sichuanese

Note: Both the chili bean paste and the Sichuan Peppercorns can be bought online (follow the links) if you don't have a good Chinese market nearby. Use tofu labeled "silken" in a hardness range of medium to firm. Don't try this with the super-soft stuff or it'll fall apart!

Real-Deal Mapo Tofu Recipe

Sichuan peppercorns, divided (see note)

vegetable oil

cornstarch

water

beef

garlic

ginger

chili bean paste (see note)

Xiaoxing wine

soy sauce

chicken stock

chili oil (see note)

scallion greens

Heat half of sichuan peppercorns in a large wok over high heat until lightly smoking. Transfer to a mortar and pestle. Pound until finely ground and set aside.

Add remaining sichuan peppercorns and vegetable oil to wok. Heat over medium high heat until lightly sizzling, about 1 1/2 minutes. Pick up peppercorns with a wire mesh skimmer and discard, leaving oil in pan.

Combine corn starch and cold water in a small bowl and mix with a fork until homogenous. Bring a medium saucepan of water to a boil over high heat and add tofu. Cook for 1 minute. Drain in a colander, being careful not to break up the tofu.

Heat oil in wok over high heat until smoking. Add beef and cook, stirring constantly for 1 minute. Add garlic and ginger and cook until fragrant, about 15 seconds. Add chili-bean paste, wine, soy sauce, and chicken stock and bring to a boil. Pour in corn starch mixture and cook for 30 seconds until thickened. Add tofu and carefully fold in, being careful not to break it up too much. Stir in chili oil and half of scallions and simmer for 30 seconds longer. Transfer immediately to a serving bowl and sprinkle with remaining scallions and toasted ground Sichuan pepper. Serve immediately with white rice.

This is a typical Sichuan technique for dry-frying beef. Unlike most meat stir-fries, the beef is not marinated; instead it is stir-fried immediately then cooked for a few minutes longer to intensify the beef flavors and to give give the meat a slightly chewy texture.

Spicy Dry-Fried Beef

lean flank steak

carrots

celery

red chilies,

sesame oil

scallions,

salt

pepper

This is a typical Sichuan technique for dry-frying beef. Unlike most meat stir-fries, the beef is not marinated; instead it is stir-fried immediately then cooked for a few minutes longer to intensify the beef flavors and to give give the meat a slightly chewy texture. Even the carrots and celery are stir-fried until they are “dried.” The result is a dish that is a little salty, fiery, and peppery, with a touch of sweetness from the vegetables. I advise using only a wok for this stir-fry. The “dry” technique burns the seasonings into a skillet, making it difficult to wash.

Epicurious

Cut the beef with the grain into 2-inch-wide strips. Cut each strip across the grain into 1/4-inch-thick slices, then stack the beef slices and cut across the grain into 2-inch-long matchsticks.

Heat a 14-inch flat-bottomed wok over high heat until a bead of water vaporizes within 1 to 2 seconds of contact. Swirl in 1 tablespoon of the peanut
oil, add the carrots, celery, and chilies, then, using a metal spatula, stir-fry 1 minute or until the vegetables have absorbed all of the oil. Transfer the vegetables to a plate.

Swirl the remaining 2 tablespoons peanut oil into the wok, carefully add the beef, and spread it evenly in one layer in the wok. Cook undisturbed 1 minute, letting the beef begin to sear. Then stir-fry 1 minute, or until the beef starts to foam and release its juices. Continue stir-frying 2 to 3 minutes or until almost all the liquid has evaporated and the oil begins to sizzle. Reduce the heat to medium and continue stir-frying 3 minutes until the beef is well browned, all the liquid has disappeared, and the wok is almost dry. Swirl the soy sauce into the wok and stir-fry 30 seconds or until well combined. Add the ginger and garlic and stir-fry 10 seconds or until the aromatics are fragrant. Add the carrot mixture and stir-fry 30 seconds or until well combined. Add the sesame oil and scallions and sprinkle on the salt and pepper.

This mapo eggplant recipe swaps out the traditional tofu; eggplant has a similar soft texture but absorbs the rich flavors of the sauce even more.

Mapo Eggplant

Sichuan pepper

Tbsp. neutral oil

dried chiles (such as erjingtiao)

Sichuan rapeseed oil

cassia bark

star anise

cardamom

Tbsp. minced garlic

Tbsp. minced ginger

black beans

Chile Powder

Tbsp. mushroom powder

2⅓ Tbsp. kosher salt

Ground Roasted Sichuan Pepper

Tbsp. toasted sesame oil

Tbsp. fried shallots, store-bought

Tbsp. fried minced garlic, store-bought

neutral oil

(1-inch) pieces ginger, sliced

Ground Chile Powder

sesame seeds

pork (optional)

Chile Oil

Tbsp. doubanjiang

Tbsp. Sichuan Chili Crisp

eggplant,

bone broth or vegetable stock

granulated sugar

Tbsp. water

scallions, green parts only, thinly sliced

1⁄4 tsp. Ground Roasted Sichuan Pepper

White rice or noodles

There are very few things that mapo sauce doesn’t enhance, and eggplant is no exception. This recipe swaps out the traditional tofu for eggplant, which has a similar soft texture but absorbs the rich flavors of the sauce even more. I include ground pork in this recipe, but the doubanjiang adds so much umami that you won’t miss anything without the meat.
Serve the mapo eggplant hot over rice or as a topping over noodles. Leftover chili crisp can be kept in your fridge for up to a year.
This recipe was excerpted from ‘The Book of Sichuan Chili Crisp' by Jing Gao. Buy the full book on Amazon.

Heat a wok or frying pan over low heat and add the Sichuan pepper, stirring with a spatula to toast it evenly. Toast for 3 to 4 minutes, making sure not to burn the pepper. Good Sichuan pepper will still have a lot of its oils and fragrance that will be released as you toast it. Remove the wok from the heat and set it aside to cool.

Using a mortar and pestle or a spice grinder, grind the pepper to a fine powder. You’ll find that the inner husk of the Sichuan pepper is hard to grind and will be quite visible. Since it doesn’t have any flavor, it should ideally be sifted out for the best flavor experience. I usually pass mine through a fine-mesh strainer.

Remove the stems of the chiles and cut them into segments.

In a wok or frying pan over medium-low heat, warm the oil. Add the chiles to the pan, stirring for 3 to 4 minutes, until the chiles smell very aromatic and deepen in color to a bright red. Remove the pan from the heat and let cool.

Using a mortar and pestle or a spice grinder, grind the chiles to a powder. It’s up to you whether to grind them to a fine powder or leave coarse. You can use the ground chiles for chile oil, stir-fries, or many other recipes in this book. Use immediately or store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to a month.

In a wok or frying pan over high heat, warm the oil with the star anise, cassia bark, cardamom, scallions, and ginger, until the spices are bubbling and it reaches 285°F on an instant-read thermometer.

In a heatproof bowl or container, combine the chile powder and sesame seeds. Once the oil is at temperature, remove the solids with a slotted spoon or fine-mesh sieve. Slowly pour the oil over the chile powder and stir. You should see and hear a delightful sizzle and immediately smell the release of fragrance from the chile powder.

Once the chile oil has cooled, transfer to an airtight jar and store in a cool, dark place for up to 3 months. You can use the chile oil right away, but it will taste best after sitting for several days.

In a large wok or frying pan over high heat, warm the rapeseed oil to 350°F on an instant-read thermometer. Add the cassia bark, star anise, and cardamom and fry for 3 to 4 minutes, until their fragrances have been released into the oil. (You’ll know when this has happened when the spices stop bubbling in the oil.) Pour the oil through a fine-mesh strainer and discard the spices.

Add the garlic, ginger, and preserved black beans to the oil and fry for 2 to 3 minutes until fragrant. Bring the oil to 260°F and add the chile powder, mushroom powder, salt, and roasted Sichuan pepper, stirring to combine and making sure the salt is fully dissolved. Remove the wok from the heat and let the ingredients simmer in the hot oil for a few minutes. Stir in the sesame oil, shallots, and garlic. Allow the mixture to cool.

Transfer the sauce to an airtight container and store at room temperature for up to 6 months or in the refrigerator for up to 12 months. You can use the chili crisp right away, but since the flavor develops over time, you’ll find it intensifying after a few days and even more so after a few weeks. Since the solid bits will settle at the bottom, make sure to always mix it up with a spoon before each use!

If using the ground meat, in a wok over high heat, warm the neutral oil. Add the ground meat and stir-fry for 4 to 5 minutes, until fully cooked, fragrant, and slightly crisp on the outside. Transfer to a bowl and set aside.

In the same wok, bring the chile oil to medium heat. Add the garlic and ginger and stir-fry for about 1 minute, until fragrant. Add the doubanjiang and chili crisp and stir-fry for another minute, being careful not to burn the seasonings and aromatics. Then add the eggplant, broth, soy sauce, and sugar and bring the mixture to a boil. Lower the heat to medium low, cover, and simmer for 8 to 10 minutes, until the eggplant is cooked through. Add the ground meat back to the wok, if using.

Meanwhile, make a cornstarch slurry by mixing the cornstarch and cold water together. Add it to the wok a little at a time and gently stir it in. Keep adding the slurry until the sauce thickens. (Depending on the type of cornstarch you’re using, the amount you need to use can vary.)

Transfer everything to a serving plate and garnish with the scallions and ground roasted Sichuan pepper. Serve immediately with white rice or noodles.

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Top 3 sichuanese recipes from across the web

The most viewed sichuanese recipes by Recipe Cart users, saved from over 20,000 sites. Or, go to our Recipe Search Engineic_arrow_forward_48px

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The most viewed sichuanese recipes by Recipe Cart users, saved from over 20,000 sites. Or, go to our Recipe Search Engine