Sichuan Boiled Beef in Fiery Sauce (Shui Zhu Niu Rou)

Combine the beef slices with the baking soda, cornstarch, and water. Mix until each slice is evenly coated. Rest for 15–20 minutes. The surface of the beef will appear slightly tacky and pale — this is the velveting coating set.

Blanch the napa cabbage, bean sprouts, and celery briefly in boiling water, drain, and arrange in the base of a deep serving bowl. The vegetables should retain some firmness — they will continue to soften under the hot broth and final oil pour.

In a wok or wide saucepan, fry the doubanjiang in a little oil over medium heat, stirring constantly, until the oil runs deep red and the paste smells fragrant and toasted — about 2 minutes. Add the stock, soy sauce, and chili oil and bring to a gentle simmer. The broth should be richly coloured and aromatic; it is not plain water.

Slide the velveted beef slices into the barely simmering broth one by one, keeping them separate. Poach gently — do not boil hard — until the slices just lose their raw colour and are silky to the touch, about 60–90 seconds. Overcrowding the pot causes the pieces to stick and cook unevenly; work in batches if necessary.

Ladle the beef and all of the broth over the vegetables in the serving bowl. Scatter the chopped dried chilies, crushed Sichuan peppercorns, chopped garlic, and white sesame seeds evenly across the surface. This is the dry topping that will bloom in the next step: it must be in place before the oil goes on.

This is where the dish lives or dies. Heat the neutral oil in a small pan until it reaches 200 °C and is visibly smoking. Pour it in a slow, steady stream directly over the dry chili-garlic topping. It must sizzle violently on contact — a loud, sustained crackle that releases a bloom of chili and sesame fragrance across the kitchen. A tepid pour produces neither the heat nor the aroma the dish depends on. Serve immediately; visible pools of red oil on the surface are correct and desirable.