Noble House Kung Pao Beef

Total Time: 25 mins Preparation Time: 15 mins Cook Time: 10 mins

Ingredients

• Servings: 4
• 1 (1 1/4 lb) beef tenderloin, sliced into 1/2-inch thick strips
• sea salt, to taste
• fresh ground pepper, to taste
• 2 tablespoons cornstarch
• 2 tablespoons ketchup
• 2 tablespoons shaoxing rice wine or 2 tablespoons dry sherry
• 2 tablespoons light soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons black vinegar or 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
• 2 teaspoons guilin chili sauce (lee kum kee brand)
• 1 1/2 tablespoons szechuan peppercorns
• 2 tablespoons peanut oil
• 5 whole dried thai chiles
• 2 small red fresno bell peppers or 1 serrano chili, bruised and cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces
• 1/2 cup dry roasted peanuts
• 1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
• 2 scallions, cut into 2 inch pieces

Recipe

• 1 in a medium bowl, sprinkle the beef with salt and pepper. add the cornstarch and mix well. set aside.
• 2 in another smaller bowl, stir together the ketchup, rice wine, soy sauce, vinegar and chili sauce. set aside.
• 3 in a small pan over medium heat, toast the sichuan peppercorns until fragrant, 1 to 2 minutes. remove from the heat and crush 1/2 tablespoon of the peppercorns in a mortar and pestle, or in a plastic bag with a rolling pin. set aside. leave the remaining peppercorns whole.
• 4 heat a wok over high heat and, when wok starts to smoke, add the peanut oil. add the remaining whole sichuan peppercorns, dried chiles and fresh chiles and stir-fry for a few seconds.
• 5 add the beef and stir-fry until the beef is brown, 2 to 3 minutes. add the reserved sauce and peanuts and cook until the sauce has reduced slightly and is sticky and has a thicker consistency.
• 6 add the cilantro and scallions and toss to coat and warm through. then transfer to a serving plate and garnish with the ground sichuan peppercorns. serve immediately.