Ingredients
- FOR THE BEEF:
- 600g skirt steak, thinly sliced (approx 3-5mm) against the grain
- 2 teaspoons cornstarch
- 2 teaspoons shaoxing wine
- 2 teaspoons vegetable oil
- 2 teaspoons oyster sauce
- 1/8 teaspoon baking powder
- FOR THE SAUCE:
- 3 tablespoons warm water
- 1 tablespoon light soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 1 teaspoon hoisin sauce
- 1/2 teaspoon dark soy sauce
- 1/2 teaspoon Sichuan pepper, ground
- 1/2 teaspoon sesame oil
- TO ROAST THE WALNUTS (optional, substitute dry roasted walnuts):
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 1/2 cup walnuts
- FOR THE REST OF THE DISH:
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 2 teaspoons fresh ginger, minced
- 5-10 dried red chillies, either left whole or reseeded and chopped into smaller pieces, adjust for heat
- 1/2 cup capsicum
- 2 cloves garlic, chopped
Method
- In a bowl, combine the beef, cornstarch, Shaoxing wine, oil, oyster sauce, and baking soda until the beef is evenly coated. Marinate for 30 minutes at room temperature.
- Prepare the sauce by combining the warm water, light soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, sugar, cornstarch, hoisin sauce, Sichuan peppercorn powder, dark soy sauce, and sesame oil. Set aside.
- Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a small pot over medium heat, and add the walnus. Stir constantly (or they’ll burn) for 5 minutes, until golden brown and fragrant. Turn off the heat and stir for another minute using the residual heat in the pot. Set aside to cool. They will turn crunchy once they’re cooled completely. You can also skip this step and use already dry roasted walnuts.
- Add 2 tablespoons of oil to a wok. Heat the wok over high heat until it’s just smoking. Sear the beef for 1½ minutes on each side, or until the beef is slightly crispy on both sides. Having a hot wok is really important to avoid overcooking the beef. Reduce the heat to low, and remove the beef from the wok, leaving behind any oil. This can be done in batches to maintain a higher heat
- Over low heat, add the ginger and chilies. Toast until fragrant, taking care not to burn them. Add the capsicum and cook for 1-2 minutes. Add the garlic, and stir-fry for 20 seconds.
- Add the beef and its juices back to the wok, and increase the heat to high. Stir-fry for 30 seconds.
- Stir up your prepared sauce (the cornstarch will have settled to the bottom, so make sure it’s well-incorporated). Add the sauce to the wok and stir everything together to deglaze it.
- Once the sauce is thickened and simmering, add half the wqlnuts and toss to combine (reserving the other half for garnishing.) There should be no standing sauce, but if it looks a little too thick, you can add a splash of water or stock. Give everything a final stir, turn off the heat, and top with the remaining walnuts before serving with jasmine rice!
Product used in recipe
- Lee Kum Kee - Panda Oyster Sauce