Savory, fresh, and numbing-spicy with rich garlic aroma; the rice flour is fragrant and sticky, and the beef is tender and soft.
Steamed Beef with Rice Flour is one of Sichuan's traditional famous snacks. On bustling streets amid surging crowds, steaming baskets of beef arrive before you—bright red chili powder, vibrant green scallions and cilantro, a touch of pale yellow garlic sauce, and dark Sichuan peppercorn powder scattered on top. As you lean in, a complex blend of aromas rushes forward; your fingers tremble with anticipation as you grab your chopsticks, ready to take that first bite. To ensure the beef is fully infused with flavor, marinate it with seasonings on the stronger side rather than too mild, and steam it longer rather than shorter.
Ingredients
Main Ingredients
500 g (about 1 lb) beef leg meat
This dish is not too particular about the cut of beef, as it will be steamed until tender and soft—just avoid pieces with sinew or too much fat.
Ingredients for rice flour
100 g (about 1/2 cup) rice
1 g (about 1/2 teaspoon) five-spice powder
2 g salt
Marinade
20 g (about 2 tablespoons) Sichuan Pixian broad bean paste
soy sauce 10 g (about 2 teaspoons)
15 g (about 1 tablespoon) fermented rice wine
20 g (about 1.5 tablespoons) fermented bean curd juice
10 g (about 2 teaspoons) yellow rice wine
5 g (about 1 tablespoon) brown sugar
1 g salt
a small amount of water
Other Seasonings
Scallions, ginger, garlic, and cilantro - each to taste
40 Sichuan peppercorns
Sichuan peppercorn powder and chili powder, each to taste
Instructions
Instructions
Preparation
Step 1: Slice the beef into large pieces about 0.5 cm (1/4 inch) thick and set aside (see image 2).
*When slicing the beef, be sure to cut perpendicular to the grain; if you cut along the grain, the meat will not become tender after steaming.
② Finely chop the Sichuan peppercorns together with some scallions using a knife (Image 3), mince the ginger, mash the garlic into a paste and mix with a little water to make garlic juice, then set aside.
*Chopping is a knife technique where, as the name suggests, you place the tip of the knife on the cutting board and use the middle to back part of the blade to chop the ingredients up and down, keeping the knife tip on the board the entire time. By chopping Sichuan peppercorns and scallions together, their flavors fully meld, resulting in a better taste than simply mixing ground peppercorns with chopped scallions; when chopping, the peppercorns tend to scatter, so adding a few drops of sesame oil or water prevents them from flying off.
Marinate the beef with soy sauce, cooking wine, and ginger slices for 15 minutes.
③ Place the beef in a bowl, first mix in the chopped Sichuan peppercorns, scallions, and ginger (Image 4), then add the marinating seasonings, stir until fully combined, and let it sit for about half an hour (Image 5).
*Finely chop the Pixian broad bean paste. The amount of water added to the marinade should be just enough for the rice flour to absorb.
*After seasoning, taste it to check if the saltiness is sufficient.
Stir-fry the rice flour until lightly golden and fragrant.
Soak the rice for half an hour, drain the water, then dry-fry over low heat until light golden brown (Image 6). Add five-spice powder and salt, then grind into a coarse powder and set aside (Image 7).
When stir-frying the rice flour, the rice is still damp so it may stick to the pan at first, but after a bit of stirring it will be fine.
*If using a machine to grind the rice, do not grind it too fine—stop when it reaches small granules, as a powdery texture results in poor mouthfeel. You can also crush the rice using a mortar and pestle.
*Compared to store-bought rice flour, homemade toasted rice flour is cleaner and healthier.
Coat the beef with rice flour and steam.
⑤ Mix the rice flour into the beef until evenly coated (Image 8), then transfer to a shallow bowl and steam over high heat for 1.5 to 2 hours (Image 9). Once done, remove from the steamer and sprinkle with chili powder, Sichuan peppercorn powder, garlic juice, chopped scallions, and cilantro before serving.
*Mix the rice flour and beef until no more water seeps out; you can add a little oil to prevent the slices from sticking together and to make the meat more tender. Drizzle the garlic juice on at the end for a burst of flavor!
This recipe is versatile and can be adapted to your preferences.
The same method can also be used to steam lamb, pork, chicken on the bone, and more. Note that if steaming pork, it's best to use pork belly, and place sweet potatoes coated in rice flour underneath the meat to absorb the fat and enhance the flavor.
A lazy cook's trick
To save time and energy, you can also use a pressure cooker to steam the beef for about 30 minutes. However, the flavor won't be quite as rich as when it's steamed slowly.