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Today, we are making one of my favorite Sichuan beef recipes, called 豆花牛柳, which translates to "bean flower beef noodles." This dish is a staple of Sichuan cuisine and is known for its tender meat slices, served on top of silkiest tofu, packed with tons of flavors and beautiful aromas. In this video, I will talk about the original method of velveting, which is essential for achieving that soft and succulent beef all the time.

To start, we need to save time by heating a pot of water while preparing the beef. We are using New York strip steak, which has a silver skin along the side that can be removed because it's chewy. Cut the beef into a few big chunks, then slice it into 1/8 inch thick slices. Other tender cuts, such as flank steak and sirloin cap, will also work well in this recipe. Set the beef aside, as we'll come back to it later.

Marinating the beef with salt, ground white pepper powder, and egg white is crucial for achieving that velvety texture. I've done this velveting method on this channel many times before, but I have never explained why I use egg whites instead of the yolk. Well, let me tell you – egg white is one of the few foods that are naturally alkaline (PH 7.6-9.2), which can increase the PH level of the meat, break down tough grains, and tenderize the beef. On the other hand, egg yolk has a lower PH value, around 6, so it doesn't do the same job.

To create the velveting mixture, mix 1/4 cup of water with 1.5 tablespoons of potato starch until no lumps form. If you can't find potato starch, you can use cornstarch or tapioca flour as a substitute. Set the spice powder aside and bring the tofu over. Instead of cutting it with a knife into cubes, we'll scoop the tofu into the serving plate using a spoon to create more surface area, which allows the seasonings to infuse deeper.

A small trick I want to share with you is that by scooping the tofu into the serving plate in this way, you can make your tofu taste so much better. Now, let's heat some oil in the wok and sauté some aromatics – 2 teaspoons of minced ginger, 2 tablespoons of minced garlic, 3 tablespoons of diced scallions, and 2.5 tablespoons of Sichuan Dou ban jiang. Stir over medium-low heat for a few minutes or until everything becomes bright red.

That's how you know you have activated the flavor of the Dou Ban Jiang. Continue by adding 1/2 teaspoon of five spice powder, 2 teaspoons of sugar, and 2/3 of the Sichuan peppercorn and chili powder. We'll reserve 1/3 to sprinkle at the end. Keep stirring for a minute or two. Quickly mix 1 cup of water with 1/2 tablespoon of cornstarch. Pour it into the wok and bring it to a simmer, stirring until the soup is slightly thickened.

Introduce the beef into the wok and let it simmer for one more minute. Don't overcook it – we want the meat to stay tender and juicy. Taste to adjust the flavor – it should be a lot saltier compared to your normal taste because the tofu doesn't have that much flavor. I've made this many times, so mine is perfect.

Now, let's sprinkle the reserved Sichuan peppercorn and chili powder, 1 tablespoon of minced garlic, 1 tablespoon of diced scallions, and 1 tablespoon of diced cilantro on top of the aromatics. Heat 2-3 tablespoons of oil to smoking hot and pour it on top of the aromatics. That sizzling sound is so satisfying – it activates all the aroma and spreads out the deliciousness.

Without this step, this dish will just lose its characteristics. And trust me, this is definitely the most tender and succulent beef I have ever had. I didn't even need to chew it – it just breaks apart and melts quickly. The flavor is rich, spicy, numbing, and aromatic. I can just easily indulge in a few bowls of rice.

As always, you can find the printable recipe link in the description below. Go check it out! Don't forget to like and subscribe to my channel for more delicious and authentic Chinese food. Thank you for watching, and I will see you next time! BYE!

"WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: enHi everyone, I am Mandy.Welcome to Souped Up Recipes.Today we are making 豆花牛柳.This is what I think the best Sichuan beef recipe.Just imagine the most tender meat slices served on top of the silkiest tofuand packed with tons of flavors and beautiful aromas.In this video, I will talk about the original method of velveting.Once you learn, you will be able to make that softand succulent beef all the time.Let’s get started.To save time, I’m going to turn the heat to highand heat a pot of water so I can prepare thebeef while waiting for it to come to a boil.I am using New York strip steak,which has a silver skin along the side.We gonna remove that because it is chewy.Cut the beef into a few big chunks.Then slice the beef into 1/8 of an inch thick slices.Other tender cuts, such as flank steak and sirloin cap, will also work.Set it aside.Marinade the beef with 1/2 tsp of salt, some ground white pepper powder to taste,and 1 egg white and mix for a few minutes.I have done this velveting method on this channel so many times,But I have never explained why I am using egg whites instead of the yolk.Well! Egg white is one of the few foods that are naturally alkaline (Ph 7.6-9.2),which can increase the PH level of the meat, break down the tough grains, and tenderize the beef.As opposed, egg yolk has a lower PH value,around 6, so it doesn’t do the same job.The velveting is not done yet.Mix 1/4 cup of water with 1.5 tbsp of potato starch until no lumps.If you don’t have potato starch, you can use tapioca starch or cornstarch.Pour it into the beef in batches.Mix until the liquid is absorbed.Add a little bit more and continue.The starch and egg white will create a soft layer that will wrap around the meat and retain the moisture.This layer has a velvet texture, that’s why the marinade is called velveting.Once all the starch water is absorbed,I like to add a little bit of dark soy sauce to give the beef a desired brown color.Set it aside and we are going to move on to the tofu.This recipe requires silken tofu.If you don’t have it, soft tofu will be the second-best option.Place a steamer rack in the pot and steam the tofuover medium heat for 10 minutes.Once done, take it out and set it aside.Next, we gonna continue to use this pot of water to poach the beef.When I say poach, means the heat needs to be at the lowest possible.The water-bubbling activities should be subtle that you only see a few small bubbles coming up at a time.Add the beef slices one by one.Wait for a couple of minutes oruntil the meat floats to the top of the water.That is a sign that tells you you did a good job velveting the meat.If you didn’t mix the meat with the marinade long enough, it won’t float.Let’s fish the meat out and set it aside.By now, some of you are probably wondering how isbeef cooked in plain water gonna taste good?Just hold that thought.This recipe is one of the representative of Sichuan Mala flavor, which means spicy and numbing.I have got here 8-10 pieces of dry red dried chilies,  which I seed and cut into 1/2-inch long pieces.You can reduce the chili amount if you don’t have a high spice tolerance.Here is 1.5 tbsp of Sichuan peppercorns (花椒).It is not spicy at all, but it gives you a tingling and numbing effect.I will link it in the description. You can check it out later.Toss them into the wok and toast over low heat for a couple of minutes.Do not burn it, otherwise it will bring a bitter taste.Grind them finely with a blender.I should mention that I am using 1 tbsp of Sichuan peppercorns (花椒) today.If you have never cooked with this ingredient before,please use a small amount at first, such as 1 tspand see how you like it;Sichuan peppercorns can be overpowering and ruin the dish.Set the spice powder aside and bring the tofu over.Instead of cutting it with a knife into cubes,we will get a spoon and scoop the tofu into the serving plate.The purpose is to create more surface area,which allows the seasonings to infuse deeper.A small trick to make your tofu taste so much better.To the same wok, add some oil, along with 2 tsp of minced ginger,2 tbsp of minced garlic, 3 tbsp of diced scallions, and 2.5 tbsp of Sichuan Dou ban jiang.Stir over medium-low heat for a few minutes or until everything becomes bright red.That is how you know you have activated the flavor of the Dou Ban Jiang.Continue by adding 1/2 tsp of five spice powder,2 tsp of sugar, 2/3 of the sichuan peppercorn and chili powder.We will reserve 1/3 to sprinkle at the end.Keep stirring for a minute or 2.Quickly mix 1 cup of water with 1/2 tbsp of cornstarch.You can use beef stock if you have some.Pour it into the wok.Bring it to a simmer and stir until the soup is slightly thickened.Introduce the beef into the wok and let it simmer for one more minute.Do not overcook it.Taste to adjust the flavor.It should be a lot saltier compared to your normal taste because the tofu doesn’t have that much flavor.I made this many times so mine is perfect.Sprinkle the reserved Sichuan peppercorn and chili powder,1 tbsp of minced garlic, 1 tbsp of diced scallions, and 1 tbsp of diced cilantro.Heat 2-3 tbsp of oil to smoking hot andpour it on top of the aromatics.That sizzling sound is so satisfying.....It activates all the aroma and spreads out the deliciousness.Without this step, this dish will just lose its characteristics.My house smells like an authentic Sichuan restaurant now.I can’t wait to eat it.This is definitely the most tender and succulent beef I have ever had.I didn’t even need to chewy it.It just breaks apart and melts quickly.The flavor is rich, spicy, number, and aromatic.I can just easily indulge in a few bowls of rice.I hope you give this a try soon.As always, the printable recipe link is in the description. Go check it out.Don't forget to like and subscribe to my channel for more delicious and authentic Chinese food.Thank you for watching, and I will see you next time.BYE!\n"