Cantonese Black Pepper Beef
Ingredients: Lee Kum Kee Black Pepper Sauce, whole black peppercorns, douchi (black fermented soybeans), soy sauce, garlic powder · 30 min cook time · 485kcal · $10.20
Ingredients
2.5tbsp Lee Kum Kee Black Pepper Sauce, 1.5tbsp whole black peppercorns, 0.5tbsp douchi (black fermented soybeans), 0.5tbsp soy sauce, 11/16 tsp garlic powder, 11/16 tsp onion powder, 0.125tsp MSG, 2tbsp peanut oil, 0.125cup minced onion, 0.5ea minced shallot, 4cloves minced garlic, 0.5ea fresh mild chili, 1tbsp oyster sauce, 150ml water, 0.5tbsp sugar, 0.5tsp salt, 4cloves garlic, 1inch ginger, 4stalks scallions (white portion), 0.25ea onion, 0.5ea green mild chili, 0.5ea red mild chili, 140g beef loin/flank/round, 0.25tsp papain powder (or sodium carbonate/baking soda), 2tbsp water, 1tsp sugar, 1tsp cornstarch, 1tsp Shaoxing wine, 0.5tsp dark soy sauce, 1tsp oil, 2cups peanut oil, 3tbsp water, 2tbsp Cantonese rice wine (or sake), 0.5tbsp cornstarch slurry
Instructions
1. To fix Lee Kum Kee sauce: Grind 1.5 tbsp whole black peppercorns. Pound 0.5 tbsp douchi (optional). Combine 2.5 tbsp Lee Kum Kee sauce with the ground pepper, pounded douchi, 0.5 tbsp soy sauce, 1/16 tsp garlic powder, 1/16 tsp onion powder, and 1/8 tsp MSG. Mix well.
2. To make homemade black pepper sauce: Pound 15g douchi and set aside. Over medium-low heat, fry 1/8 cup finely minced onion in 2 tbsp peanut oil until softened (about 3 minutes). Add 0.5 shallot and 4 cloves minced garlic, fry for another minute. Add 0.5 fresh mild chili and mashed douchi, fry for 1-2 minutes until fragrant.
3. Add 1 tbsp soy sauce, 1 tbsp oyster sauce, and 50g pounded black pepper. Fry for about a minute until it starts to clump. Add 150ml water and cook over low heat for about 5 minutes until it reduces to a pasty consistency. Season with 0.5 tbsp sugar, 0.5 tsp salt, and 1 tsp MSG. Mix well and jar it up.
4. Prepare the sauce for stir-fry: Mix your chosen black pepper sauce (homemade, fixed Lee Kum Kee, or Heinz) with 3 tbsp water and set aside.
5. Prepare aromatics: Crush 4 cloves garlic. Slice 1 inch of ginger. Cut the white portion of 4 scallions into 2-inch sections. Cut 1/4 onion into 1-inch chunks. Cut 0.5 green mild chili and 0.5 red mild chili into diamonds.
6. Prepare beef: Slice 140g beef loin/flank/round thinly. Mix 0.25 tsp papain powder (or sodium carbonate/baking soda) with 2 tbsp water. Mix this into the beef until absorbed. Add 0.5 tsp salt, 1 tsp sugar, 1 tsp cornstarch (mixed with 1 tsp Shaoxing wine to avoid clumps), 0.5 tsp dark soy sauce. Mix well. Finish with 1 tsp oil and set aside.
7. Pass beef through oil (restaurant method): Fill a wok with 2 cups of oil. Heat to about 150°C. Toss in the beef, jiggle, and cook for about 20 seconds over max flame until it changes color. Dip out and drain.
8. Oily pre-fry (alternative to passing through oil): Longyao the wok. Get it piping hot, turn off the heat. Add 4 tbsp oil and swirl to get a non-stick surface. Turn the flame to high, heat the oil until rapidly bubbling around chopsticks. Toss in the beef. Stir-fry for about 30 seconds until beef changes color and drain.
9. Final stir-fry: Heat a cast iron hot plate (or skillet) over high flame. Longyao the wok. Get it piping hot, turn off the heat. Add 1.5 tbsp peanut oil and swirl. Toss in the beef and aromatics. Turn the flame back on high. Give it a super brief mix. Pour 2 tbsp Cantonese rice wine over your spatula and around the sides of the wok.
10. Immediately add the pepper sauce water mixture and quick fry for about 15 seconds. Toss in 1 tsp dark soy sauce and a slurry of 0.5 tbsp cornstarch mixed with an equal amount of water. Another quick mix. Finish with another 1.5 tbsp peanut oil. Turn off the heat, give a final brief mix. Move the stir-fry onto aluminum foil.
11. Wrap the aluminum foil around the beef and aromatics. Place the wrapped foil onto the now absurdly hot cast iron hot plate. Move to your table and serve.
Source: Watch the original video