Beef with Toothpicks 牙签牛肉 (Yáqiān niúròu) is a famous and traditional dish prepared in the Hunan Baoqing prefecture (Xinhua, Shaoyang) made with beef and dried chili peppers.
The main seasonings are: cumin powder, black pepper, and cornstarch.
According to legend, it was introduced to China from the Middle East during the Ming dynasty.
The Hui settled in the Baoqing prefecture area (Xinhua, Shaoyang), improving the skewers by using bamboo to pierce the meat.
During the Ming dynasty and the beginning of the Qing dynasty, chili peppers entered Sichuan, giving the meat a spicy flavor and rich fat, making the meat tastier.
From the streets and alleys of the ancient city of Xinhua came the cries of vendors: “Buy snowflake meatballs, beef with toothpicks…“
It is preferable to choose fatty and lean beef, as too lean meat would taste slightly dry after frying.
This is the latest recipe from the Chinese version of the blog, our last dish tasted in Hangzhou at a restaurant specializing in spicy dishes, with chili peppers and Sichuan pepper.
Other dishes from Hangzhou are:
- Difficulty: Easy
- Cost: Affordable
- Rest time: 20 Minutes
- Preparation time: 30 Minutes
- Portions: 2 people
- Cooking methods: Frying, Stove
- Cuisine: Chinese
- Seasonality: All seasons
Ingredients
- 14 oz beef
- to taste fresh ginger
- 2 cloves garlic
- 2 dried and fresh chili peppers (from Sichuan)
- 2 tablespoons rice wine
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- to taste Sichuan black pepper
- 1 teaspoon cumin powder
- to taste salt
- to taste vegetable oil
- to taste sesame
Steps
1. Slice the beef thinly
2. Mix the rice wine with soy sauce, cornstarch, and Sichuan black pepper and marinate the meat for 20 minutes
3. During the meat marination, chop the ginger and garlic and cut the dried chili pepper into pieces.
4. Use toothpicks to skewer the marinated beef slices one by one.
5. Heat the oil over medium heat.
6. Fry the skewered meat in the oil pan a little at a time.
7. Sauté the chopped ginger and garlic in a pan with oil, then add the chopped dried and fresh chili peppers.
8. Add the beef with toothpicks, sauté, adjust the salt, dust with cumin powder, sesame, and serve.
FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions)
Where is Sichuan located?
Sichuan is a Chinese province located in the southwest of China, bordering, among others, Tibet and Chongqing, the most industrialized autonomous metropolis of inland China.
What is Sichuan famous for?
The capital is Chengdu. During the Three Kingdoms period (221 AD), Chengdu was the capital of the kingdom and became famous for silk brocades and the invention of printed paper money.
Sichuan is home to about 70% of giant pandas in all of China.
You can find the spiciest dishes in all of China there.
Essential elements of Sichuanese dishes are indeed chili peppers. Sichuan produces its own variety of pepper/chili that is among the spiciest in the world.
The most popular dish is the Sichuan Hot Pot 四川火锅, where the pot includes, besides water, vegetables, spices, and of course, Sichuan chili.
