Szechuan Beef

When searching for "Szechuan beef" recipes, there are two variations that turn up: a deliciously saucy stir-fry dish popular in many Chinese-American restaurants, and another spicier version that hails from the eponymous region in China. The latter version incorporates the use of fresh chilis, Szechuan peppercorns, and dry heat to create a crispier result. Our version below, reworked and updated following reader feedback, is a blend of the two that marries the more intense heat of fiery chilis and numbing Szechuan peppercorns with mildly sweet and salty sauciness. 

Szechuan cuisine often employs an incredibly strong heat underneath a wide wok and a vigorous tossing motion to cook food quickly and efficiently, a traditional technique used in dishes like fish fragrant eggplant. Our recipe adapts this technique so that it's easily achievable for the home cook by first searing the meat in batches in a well-oiled skillet, then toasting our spices first in oil to release their aromas before adding in vegetables. For the most tender beef, we recommend freezing your steak for 30 minutes to 1 hour before slicing: a slightly frozen steak will be much easier to slice super thinly. The thinner your slice, the more tender the meat. As always, slice against the grain to avoid undesirable leatheriness in your steak! 

To really bring the heat, we are using four spicy agents: numbing Szechuan peppercorns, both ground and whole; a pour of red chili oil; a big tablespooon of fresh chili paste, like sambal oelek; and 6 to 12 dried red chilis, which you can adjust according to your liking. If you're a chilihead, feel free to crack open those dried chilis or use some fresh Thai chilis to really release a wash of fire into the dish. To tame the heat, we're adding in a tiny touch of sugar, some sweet red bell peppers and carrots, and a tablespoon of hoisin sauce. Hoisin leans on the sweeter side as far as savory condiments go—if you'd like it less sweet, swap it out for an equal amount of oyster sauce, which is deeper in umami flavor and a bit more salty.

This is a flexible recipe: If you like it saucier, add a little more broth or water as needed in the final stages of cooking to create the perfect consistency. If you like your stir-fry to be a little more crispy, hold back some of the broth and add a little more oil to create more of a crispy-fried finish on your beef and veggies. Either way, sprinkle on some sesame seeds and a small handful of green onions and dinner is served! You can eat this on its own, or serve along with rice or steamed veggies. Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days—it's delicious cold or reheated. 

Editor's Note: This introduction to this recipe was updated on August 6, 2020 to include more information about the dish. The recipe has been reworked following feedback from our readers.