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In our ongoing series of “Over Rice Dishes“ (. Rice Killers, 'Send the rice down' dishes, or xiafancai), we'll swing over to the Sichuan province to look at a couple (perhaps) lesser known abroad Sichuan dishes. 0:00 - Do we really need to explain why? 1:01 - Zha cai 3:12 - Yuxiang Omelette 7:23 - Celery with Beef, aka The Dish 11:01 - We'll do more, promise LIANGBAN ZHACAI (凉拌榨菜, a Zhacai cold dish) * Zhacai (榨菜), 1 pack, 80g * Garlic (大蒜), 1 clove, minced * Cilantro (芫荽), 1 sprig, chopped * Toasted white sesame seeds (熟白芝麻), 1 tsp * Sugar, 1/4 tsp * Dark Chinese vinegar (陈醋 or 香醋), 1/2 tsp * Toasted sesame oil (麻油/香油), 1/2 tsp Unpack the zhacai, mix with everything, and done. FISH FRAGRANT OMELETTE (鱼香烘蛋) * Egg, 4 * To mix with the eggs: Cornstarch (生粉), 1 tsp Water, 1 tbsp Vinegar (醋), 1/4 tsp * Lao Gan Ma “pickled chili“ OR Hunan Chopped Chili OR Sichuanese Pickled Erjingtiao (糟辣椒 or 剁椒 or 泡二荆条), 1 heaping tbsp or 20g, finely minced * Aromatics: Ginger (姜), half inch or 5g, minced Garlic (大蒜), 3-4 big cloves or 10g, minced Scallion (小葱), 1 sprig or 12-15g, separate the white and green, minced * Sauce: Soy sauce (生抽/酱油), 2 tsp Chinese dark vinegar (陈醋 or 香醋), 2 tsp Sugar, 2 tsp Salt, 1/4 tsp MSG (味精), 1/4 tsp Potato starch (生粉/土豆淀粉), 1/2 tbsp Water, 1/2 cup Mince the pickled chili and aromatics (separate out the scallion green), mix the sauce, set aside. Mix starch with water and vinegar, crack in the eggs, whisk till foamy. Long yau: get your wok piping hot, shut off heat, add in 3 tbsp oil and give it a swirl. Heat the oil till a drop of egg can puff up immediately when added in. Pour in the egg, when the side is form, start pushing it towards the center for form layers, repeat this motion, meanwhile tilt and swirl the wok to cook the bottom evenly. Once no liquid egg is flowing, gently flip and fry the other side for about 2 minutes. Heat off, take the egg out on a serving plate, set aside. Add 1 tbsp oil to wok, heat on low, add in the pickled chili, fry till oil is stained red, then add in the aromatics, fry for 1 minutes. Stir the sauce, then add to the wok. Turn the heat to high, keep stirring. Once it come to a boil and thickens slightly, add in most of the scallion, stir. Heat off. Ladle sauce onto the omelette, sprinkle on the remaining scallion. MINCED BEEF WITH CELERY (芹菜碎牛肉, aka THE DISH) * Celery (western 西芹 or Chinese 香芹), 220g * Beef loin (牛里脊), 150g, minced * Marinade for the beef: Dark soy sauce (老抽), 1/4 tsp Liaojiu aka Shaoxing wine (料酒/绍酒), 1 tsp Salt, 1/8 tsp Cornstarch (生粉), 1/2 tsp * Sichuan chili broad bean paste, i.e. Pixiandoubanjiang (郫县红油豆瓣酱), 1 tbsp or 15g * Aromatics: Ginger (姜), half inch or 5g, minced Garlic (大蒜), 3-4 big cloves or 10g, minced * Sauce for finishing the stir fry: Soy sauce (生抽/酱油), 1/2 tbsp MSG (味精), 1/4 tsp Cornstarch (生粉), 1 tsp Water, 2 tbsp Cut the beef into strips then a dice, then mince for 5 minutes. Mix with the marinade and set side. Peel off any fibrous outer layer with western celery. Cut into half, split the wider part into 3-4 strips and thinner part into 2-3. Cut into half cm dice. Mix with 1/4 tsp salt, purge for 10 minutes. Roughly chop the celery leaves, set aside sperately. Mince the aromatics and make the sauce. Squeeze the celery to expel as much water as possible. Long yau: get your wok piping hot, shut off the heat, add in 2 tbsp oil, give it a swirl to get a nice nonstick surface. Heat on medium high, add in beef, quickly break it up. Fry it until the color's changed and the beef is cooked. Heat off, scooch the beef to the side, add in 1 tbsp oil then the chili broad bean paste. Fry on low heat for ~1.5 minute till the oil is stained red. Add in the aromatics, fry for ~1.5 minute till fragrant, mix beef back in. Turn heat on high, quick fry then add in celery, another super brief fry, add in the stir fry sauce. Quick mix. Heat off, add in celery leaves, mix and out.
