Sichuan Red-Braised Beef
This spicy, red-braised Sichuan beef has all of the spicy-salty-savory-umami flavors we love in Sichuan cooking.
- Makes4 to 6 servings
- Cook Time3 hours
- Active time plus cooling45 minutes active
- 7
Fuchsia Dunlop taught us to make spicy Sichuan red-braised beef during a visit to her home in London. She explained that red-braising is a common Chinese cooking technique, but in the Sichuan kitchen, instead of soy, toban djan is the ingredient that lends both flavor and color. Dunlop demonstrated her recipe for hongshao niurou from her book “The Food of Sichuan”; this adaptation is our simplified version. Toban djan, a fermented paste made with salted chilies and beans and sometimes other seasonings, supplies deep savoriness and loads of umami. Look for it in jars in the international aisle of supermarkets or in Asian grocery stores. If you can’t find it, ¼ cup red miso mixed with 3 tablespoons chili-garlic sauce is a decent substitute. If you’ll be shopping at an Asian market, also look for black cardamom pods. With smoky notes and hints of menthol, the spice has a flavor that’s markedly different from more widely available green cardamom and white cardamom, so do not substitute with these varieties. If black cardamom is not an option, simply omit it—the stew will still be delicious. Serve with steamed rice or, Dunlop says, even mashed potatoes.
Don’t forget to uncover the pot after 1½ hours of oven-braising. Simmering without the lid toward the end of cooking allows the braising liquid to reduce, resulting in a richer consistency and concentration. Uncovered cooking also encourages surface browning, for greater depth and complexity of flavor.
Step 1
Heat the oven to 350°F with a rack in the lower-middle position. In a large Dutch oven over medium, heat the oil until shimmering. Add the chili-bean sauce, ginger, star anise, black cardamom (if using) and Sichuan pepper; cook, stirring, until the oil turns red and the mixture is fragrant, 1½ to 2 minutes. Add the wine and cook, scraping up any browned bits, until most of the liquid has evaporated, about 1 minute. Stir in the beef, soy sauce, scallion whites and 5 cups water. Bring to a simmer over medium-high, then cover, transfer to the oven and cook for 1½ hours.
Step 2
Meanwhile, peel the carrots, then roll-cut them: Set a carrot on a cutting board and, with a chef’s knife held at a 45 degree angle to the carrot, trim off and discard the tip. Roll the carrot one-quarter turn and, with the knife still at the same angle, make another cut. Continue rolling and cutting until you reach the end of the carrot; discard the top. Repeat with the remaining carrots; set aside.
Step 3
Remove the pot from the oven. Stir, then return to the oven uncovered. Cook until a skewer inserted into the beef meets no resistance and the meat is lightly browned, about 30 minutes. Stir in the carrots and cook in the oven, uncovered, until the carrots are tender, about 20 minutes.
Step 4
Remove the pot from the oven, then remove and discard the ginger, star anise and cardamom pods (if used). Taste and season with salt and black pepper and, if desired, stir in additional chili-bean sauce. Serve sprinkled with the scallion greens and cilantro sprigs. Offer chili oil for drizzling to taste.
