Spicy Szechuan Beef Stir Fry

A beautiful and simple Stir Fry filled with wonderful flavors and tingly Szechuan Peppercorns that truly brings the heat! This is a dish that we created by combining all the best elements of two popular dishes – Kung Pao Chicken and Steak au Poivre (otherwise known as Peppercorn Steak). A brilliant Spicy Szechuan beef Stir Fry is the result! Every mouthful brings epic flavors and loads of spice. This is a ‘must-try’ dish for any fans of spicy food!

The combination of flavors in this Spicy Szechuan Beef Stir Fry is what makes it so special

When you think about the inspiration for this dish being Steak au Poivre and Kung Pao Chicken you would think these dishes are miles apart. One being from the Szechuan province in China, the other a classic French Bistro favorite

However, the unique binding flavor(s) in both dishes is their absolute love for using Pepper. We took the best elements of each of these dishes and prioritized Peppercorns as the star ingredient and the results are truly amazing

The Steak is prepared like that of Steak au Poivre

Steak Au Poivre is a piece of Steak (typically Tenderloin / Filet) that is coated in a wonderful mixture of Peppercorns before it is cooked to perfection in the frying pan. To finish a Steak Au Poivre, Cream is added to the pan along with some booze (eg Brandy) to soak up those peppery flavors and create a luxurious Sauce

For our Spicy Szechuan Beef Stir Fry we utilize the first half of the cooking techniques for Steak Au Poivre. That is, coating the Filet Steak in a wonderful mixture of Ground Black Peppercorns, Ground Szechuan Peppercorns, and Salt

The Steak is then cooked to a perfect medium rare in the frying pan over a medium high heat. If you are using 8 oz. thick-cut Beef Filets (which are an absolute must for this dish), cook the Steak for 4 minutes on each side (so 8 minutes in total) then sear off the remaining sides for about 30 seconds each. This will yield a perfect medium rare. Remove the Steak from the pan at around 115 – 120F and it’ll be perfect

We highly recommend using the 8 oz. Thick-Cut Filet for this dish

For two main reasons: The cooking time outlined above and in our recipe below will be perfect and almost guarantees a medium rare cook. Also, the Peppercorn to Beef Ratio will be spot on, as the thicker cut of Meat is going to offset the (seemingly) aggressive levels of Peppercorns added

If you are using small cuts of Beef, we recommend scaling back the amount of Peppercorn crust to use. This dish can run a serious risk of becoming completely overloaded with Pepper, so it’s best to air on the side of caution

You can also reduce the amount of Pepper that is added to the Stir Fry towards the end of the recipe. It’s always better to under season and taste as you cook than over seasoning. You can always add a bit more Salt and Pepper if needed, but its much more difficult to remove it once it’s added to the dish!

The Stir Fry elements of this dish are modelled off the famous Kung Pao Chicken

The Stir Fry is prepared just like Kung Pao Chicken

Kung Pao Chicken is one of my favorite dishes, not just stir fries. It’s rich, sweet and spicy flavors pair perfectly with a nicely cooked protein like Chicken or Steak. So, once your Steak is prepared it can just rest away while we prepare the Stir Fry which is inspired by Kung Pao Chicken

There are two components to the stir fry. The first is assembling and cooking the Stir Fry Ingredients, a classic combination of Onion, Scallions, Garlic, Ginger, and Chilis. The second component is adding a sauce once the Stir Fry Ingredients are cooked which will add the sweet and salty flavors and give the dish its body and texture

It’s a very simple process. Into a hot pan (or Wok if you have one) goes the Onions, Garlic, Ginger, and Dried Chilis over a high heat. They’ll cook quickly, so have your Sauce prepared before you begin cooking

Adding the Sauce and finishing the delicious Spicy Szechuan Beef Stir Fry

The Sauce is a combination of classic Asian Ingredients: Soy Sauce, Chinese Cooking Wine, Chinese Vinegar, Sesame Oil, Corn Starch, and Brown Sugar. Once it goes into the stir fry it’s going to cook quickly, especially with the Sugar that’s in there

After a few minutes the Sauce will thicken and turn into a luxuriously velvety texture. It’ll easily coat to the Vegetables and will resemble almost a caramel-type quality. At this point the dish is done and it’s ready for serving

You can either slice up the Beef and mix it into the Stir Fry at this point along with a handful of Roasted Peanuts (a staple in Kung Pao dishes!). Or, for some fancy presentation you can slice the Beef and serve it atop individual bowls of Stir Fry ready for serving

Spicy Szechuan Beef Stir Fry Recipe

Ingredients

• 2 x 8 oz. Beef Tenderloin Filets
• 1 tbsp. Ground Black Peppercorns
• 1 tbsp. Ground Szechuan Peppercorns
• 2 tsp. Salt
  
  

Sauce Ingredients

• ½ cup Beef or Chicken Stock (recipes here)
• 4 tbsp. Soy Sauce
• 2 tbsp. Dark Soy Sauce
• 2 tbsp. Chinese Cooking Wine
• 2 tbsp. Chinese Vinegar / Rice Wine Vinegar
• 1 tsp. Sesame Oil
• 3 tbsp. Brown Sugar
• 1 tsp. Corn Starch
  
  

Stir Fry Ingredients

• 2 tbsp. Vegetable Oil
• 1 Yellow Onion, roughly chopped
• 4 Scallions, roughly chopped
• 4 Garlic Cloves, finely diced
• 1 tsp. Ginger, grated
• 1 tsp. Ground Szechuan Peppercorns
• ½ cup of Roasted Peanuts, roughly chopped
  
  

Equipment needed: Spice Grinder

Instructions

1. Mix the Ground Black and Szechuan Peppercorns with 1 tsp. of Salt and scatter them onto a plate. Coat the Filet Steaks thoroughly on all sides with the Salt and Pepper mixture then set aside
2. Add 1 tbsp. of Vegetable Oil to a large frying pan over medium high heat. Once hot, place the Steaks onto the pan and press down gently
3. Sear the Steaks for 4 minutes on one side, then repeat on the opposite side. Sear the remaining sides for 30 seconds each then set the Steak aside to rest
4. Combine the Sauce ingredients in a bowl and set aside, then add 2 tbsp. of Vegetable Oil to the frying pan where the Steak was cooked
5. Once the Oil is hot, add the Onions and Scallions, and stir fry for 4 minutes. Add Garlic, Ginger, and Ground Szechuan Peppercorns and cook for 1 minute
6. Mix in the Sauce you set aside and continue cooking while stirring until the sauce begins to thicken (about 2 more minutes), then remove from heat
7. Slice the rested Steak and either mix through in the pan, or serve the slices on top of individual bowls of Stir Fry
   
   

Recipe Notes

• For extra spice, you can add 2 – 3 additional tsp. of Ground Szechuan Peppercorns to the Stir Fry when the Garlic and Ginger is added
• The cooking time for the Steaks may alter based on their size. Aim for an internal temperature of 120F before removing from the heat to rest
  
  

If you’re a fun of heat in your food then we known you will love this Spicy Szechuan Beef Stir Fry Dish. This fun play on Steak Au Poivre and Kung Pao Chicken is a fantastic meal to try at home and is packed full of flavor

For more delicious Beef dishes such as this one, check out these fun and tasty dishes:

• Hearty Beef Stew
• Braised Oxtail with Red Wine
• Japanese Beef Bowl (Gyudon)
• Hanger Steak Frites
  
  

Happy Cooking!