What Kind of Beef Is Best to Make Hunan Beef

You may take ordered Hunan Beef from your local takeout joint before.

The Americanized version is pretty variable, depending on who'southward making it. I one time asked my father and other Chinese restaurant chefs—what's the deal with Hunan Beefiness? Even they confessed to not know much nigh information technology other than the way that particular restaurant prepared it!

Americanized Hunan Beefiness vs. Authentic Hunan Beef

Let's set the record straight. There's an Americanized way to set Hunan Beef, and an authentic Chinese way.

This is—y'all guessed information technology—an authentic Chinese Hunan Beef recipe, so you all can gustatory modality what Hunan Beef should really be like!

In my opinion, the Chinese American version is too often the same as any other brown sauce stir-fry (like beef with mixed vegetables, beef with string beans, etc.), and merely non every bit tasty every bit what you can discover in China.

Most Chinese takeout restaurants simply add peppers, a few dried chili peppers, and chili oil to a basic Chinese stir-fry sauce . While Hunan Province is known for its honey of spicy peppers, though, adding a few peppers to the dish does not brand it authentic Hunan!

Hunan Beef in Communist china is usually smoky and spicy. Dry out smoked beefiness is a specialty of the region. Near like beefiness jerky, this beef is reinvigorated when it hits a wok full of peppers and fermented black beans.

It's a hard-to-find ingredient (a local and incredibly authentic Hunan restaurant in our area makes their own!), so nosotros're using regular beefiness and lightly frying it to create that dry out, crispy texture.

Trust us. If you lot requite this dish a try, you lot'll have a real gustation of China correct in your kitchen!

What's the Difference Between Hunan and Sichuan (Szechuan) Cooking?

While Hunan and Sichuan cooking both brand liberal use of chili peppers, at that place are some key differences. Many of you are familiar with Sichuan cooking (information technology's grown in popularity outside of China in contempo years), but you might exist scratching your heads virtually what exactly Hunan cooking is like.

The key difference is that alongside chili peppers, Sichuan cooking often uses the flavor of numbing Sichuan peppercorns (in a dish of spicy numbing Mapo Tofu, for example). In Hunan cooking, spicy peppers are used without a numbing amanuensis, creating a " gan la " (干辣) or "dry spicy" flavour rather than " ma la" (麻辣) or spicy numbing flavor.

Hunan dishes are more purely spicy, with stale, fresh, and/or pickled peppers used to add depth and variation, forth with lots of garlic, fresh ginger, fermented black beans, other pickled ingredients (similar pickled long beans ), and cured/smoked ingredients. Well-nigh authentic Hunan stir fry dishes too do not accept much sauce, making them drier than many Sichuan dishes, which utilize more oil.

As a result, it's well known amongst Chinese people that Hunan dishes tin can actually be spicier than those from Sichuan! (Those of you who've sweated over Sichuan nutrient are probably in disbelief right now.)

To try more Hunan dishes in addition to this ane, here are some of our other Hunan recipes:

• Hunan Pork and Tofu
• Hunan-Style Whole Steamed Fish
• Hunan-Fashion Eggplant
• Pickled Long Beans with Pork
• Eggplant Cord Bean Stir-fry
• Steamed Duo Jiao Fish

Picking Your Peppers

Ever since we started the blog, the pepper-loving community has really kept united states on our toes about pepper varieties and spice levels!

Peppers are vital to Hunan Beef, but the peppers you use are a matter of personal preference. We like to use a variety—both spicy and sweetness. Poblano and The netherlands peppers are mild, just if y'all desire more spice, you tin add Fresnos or jalapeños to the mix. Nosotros had a dandy pepper crop in our garden this yr, so nosotros used a mix of what we had!

Recollect that the add-on of the dried chili peppers tin add a lot of spice (besides depending on whether you chop them to release the seeds inside or leave them whole), and so y'all'll want to consider those factors as well.

Hunan Beefiness Recipe Instructions

Stride i: Marinate the Beef

In a medium basin, combine the sliced flank steak with the blistering soda, water and oyster sauce . Massage these ingredients into the beefiness until any liquid has been captivated past the meat. Marinate for 30 minutes. For more data on preparing beefiness, see Bill's mail on How to Piece and Velvet Beef for stir fries.

Next, lightly dredge all of the beefiness slices in cornstarch. Ready aside until prepare to fry.

This technique is similar to what we do in our Mongolian Beef to create a crispy crust, but for more than details on marinating beef, see our post on How to Prepare Beef for Stir Fry.

Step two: Set Peppers

Slice all the fresh peppers crosswise into thin slices on the diagonal. Set aside the dried ruby-red peppers. Do non interruption them open or chop unless you lot desire a very spicy Hunan Beef!

At this fourth dimension, you may as well want to prepare the other ingredients––the shallots, ginger, garlic, black beans, and scallions.

Step iii: Prepare Sauce

Stir the sugar into 2 tablespoons of hot water until dissolved. Add the Chinese blackness vinegar, soy sauce, and ground white pepper. Mix until well combined and prepare aside.

Step 4: Fry the Beefiness

Estrus your wok over high heat until smoking. Spread ⅓ cup oil around the wok, and sear the beef in three batches on both sides until browned and slightly crispy on the outside.

Exist sure the wok and oil are hot each fourth dimension y'all add together a batch of beefiness.

Bleed the crispy beef by moving it up to the side of the wok.

The oil will drain to the bottom and y'all can then transfer the beef to a sheet pan or plate. No demand for paper towels or wire racks!

After frying the beef, leave about two tablespoons of the oil in the wok, and remove whatever excess. If your wok got burned in the frying process, this is a good time to launder information technology. While you desire the beef flavour from frying, yous definitely don't desire burned bits in the stir-fry if you got carried away with the oestrus during frying.

Step v: Assemble the Hunan Beef

Gear up the wok over medium heat. Add together the sliced ginger and fry until caramelized, about thirty seconds.

Side by side, add the shallots.

Go along to fry for another 30 seconds, and add the fresh peppers (except for the red holland or fresno peppers). Plow the heat up to high and stir-fry for 1 minute to get a nice sear on the peppers.

Clear a section on the bottom of the wok, and add the dried chili peppers. Let them toast in the oil for twenty seconds. (If you want your dish spicier, add the dried chili peppers earlier, along with the shallots.)

Next, pour the Shaoxing wine around the perimeter of the wok. Add the sliced garlic , fermented black beans, and the ruby-red Holland or Fresno peppers. Stir-fry for another 30 to threescore seconds on high rut.

Next, add the fried beef…

And pour over the pre-prepared sauce.

Maintain the highest estrus possible and stir-fry everything together for 20 seconds. Add the scallions.

Proceed to stir fry until well-nigh––if not all––of the sauce has evaporated. Remember that most authentic Hunan stir-fried dishes are relatively dry out, without any pools of sauce.

Serve your spicy Hunan Beef with steamed rice and savour!

Prep: xl minutes

Cook: 20 minutes

Total: 1 hour

For the beef:

• ▢ one pound flank steak (sliced i/four-inch thick)
• ▢ 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• ▢ ii tablespoons water
• ▢ 1 teaspoon oyster sauce
• ▢ 1/3 cup cornstarch

Preparation:

• In a medium basin, combine the sliced flank steak with the baking soda, water and oyster sauce. Massage these ingredients into the beef until any liquid has been captivated by the meat. Marinate for thirty minutes.

• Lightly dredge all of the beef slices in cornstarch. Ready aside until prepare to fry.

• Piece all the fresh peppers crosswise into thin slices on the diagonal. Set aside the dried red peppers. Exercise non break them open or chop unless yous want a very spicy Hunan Beef!

• Stir the carbohydrate into 2 tablespoons of hot water until dissolved. Add the Chinese blackness vinegar, soy sauce, and footing white pepper. Mix until well combined and prepare aside.

• Oestrus your wok over high heat until smoking. Spread ⅓ cup oil around the wok, and sear the beef in 3 batches on both sides until browned and slightly crispy on the exterior. Be certain the wok and oil are hot each time yous add a batch of beef.

• Bleed the crispy beef by moving it upwards to the side of the wok. The oil will drain to the bottom and you lot can then transfer the beef to a sheet pan or plate. No need for paper towels or wire racks!

• Afterwards frying the beef, leave well-nigh two tablespoons of the oil in the wok, and remove whatsoever excess. If your wok got burned in the frying process, this is a good time to launder it. While you want the beef season from frying, y'all definitely don't want burned $.25 in the stir-fry if you got carried away with the heat during frying.

Assembling the stir-fry:

• Set the wok over medium heat. Add together the sliced ginger and fry until caramelized, about thirty seconds.

• Adjacent, add the shallots. Continue to fry for another thirty seconds, and add the fresh peppers (except for the blood-red kingdom of the netherlands or fresno peppers). Turn the heat up to high and stir-fry for i minute to get a nice sear on the peppers.

• Clear a section on the bottom of the wok, and add the dried chili peppers. Let them toast in the oil for twenty seconds. (If you want your dish spicier, add the stale chili peppers earlier, along with the shallots.)

• Next, pour the Shaoxing vino effectually the perimeter of the wok. Add the sliced garlic, fermented black beans, and the cherry Holland or Fresno peppers. Stir-fry for another 30 to threescore seconds on loftier heat.

• Next, add the fried beef and pour over the pre-prepared sauce. Maintain the highest rut possible and stir-fry everything together for 20 seconds. Add together the scallions. Keep to stir fry until well-nigh––if not all––of the sauce has evaporated.

Calories: 360 kcal (eighteen%) Carbohydrates: twenty g (7%) Protein: 28 g (56%) Fatty: 18 g (28%) Saturated Fatty: 11 grand (55%) Cholesterol: 68 mg (23%) Sodium: 812 mg (34%) Potassium: 619 mg (eighteen%) Fiber: 3 m (12%) Sugar: iv one thousand (4%) Vitamin A: 1490 IU (30%) Vitamin C: 85 mg (103%) Calcium: 38 mg (4%) Iron: 3 mg (17%)

nutritional info disclaimer

TheWoksofLife.com is written and produced for advisory purposes only. While we do our best to provide nutritional information as a general guideline to our readers, we are not certified nutritionists, and the values provided should be considered estimates. Factors such equally brands purchased, natural variations in fresh ingredients, etc. will change the nutritional information in whatsoever recipe. Diverse online calculators also provide different results, depending on their sources. To obtain authentic nutritional data for a recipe, use your preferred nutrition calculator to determine nutritional information with the actual ingredients and quantities used.

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