Ching-He Huang's spiced beef stir-fry
Instead of rice, this more-ish beef stir-fry with chilli, cumin and wasabi majo is served in warm tortilla wraps.
Serves: 2
Prep time: 15-20 mins
Cooking time: 5 mins
For the stir-fry
400g/14oz fillet of beef
2tbsp groundnut oil
1tsp Shaohsing rice wine or dry sherry
1tbsp light soy sauce
1 pinch of sea salt
1 large handful of fresh coriander, leaves and stalks, roughly chopped
1 spring onion, finely chopped
For the wasabi mayonnaise
1tsp wasabi paste (available from some supermarkets and Asian grocers)
3tbsp mayonnaise
Pinch of caster sugar
For the spicy coating
2tbsp freshly ground cumin
2tbsp dried chilli flakes
1tsp ground black pepper
1/2 tsp sea salt
To serve
Warm flour tortilla wraps
1. Prepare the beef fillet by flattening it with a meat mallet or rolling pin. Alternatively, cut it in half horizontally then cut into wafer-thin slices.
2. For the wasabi mayonnaise, mix all of the wasabi mayonnaise ingredients together in a small bowl. Set aside.
3. For the spicy coating, mix all of the coating ingredients together on a plate. Roll the beef slices in the spice mix, then shake off any excess.
4. Heat a wok until smoking, add the groundnut oil, then add the beef and stir-fry for 1 min or until browned. Add the rice wine and season with the soy sauce and a pinch of salt. Remove from the heat and stir in the coriander and spring onion.
5. To serve, wrap the spicy beef in the tortillas and top with the wasabi mayonnaise. Serve immediately.
Ching's tip: This is a very spicy dish so if you prefer a milder taste, simply halve the quantities of the coating. You can also serve this on steamed thin wheat flour pancakes, stuffed into warmed flatbreads or wheatflour tortilla wraps and topped with plenty of wasabi mayo.
Extra info: There is a large Muslim Chinese population in Beijing who hail from western China and brought with them a unique cuisine that uses spices such as cumin and fennel which found their way to China along the Silk Route. Lamb and mutton are the preferred choice of meat of the Muslim Chinese, but you can use any red meat. The spices in the dish are distinct and extremely flavourful, but the creme de la creme is the addition of lots of chopped spring onion and coriander to complement the meat.
This recipe is from Ching-He Huang's Chinese Food Made Easy, available from Amazon priced £8.49.
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More recipes:
Quick beef stir-fry
Sizzling greens with crispy beef
Chilli beef tacos
Where to next?
More recipes by Ching-He Huang
Nutrition: how to reduce your cholestrol
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Alice, about 1 month [Offensive? Unsuitable? Report this comment.]
Too spicy! I tried this recipe last night and it was just was inedible! With two tablespoons of dried chillies and cumin it was the hottest thing I have ever attempted to eat - I was convinved there must have been a typo in the recipe so googled it today to find out. I like hot food but after three forkfuls it was just too much - my husband managed a 4th but then also gave up. It was unbelievable - I could actually taste blood in my mouth afterwards. That said, EVERYTHING else we've cooked has been fantastic - we'll just take her use of spices with a pinch of salt from now on (pardon the pun)