Beef Heart with Bell Peppers (青椒牛心, Ceng1 Ziu1 Ngau4 Sam1)

This recipe was updated on 12 Jul 2015. Some instructions and ingredient quantities were changed.

Not only was this an opportunity to use the first bell peppers from my garden, it was also the first time I’ve ever used beef hearts in a dish. It was one of those irresistible urges once I saw beef heart slices available for the first time in my local supermarket. Not knowing what they taste like, I used a basic marinade to prepare and then to sauce the dish. Since the heart is a huge muscle, it does not taste like organ meat, but has an understated (in my opinion) beef taste. I liken the texture to chicken gizzards, but with a little more crunch in the mouth. I have to say that I like eating beef hearts and would gladly prepare another dish using it (I’m thinking that a noodle dish is in order).

Enjoy!

Ingredients

1 lb.	500 g.	Beef heart (牛心, ngau4 sam1), cut into 2-inch (5 cm.) pieces
½ in.	15 mm.	Knob of ginger (薑, goeng1), crushed in a garlic press
2 cloves	2 cloves	Garlic (蒜, syun3), crushed in a garlic press
1 Tbs.	15 ml.	Corn starch (粟粉, suk1 fan2)
2 Tbs.	30 ml.	Soy sauce (豉油, si6 jau4)
1 Tbs.	15 ml.	Hoisin sauce (海鮮醬, hoi2 sin1 zoeng3)
2 Tbs.	30 ml.	Shaoxing rice wine (紹興酒, siu6 hing1 zau2) or dry sherry
½ tsp.	2.5 ml.	Ground white pepper (白胡椒, baak6 wu4 ziu1)
1 tsp.	5 ml.	Sesame oil (麻油, maa4 jau4)
1	1	Red bell pepper (紅椒, hung4 ziu1), cut into 2-inch (5 cm.) pieces
1	1	Green bell pepper (青椒, ceng1 ziu1), cut into 2-inch (5 cm.) pieces
10	10	Button mushrooms (蘑菇, mo4 gu1), cut into ½-inch (15 mm.) pieces
8 oz.	227 g.	One package fried tofu (魚豆腐, jyu4 dau6 fu6)
3 stalks	3 stalks	Green onions (葱, cung1), cut into 2-inch (5 cm.) pieces
½ in.	15 mm.	Knob of ginger (薑, goeng1), crushed in a garlic press
2 cloves	2 cloves	Garlic (蒜, syun3), crushed in a garlic press
		Oil for cooking

 

Sauce Ingredients

2 Tbs.	30 ml.	Soy sauce (豉油, si6 jau4)
1 Tbs.	15 ml.	Hoisin sauce (海鮮醬, hoi2 sin1 zoeng3)
2 Tbs.	30 ml.	Shaoxing rice wine (紹興酒, siu6 hing1 zau2) or dry sherry
½ tsp.	2.5 ml.	Ground white pepper (白胡椒, baak6 wu4 ziu1)
½ Tbs.	7.5 ml.	Sesame oil (麻油, maa4 jau4)
2 tsp.	10 ml.	Corn starch (粟粉, suk1 fan2)
4 tsp.	20 ml.	Water

 

Equipment

		Garlic press
14 in.	35.5 cm.	Wok or pan

 

Preparation Instructions

1. If purchased whole, the beef heart needs to be cut into long ½-inch (15 mm.) wide slices. Prepare the beef heart slices by removing any fat, silver skin, and veins, and then cut each slice into 2-inch (5 cm.) pieces.
2. Marinate the beef heart for at least one hour or overnight in the refrigerator with the ginger and garlic crushed in a garlic press, corn starch, soy sauce, hoisin sauce, Shaoxing rice wine or dry sherry, ground white pepper, and sesame oil. If marinating the beef heart overnight, take it out of the refrigerator at least one hour before cooking.
3. Wash and cut the red and green bell peppers into 2-inch (5 cm.) pieces on the diagonal. First cut off the ends of the bell pepper, leaving an open cylinder. Remove the seeds and central core of the bell pepper and make one cut lengthwise to open the cylinder. Flatten the open bell pepper cylinder, cut 2-inch (5 cm.) strips, and then cut each strip into 2-inch (5 cm.) pieces on the diagonal.
4. Clean and cut the button mushrooms into ½-inch (15 mm.) pieces.
5. Open the fried tofu package and discard any liquid.
6. Crush the ginger and garlic in a garlic press and put into a small bowl.
7. Wash and cut the green onions into 2-inch (5 cm.) lengths.
8. Prepare and mix the sauce in a small bowl: add the soy sauce, hoisin sauce, Shaoxing rice wine or dry sherry, ground white pepper, and sesame oil. In another small bowl, prepare the corn starch slurry by mixing the corn starch and water together.

Cooking Instructions

1. Heat a wok or pan over high heat before adding oil and then the beef heart. Stir fry the beef heart until brown by forming one layer of beef heart in the wok and leaving the beef heart alone for a while before flipping it over to brown the other side. You may have to stir fry the beef heart in batches, so be sure to reheat the wok over high heat before adding more oil. Transfer the browned beef heart to a bowl.
2. Reheat the wok over high heat before adding oil and then the button mushrooms. Stir fry the mushrooms and then remove them to the bowl with the beef heart.
3. Reheat the wok over high heat before adding oil and then the fried tofu. Stir fry the fried tofu and then remove them to the bowl with the beef heart.
4. Reheat the wok over high heat before adding oil and then the bell pepper. Stir fry the bell pepper to brown them. Add the bowl with the ginger and garlic mixture, and then some oil to the mixture. Quickly stir fry all the ingredients until the ginger and garlic mixture becomes fragrant. Add the green onions and the contents of the bowl with the beef heart back into the wok, and stir fry all the ingredients together.
5. Add the sauce ingredients to the wok and stir fry the ingredients together. If more sauce is desired, add some liquid (stock or water) to the wok. Add the corn starch slurry to thicken the sauce and mix all the ingredients together. Put the cooked ingredients into a serving dish and serve with steamed rice.