Black Bean Chili Sauce Beef with Sugar Snap Peas (黑豆辣椒蜜豆牛肉, Hak1 Dau6 Laat6 Ziu1 Mat6 Dau6 Ngau4 Juk6)

The crunch of the sugar snap peas contrasts nicely with the tenderness of the beef in this dish. The red bell pepper adds color and the black bean chili sauce adds spiciness. You can of course just make the dish with black bean sauce if you don’t want the dish to be spicy.

Enjoy!

Ingredients

¾ lb.	375 g.	Beef flank or flap meat (牛肉, ngau4 juk6) cut against the grain into thin pieces
1 tsp.	5 ml.	Baking soda (蘇打粉, sou1 daa2 fan2)
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 lb.	500 g.	Sugar snap peas (蜜豆, mat6 dau6)
1	1	Red bell pepper (紅椒, hung4 ziu1), cut into ½-inch (15 mm.) wide 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.	Laoganma brand black bean chili sauce (黑豆辣椒油, hak1 dau6 laat6 ziu1 jau4) or equivalent
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)
½ Tbs.	15 ml.	Corn starch (粟粉, suk1 fan2)
1 Tbs.	30 ml.	Water

 

Equipment

14 in.	35.5 cm.	Wok or pan

 

Preparation Instructions

1. Cut the beef flank or flap meat thinly against the grain and put into a bowl. Cutting the beef against the grain makes it easier to eat (if cut with the grain, the beef would be stringy and difficult to eat). Add the baking soda to the beef, allow to tenderize for 10 minutes, and then wash the baking soda from the meat. The baking soda can be omitted but results in the tender meat experienced in restaurant dishes.
2. Marinate the beef 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 overnight, take it out of the refrigerator at least one hour before cooking.
3. Wash and remove the string from the sugar snap peas by holding the sugar snap pea in one hand and pulling the string the length of the sugar snap pea with the other.
4. Wash and cut the ends off the red bell pepper, resulting in a cylinder. Make a cut to open the cylinder, flatten it forming a rectangle, and cut into ½-inch (15 mm.) wide strips.
5. Crush the ginger and garlic in a garlic press and place into a small bowl.
6. Prepare and mix the sauce in a small bowl: add the black bean chili sauce, 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 and before adding oil. Add the beef to the wok in a single layer on the bottom and brown the outside. You may have to cook the beef in batches, so be sure to reheat the wok over high heat before adding more oil. Set the beef aside in a bowl.
2. Reheat the wok over high heat before adding oil and then the red bell pepper. Stir fry the red bell pepper to brown them and then remove them to the bowl with the beef.
3. Reheat the wok over high heat before adding oil and then bowl with the ginger and garlic. Quickly stir fry the ginger and garlic until fragrant, and then add the sugar snap peas. Stir fry the sugar snap peas to brown them before adding the bowl containing the beef back into the wok. Mix all the ingredients together.
4. Add the sauce ingredients to the wok and stir fry the ingredients together. 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.