I’m always making our favorite take out dishes at home including Kung Pao beef, pork fried rice, chicken almond ding, beef fried rice, beef lo mein, beef and broccoli stir fry, and this spicy Szechuan beef. If you love heat, you must try this recipe! When I go to my local Chinese restaurant, I always order the Szechuan beef. It’s got the perfect blend of tender steak and veggies with sweet, savory and spicy flavors. My version uses ingredients that are available in most grocery stores which makes this recipe quick and easy!
Szechuan Beef Ingredients
To make this recipe, you will need vegetable oil, flank steak, corn starch, onion, red and green bell peppers, dried red chilies, sichuan peppercorns, salt, black pepper, garlic, ginger, soy sauce, hoisin sauce, sesame oil, brown sugar and beef broth.
How Do You Make Szechuan Beef?
This Szechuan beef recipe starts with thinly sliced flank steak that is coated in cornstarch and seasonings, then pan fried in a large skillet or wok until crispy. Remove the steak slices from the pan, then add in veggies, dried red chilies and Sichuan peppercorns. While the steak and vegetables are cooking, prepare the sauce by whisking together soy sauce, hoisin sauce, sesame oil and beef broth. Pour the sauce over the meat and vegetables, then let it simmer until thickened. Serve this dish immediately over steamed rice and enjoy.
Tips For The Perfect Stir Fry
Sichuan peppercorns are what gives this dish its authentic flavor. These peppercorns have a citrus flavor and also provide a tingly numbing type sensation in the mouth which contributes to the heat of this dish. I am able to find the peppercorns in larger grocery stores and in Asian markets. If you can’t find this spice, it’s fine to omit it. You can break open a few of the chili peppers and sprinkle the seeds into the dish to create more heat if you don’t have the peppercorns. Dried red chilies contribute a lot of the heat and a mild nutty flavor. While several types of dried red chilies can be used in Szechuan dishes, I use an Asian red chili or chiles de arbol. Chiles de arbol are small Mexican chili peppers that are commonly found in grocery stores. They add a lot of flavor and meld well with the sauce. If you can’t find whole chilies, use crushed red pepper flakes. This recipe uses hoisin sauce as part of the flavoring components. Hoisin sauce has a dark brown appearance and a slightly sweet and tangy flavor. Many Chinese dishes use hoisin sauce to provide depth of flavor to the dishes. You can find hoisin sauce in the Asian section of your local supermarket. Szechuan beef will stay fresh in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. This a great dish for meal prep! I recommend serving your stir fry over steamed rice to help temper the heat. Other options include pan fried noodles, quinoa, stir fry noodles, vegetable lo mein or cauliflower rice.
Flavor Variations
This beef stir fry dish is great as-is, but you can also change up the ingredients to customize it to your tastes.
Protein: Instead of steak, try cubed chicken breast, chicken thighs, shrimp or tofu. Vegetables: While bell peppers are commonly found in this dish, I’ve also seen it served with other vegetables including mushrooms, water chestnuts, broccoli and carrots. Nuts: Some versions of Szechuan beef contain peanuts. Roasted cashews or sliced almonds would also be a good choice. Garnish: Feel free to add garnishes such as sesame seeds and green onions.
You can’t go wrong with the sweet and spicy flavors of this classic recipe. Next time you’re craving Chinese food, skip the take out and make it at home!
Szechuan Beef Video
