Beef in Black Bean Sauce 豉汁牛肉 . So you may have guessed I love Chinese food. When I lived in Alderney flying to the mainland was difficult as I wanted to try every new restaurant but always hankered for a fantastic Chinese extravaganza, a rather greedy Chinese feast I am afraid. The moist, flavoursome steamed scallop wontons and prawn and pork dumplings from Hakkasan in Hanway Place, London *, for which I would almost give anything to learn how to make. An awesome crab with ginger and scallions ( Spring onions fellow English readers ), in East Harbor, New York, with a mind blowing Chinese and Japanese menu. It is rather sad that I had never tried China Red just a short flight away in Guernsey and their local lobster with Szechuan Firecracker chillies. Now I live in Jersey China is always a special treat if I am working in Guernsey.
My Beef in Black Bean Sauce
I haven’t been lucky enough to travel to China to really indulge my love for Chines food. But what I have done was an inspiring course in London with Ken Hom. I then equipped myself with numerous books, woks, steamers and ingredients from quaint little Asian speciality suppliers and set to work as only a chef can. I chopped, pounded, crushed, fried, steamed and ate my way through the Chinese canon. Cantonese, Shandong, Hunan and spicy Szechuan cuisine with noodles, rice, black beans, bok choi and lots of seasoning; garlic, chilli, cloves and ginger, and the wonderfully pungent star anise. Am I giving my little local take away a bit of a run for his money yet what do you think? Enjoy.
Some more great Chinese dishes
What to Drink? Matching wine with Chinese food used to be considered impossible but more modern sommeliers are making innovative pairings try your beef with a fruity, Chilean Pinot Noir and why not try a refreshing Continental wheat beer with citrus and coriander seeds as your beer choice.
Fermented black beans are a staple of Cantonese cookery. They are used in a sauce to serve with seafood such as lobster tails, clams or prawns and in stir fry beef or chicken and black bean sauce. Black beans are also a key ingredient in the classic Szechuan recipe Mapo Tofu. My Top Tip – Add splashes of water or vegetable stock occasionally while stir frying – this will produce steam helping to quickly cook the vegetables and prevents sticking. Make sure you carefully boil off the water to prevent the dish becoming too liquid.
Beef in Black Bean Sauce
Equipment
- Wok
Ingredients
- 750 gr quality Rump Steak
- 2 Carrots peeled and cut into thin strips or julienne
- 2 large Onions Peeled and cut into thin slices
- 1 Green Pepper cut into slices
- 1 Red Pepper cut into slices
For the Marinade
- 3 tablespoons Dark Soy Sauce
- 3 cm piece Ginger peeled and finely grated
- 1 small Red Chilli seeds removed and very finely sliced
- 75 ml neutral Oil for stir frying
- 50 gr Fermented Black Beans
- 3 Cloves Garlic peeled and finely chopped
- 1 tablespoon quality Toasted Sesame Oil
- 3 tablespoons Rice Wine or Dry Sherry
- 2 teaspoons Corn Flour mixed with a little cold water
For the Sauce
- ¼ teaspoon Chinese Five Spice
- 1 Clove Garlic peeled and finely chopped
- 100 ml quality beef Stock
- 1 tablespoon Caster Sugar
- 1 tablespoon Corn Flour mixed with a little cold water
- 2 Cloves
Instructions
- Place the rump steak in the freezer for thirty minutes, this firms up the beef making it easier to slice thinly.
- On a secure board slice the beef with a sharp kitchen knife into thin strips and place into a glass bowl. Add the marinade ingredients, mix well to combine together and fully cover the steak strips.
- Cover and chill in the fridge for a minimum of two hours. Meanwhile, prepare the black beans by first rinsing thoroughly in cold water then soaking in fresh water for around half an hour, changing the water once. Drain thoroughly, chop finely and set aside.
- When ready to cook, drain the meat from the marinade pouring any remaining marinade into a small, heavy-bottomed pan. Add the sauce ingredients to the marinade and heat gently to thicken, stirring occasionally to prevent lumps forming.
- Heat the oil in the wok until smoking and carefully add the meat. Stir-fry until cooked, remove with a slotted spoon and set aside on to some kitchen paper.
- Heat a little more oil then stir fry onion over medium heat for five minutes before adding the carrots and peppers, continue cooking for a couple more minutes until they are just starting to go soft.
- Add the black beans and cook for two more minutes stirring continuously, be careful not to burn, then add the garlic, ginger, and chilli and cook for a further two minutes. Return the beef to the wok, strain the sauce through a fine sieve and add as well.
- Mix in the sesame oil and cook for one more minute stirring all the time to heat the beef through and serve immediately with egg fried rice or noodles.
Notes
