Chinese · Sichuan · main

Water-Boiled Beef (Shui Zhu Niu Rou)

Water-Boiled Beef (Shui Zhu Niu Rou) reads umami 5.8, salinity 5.4 and allium 3.6 on Palate's 0–10 flavor X-ray — a Chinese · Sichuan main, about 28 min. Measured from the recipe itself: ingredients and technique.

The flavor X-ray — six axes, 0–10

The measured notes (of 18)

Umami 5.8 · Salinity 5.4 · Allium 3.6 · Richness 3.5 · Funk & Ferment 3.4 · Heat 3.1 · Nutty 2.8 · Sweetness 1.7 · Earthy 1.4 · Citrus 1.4 · Warm Spice 1.3 · Herbaceous 1.3 · Floral 1.0 · Sourness 0.8 · Bitterness 0.8

What's in it (16)

Time & effort: about 28 min (7 min active) · effort: medium

Nutrition (per 100 g, engine-estimated): 73.1 kcal, 8.7 g protein, 2.7 g fat, 4.1 g carbs

Dietary: Contains meat — engine-derived; double-check anything allergy-critical.

How it's cooked (6 steps)

  1. Toss the beef with the salt, Shaoxing wine, potato starch and cold water until every slice is slick and the liquid has been absorbed, then leave 20 minutes. Do not skip the water: the starch needs it to form the gel that keeps the beef tender in boiling liquid.
  2. Heat 2 tbsp of the oil in a wok over high heat and stir-fry the celery, bean sprouts and green garlic for 60 to 90 seconds with a pinch of salt, until wilted but still squeaky. Pile them into a deep serving bowl.
  3. Add 3 tbsp oil to the wok over medium heat, add the chilli bean paste and stir 45 seconds until the oil is deep red, then the ground chillies for 15 seconds.
  4. Pour in the stock and soy sauce and bring to a rolling boil. Drop in the beef slice by slice, pushing them apart with chopsticks, and cook 60 to 90 seconds only, until they have turned from red to pale brown at the edges. Pour beef and broth over the vegetables.
  5. Scatter the chilli flakes, ground Sichuan pepper and chopped garlic over the surface. Heat the remaining 6 tbsp oil until it just begins to smoke, about 200 C, and pour it over the aromatics in one confident go. It will hiss and bloom, and that hot-oil moment, not long cooking, is what makes the dish. Serve immediately.
  6. Substitutions: flank can stand in for the beef sirloin; 4 spring onions can stand in for the stems Chinese green garlic.

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Keep reading: what umami, salinity, allium mean in the flavor lexicon · the world's cuisines, by flavor.

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Every number above is Palate's engine-measured estimate, computed from this recipe's ingredients and techniques — not human-tasted ratings or reviews.