Red-Cooked Beef

Sort of sichuan beef stew noodle soup.

Red-Cooked Beef over Noodles
4-6 servings

peanut or veg oil
4 Tbsp each minced ginger and garlic
1 large roughly chopped yellow onion
8 thinly sliced green onions
1 tbs Sichuan peppercorns, toasted then crushed
4 star anise
2 tbs Chinese hot chili paste
1.5 pounds of stew beef, cut into 1/2 to 1-inch cubes
1 1/2 tsp sugar
3 Tbsp soy sauce
1 can beef broth
~1.5 cups water
1 bunch/pound greens. Mustard, choy, water spinach, etc
Cornstarch Slurry
1.5 pounds of fresh Chinese egg noodles or 1 pound thin dried egg noodles
Handful cilantro, chopped


Heat oil in cooking vessel on high and add ginger, garlic, and onions. Stir-fry for a minute and then add two-thirds of the green onions (set the rest aside for serving). After 10 seconds add the peppercorns and star anise, and after 10 more seconds stir in the pepper/chili paste. Stir-fry briskly for about 30 seconds and add the beef, frying till every piece is seared. Sprinkle sugar and soy over all and stir-fry two more minutes.

Add broth (or bouillon cube and water), along with water, stir well, and bring to the boil. Reduce heat to very low, cover, and simmer until the meat is falling-apart tender, about 2 hours.

Cook noodles in boiling water, blanch the greens. Bring the sauce to a boil and stir in the slurry, a tablespoon at a time, until the sauce is as thick as you'd like. Mix everything together, add in the cilantro.
Top with ground sichuan pepper and serve.