (once everything is prepped). I make it every few weeks and it’s always a hit. I made this for a friend who had never had anything with Szechuan peppercorns before and it absolutely blew his mind. He had 3 helpings! Thanks so much for all your wonderful recipes.
That’s absolutely wonderful, Adriane :-)
This recipe is very flavorful and spicy. The only thing I think could make it better is a bit more sichuan peppercorn. I served it with sauteed bok choy and rice.
So glad you enjoyed it.
Hi there!
I’m looking for a Ginger Beef recipe, which is a Canadian Chinese recipe that we in my house really love. I’m wondering if you’ve ever come acroos this dish? It’s based somewhat loosely on Sichuan Beef, but when i tried to adapt your recipe to approximate the Ginger Beef i grew up enjoying, it just did not come out right!
I’m wondering if you would perhaps be interested in putting up a Ginger Beef recipe? I’m sure there are some out there, but i trust you guys and love everything i’ve tried on your site.
Ginger Beef, as i recall, has beef strips like Orange Beef or Broccoli and Beef, big slices of candied ginger, diced onions, diced pineapple, and green pepper cubes, covered in a quite sweet pinapple-ey sauce. I hope you’ll consider my request.
Hi Donna, what you are describing sounds like the combo of our orange beef and sweet and sour pork :-)
It never ceases to amaze me that familiar ingredients, in perfect balance, yield exceptional results! Thank you for another winner.
You are so welcome, Thomas.
This was SO GOOD. I doubled the recipe and added a bit more salt/sugar to my own preference and it’s fantastic. Numbing heat is spot on.
Just turned my leftovers into fried rice with an egg and chili oil and I feel like a genius.
Thanks for all the wonderful recipes!!!!
LOL…absolutely love it! Thank you for your lovely comment, Angelica.