Spicy Beef Salad

The Most Simple Way To Cut Thin Shreds

Beef that has been partially frozen is easier to slice thinly for this beef salad recipe.

If you take it straight from the freezer, it will be too solid to cut. Your goal is to have it be semi-frozen or just below so that it is malleable but retains some firmness.

Finally, the beef can be cut against the grain into long strips. To maximize the dressing’s adhesion, slice the beef very thinly.

Water-Velveting

If you’ve been helping out in the kitchen for any time, you know all about velveting meats.

Meat or other protein is stir-fried in a hot wok after being marinated. However, this time around, we’ll be “water-velveting” the meat.

That is to say, the meat is not stir-fried but rather blanched in boiling water until it is done.

Marinating meat before boiling it may seem backward, but marinades are useful for many reasons.

• Baking soda has a tenderizing effect on the meat. You can use chuck instead of flank steak, and the marinade will help tenderize it.
• Beef is glossy after blanching thanks to the cornstarch and oil used to seal in the juices that have been added by the marinade.
• While only 30 minutes is spent marinating, the meat is infused with flavor from the Shaoxing wine and salt. The salt provides an initial seasoning while the Shaoxing wine tones down any gaminess.
• The velveting process renders the meat silky smooth, tender, and lightly seasoned; it’s the ideal base for the dressing!

Now let’s figure out how to succeed together.

Ingredients:

For the Beef Marinade:

• 12 ounces of flank steak
• 2 tablespoons of water
• 2 teaspoons of cornstarch
• 1 teaspoon of vegetable oil
• 1 teaspoon of Shaoxing wine
• 1/2 teaspoon of salt
• 1/4 teaspoon of baking soda

For the Rest of the Dish:

• 1 Thai bird chili, minced
• 1/4 cup of roughly chopped cilantro (leaves and stems)
• 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil
• 1 tablespoon of minced garlic
• 1 tablespoon of toasted sesame seeds
• 2 teaspoons of Sichuan chili flakes
• 1 teaspoon of rice vinegar
• 1 teaspoon of oyster sauce
• 1 teaspoon of light soy sauce
• 1/2 teaspoon of dark soy sauce
• 1/2 teaspoon of sugar

Instructions:

1. Minimally thick To make slicing the flank steak against the grain easier, have it partially frozen before beginning. Combine the liquid ingredients (water, cornstarch, vegetable oil, Shaoxing wine, baking soda, and salt). Toss everything together and let it marinate for half an hour.
2. While that’s happening, get a medium pot of water boiling. It’s fine if some rare areas of beef remain pink after being blanched for up to a minute. After it has drained, place the beef in a large mixing bowl.
3. Create little mounds of garlic, chili, sugar, sesame seeds, and Sichuan chili flakes, and add them to the beef. Prepare the garlic, chili, and sesame seeds by heating the oil for frying in a small pan.
4. Sauce the meat with vinegar, oyster sauce, light soy sauce, dark soy sauce, and cilantro. Roll and dish out.