Sichuan Boiled Meat Slices

水煮肉片

Chinese
Published

July 22, 2024

Sichuan Boiled Meat Slices (水煮肉片) is a famous Sichuan spicy dish. I referred to various recipes from Chef Wang Gang, Sui Bian and have tried it dozens of times.

Serving Suggestions

This dish is best served hot in the bowl it’s cooked in. It is a very flavourful and spicy dish, usually served as a shared main dish for 2-3 people, accompanied by steamed rice. Note that this dish is quite spicy and can hardly be made too mild, so it may not be suitable for everyone.

Checklist

Main Ingredient

Main Ingredient Amount Comments Alternatives
Tenderloin 100 g - Pork or beef. Alternatively, Sirloin steak in British supermarket
Vegetables 30-40 g Make your own choice Common choices: celery, bean sprouts, celtuce, thin tofu skin

Supporting Ingredient

Supporting Ingredient Amount Comments Alternatives
Dried chilli Adjust to taste To make knife-chopped chilli. Use the right type for authentic flavour Preferably Erjingtiao (二荆条), mixed with small amount of Bird’s eye chilli (朝天椒)
Sichuan peppercorn Adjust to taste To make knife-chopped chilli. -
Garlic 1 clove To cook soup and hot oil garnish in the end -
Ginger 0.25-0.5 pcs To cook soup -
Egg white 0.5 pcs For marinating meat
Spring onion (小葱) 5 cm To garnish in the end -

Seasoning

Seasoning Amount Comments Alternatives
Sichuan soybean paste (豆瓣酱) 1 tbsp The key flavour -
Beef tallow hotpot base (牛油火锅底料) For extra flavour Optional
Starch 1.5-2.5 tbsp For marinating meat and thickening soup
Light soy sauce 1 tbsp For marinating meat and seasoning soup
Dark soy sauce 0.5 tbsp For marinating meat
White pepper powder 1 tsp For seasoning soup
MSG 0.5 tsp For seasoning soup Optional
Oil 4 tbsp To marinate meat, cook soup, fry chilli and pour hot oil in the end. This dish needs a lot of oil
Salt Adjust to taste -

Cooking Tools

Cooking Tools Comments Alternatives
Wok For cooking the dish
Sauce pan For making hot oil
Cutting board For cutting meat, vegetables and supporting ingredients -
Knife For cutting meat, vegetables and supporting ingredients -
Large container For preparing vegetables -
Mixing bowl For marinating meat slices -
Small bowl For mixing starch slurry -
Slotted spoon For taking out boiled vegetables from soup -
Large deep bowl For containing cooked vegetables and serving the dish -

Method

flowchart TD
    prepare-meat([Prepare meat, 10 min]) --> marinate-meat-slices([Marinate meat slices, 15-20 min])
    prepare-vegetables([Prepare vegetables, 5-10 min]) --> boil-vegetables[Boil vegetables, 5-10 min]
    fry-dried-chilli-sichuan-peppercorn[Fry dried chilli & Sichuan peppercorn, 5 min]-->prepare-knife-chopped-chilli([Prepare knife-chopped chilli, 10 min])
    prepare-knife-chopped-chilli --> boil-vegetables
    prepare-knife-chopped-chilli --> garnish-pour-hot-oil
    marinate-meat-slices --> boil-meat-slices[Boil meat slices, 5-10 min]

    boil-vegetables --> boil-meat-slices
    boil-meat-slices --> garnish-pour-hot-oil[Garnish & pour hot oil, 10 min]
    
    class prepare-meat cold
    class marinate-meat-slices long-cold
    class prepare-vegetables cold
    class fry-dried-chilli-sichuan-peppercorn cook
    class prepare-knife-chopped-chilli cold
    class boil-vegetables cook
    class boil-meat-slices cook
    class garnish-pour-hot-oil cook


    classDef cold fill:#90EE90
    classDef long-cold fill:#80d9ff
    classDef cook fill:#FFB6C1
    classDef long-cook fill:#FFA500

The estimated time is for serving 2-3 people. Total estimated time: 1-1.5 hours.

Preparation

Preparation Step Action Wait Until Tips
Prepare meat wash and dry, slice tenderloin thinly against the grain - Slightly freeze the meat beforehand for easier slicing
Marinate meat slices Prepare starch slurry - Extra slurry for thickening the soup
Mix sliced meat with salt, light soy sauce, dark soy sauce, egg white, starch slurry, and oil 15-20 mins when meat is tenderized Keep mixing when adding
Prepare vegetables Wash and cut vegetables into bite-sized pieces - -
Prepare supporting ingredients Wash and cut garlic (half slices half minced), ginger (minced) and spring onion (cut) - -
Prepare knife-chopped chilli (刀口辣椒) Use a knife to roughly chop fried dried chilli and Sichuan peppercorns into small pieces - Press the chillies with knife blade to prevent them from flying around

Cooking

Cooking Step Action Wait Until Tips
Fry dried chilli and Sichuan peppercorn Mix dried chilli and Sichuan peppercorn with oil, fry in low heat Till fragrant and crispy
Boil vegetables Heat oil Till 60% oil heat -
Stir-fry garlic slices, ginger slices and Sichuan soybean paste Till fragrant -
Stir-fry half knife-chopped chilli Till fragrant -
Add water, bring to boil Boiling -
Seasoning the water with salt, light soy sauce, MSG, white pepper powder - Taste the soup base and adjust seasoning
Add vegetables Vegetables are cooked Adjust cooking time based on vegetable type, do not overcook
Bring vegetables to the bottom of serving bowl - -
Boil meat slices Add marinated meat slices, cook Meat slices are cooked Stir gently to avoid breaking meat slices
Add starch slurry gradually to thicken soup Soup thickens slightly Optional, keep gently stirring while adding slurry to avoid lumps
Ladle soup and meat slices into serving bowl - -
Garnish & pour hot oil Heat oil Till nearly smoking Be extra cautious!
Lay a layer of the rest of knife-chopped chilli and garlic mince on top - -
Pour hot oil over the beef slices in the serving bowl - Be careful while pouring hot oil
Garnish with chopped spring onion greens - Do not pour hot oil on the spring onions or it’ll taste stinky
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