Sichuan beef and black bean

Add a little heat to this beef stir-fry with a few spoonfuls of doubanjiang - a Sichuan chilli bean paste packed with heat, umami and fermented funk. Capsicum and celery adds crunch and freshness and a little sprinkling of fermented black beans packs this stir-fry with an unforgettable flavour punch.

Credit: Jiwon Kim

• serves

  4

• prep

  10 minutes

• cook

  10 minutes

• difficulty

  Easy

Stream free On Demand

The Cook Up with Adam Liaw

series • 

Cooking

PG

series • 

Cooking

PG

Ingredients

• 4 tbsp vegetable oil
• 2 ginger slices
• 2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
• 6 dried red chillies, cut into 2 cm lengths
• 2 tbsp Sichuan chilli bean paste (doubanjiang)
• 1 tbsp fermented black beans
• 6-8 spring onions, cut into 5 cm lengths, plus spring onion curls to serve
• ½ red capsicum, cut into 5 cm x 2 cm pieces
• 2 celery stalks, peeled and thinly sliced on a sharp diagonal
• 1 tsp light soy sauce
• ½ tsp sugar
• 1 tsp cornstarch mixed with ¼ cup of cold water

For the beef marinade

• 500 g beef topside, very thinly sliced
• ½ tsp cornstarch
• 1 tsp sesame oil
• 1 tsp soy sauce
• 1 tsp Shaoxing wine
• ¼ tsp baking soda

Marinating time: 10 minutes

Instructions

1. In a medium bowl, combine the ingredients for the beef marinade. Allow to stand for 10 minutes. Heat a large wok or frying pan over high heat, then add 2 tbsp vegetable oil. Stir-fry the beef in batches until browned, then remove from the heat. Rinse out the pan and return to the heat.
2. Add the remaining oil to the pan, then add the ginger and garlic. Stir-fry for a few seconds, then add the dried chillies and toss for a few seconds. Add the chilli bean paste and black beans and fry for a further 30 seconds, or until fragrant. Add the spring onion, capsicum and celery and stir-fry for a further 2 minutes, or until just softened. Return the beef to the pan and add the soy sauce and sugar. Stir-fry for a further minute, then add a little of the cornstarch slurry and toss to thicken to your desired sauce consistency. Remove from the heat, top with spring onion curls and serve.

Want more from The Cook Up? Stream all the seasons here and for free at SBS On Demand.

Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.