Chinese🥩 Meat

Twice-Cooked Beef (Huíguō Niúròu)

Name: Twice-Cooked Beef (Huíguō Niúròu)
Total time: 1 h 45 min
Cuisine: Chinese
Ingredients: 500 g Beef brisket or other stew meat; 2 liters Water; 30-45 g Ginger, crushed; 45 g Scallions, tied into knots; 1½ tbsp Whole Sichuan peppercorns; 2 Star anise; 3 Dried red chilies; 1 tsp Salt; 2-3 tbsp Cooking oil; 100 g Garlic shoots, cut into 1.5-inch pieces, white and green parts separated; 5 cloves Garlic, diced; 15 g Ginger, smashed and diced; 8 Dried red chilies, cut into short pieces and seeded; 1 tbsp Sichuan doubanjiang (chili bean paste); 1 tbsp Oyster sauce; 1 tbsp Soy sauce; 2-3 tbsp Water (or beef braising liquid); 1 Green chili pepper; 1 Red chili pepper

⏱ 105 min

A classic Sichuan dish where beef is first simmered until tender, then stir-fried with garlic shoots, dried chilies, and doubanjiang for a savory, slightly spicy flavor with signature Sichuan flair.

Adapted from a video by Souped Up Recipes

Better Than Takeout – Authentic Sichuan Twice-Cooked Beef Recipe (回锅牛肉)

Watch on YouTube

Ingredients

Beef brisket or other stew meat500 g
WaterFor cooking the beef the first time2 liters
Ginger, crushed30-45 g
Scallions, tied into knots45 g
Whole Sichuan peppercorns1½ tbsp
Star anise2
Dried red chiliesFor the first cooking of the beef3
Salt1 tsp
Cooking oil2-3 tbsp
Garlic shoots, cut into 1.5-inch pieces, white and green parts separatedHard to find in the US; can substitute scallions or leeks

Steps

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1
Cut the beef into large chunks and place in a stockpot with 2 liters of water. Bring to a boil over medium heat, uncovered.
2
Once boiling, skim off the scum with a fine sieve to remove gamey flavor and keep the broth clear.
3
Add crushed ginger, scallion knots, star anise, dried chilies, Sichuan peppercorns, and salt. Reduce to the lowest heat and simmer for 1 to 1.5 hours, until chopsticks can pierce the meat easily but it still holds together.
4
Remove the braised beef, let it cool slightly, then slice thinly (500g raw beef yields roughly 350g cooked).
5
Prepare the aromatics: cut garlic shoots into segments and separate white and green parts, cut dried chilies into pieces and remove seeds, dice ginger and garlic, and cut green and red chili peppers into bite-size pieces.
6
Heat the wok over high heat until smoking, add a generous amount of oil, then stir-fry the dried chilies, garlic, ginger, and white parts of the garlic shoots for about 1 minute.
7
Reduce to medium-low heat, add the doubanjiang, oyster sauce, and soy sauce, stirring until the doubanjiang releases its aroma and red oil.
8
Add the sliced beef along with 2-3 tbsp of water (or the beef braising liquid), and stir-fry for 2-3 minutes until the meat is well coated and heated through.
9
Add the green and red chili peppers along with the green parts of the garlic shoots, give everything a final quick toss, and it's ready to serve.

Twice-Cooked Beef (Huíguō Niúròu)

Ingredients

Steps

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