Dry Mala Stir-fry (Sichuan Numbing Spice Dry Wok)
Quick answer
- Total time
- 32 min
- Level
- Medium
- Servings
- 2 servings
- Ingredients
- 8
About this dish
Mala xiangguo starts with dry beef and firm vegetables, separates the bok choy stems from the leaves, and adds the mala sauce in portions so it coats rather than pools.
Read more
One hundred eighty grams beef is pressed dry with paper towels. One hundred twenty grams lotus root and 100 g shiitake are sliced thinly, while 120 g bok choy is divided into stems and leaves and shaken free of wash water. One and a half tablespoons cooking oil and 1 tablespoon minced garlic are warmed over medium in a wide pan. After about 30 seconds, when the garlic edges are lightly golden, the beef is spread without overlap and the heat is raised to high. It cooks for about 1 minute, only until the outside turns brown, and is then pushed to the side. The lotus root and shiitake are stir-fried for about 2 minutes while visible moisture evaporates. Bok choy stems enter first, followed by the leaves 30 seconds later. If the ingredients crowd the pan and trap steam, they are cooked in separate rounds. Two tablespoons mala sauce is added gradually rather than poured into one spot, with each addition tossed across the surfaces. The burner is switched off when the thickest beef piece is cooked through and almost no loose sauce remains on the bottom. One teaspoon sesame seeds finishes the pan. Drying the ingredients and ordering them by firmness keeps the stir-fry from collecting excess liquid.
Ingredients
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Instructions
Read the steps as a cooking flow: prep, heat, seasoning, doneness control, and finish.
- 1Heat
Pat 180 g beef slices very dry with paper towels, then slice the lotus root and shiitake thinly.
Separate the bok choy stems from the leaves and shake off excess water so the stir-fry does not turn watery.
- 2Control
Place 1.5 tablespoons cooking oil and 1 tablespoon minced garlic in a wide pan over medium heat.
Stir for about 30 seconds, just until the garlic edges turn lightly golden, then move on before it burns.
- 3Heat
Spread the beef in a single layer and raise the heat to high.
Stir-fry for about 1 minute, only until the outside turns brown, then push it to the side so it does not overcook while the vegetables start.
- 4Step
Add 120 g lotus root and 100 g shiitake first, keeping the heat high.
Toss for about 2 minutes, until the lotus root looks slightly translucent and the shiitake feels chewy, letting visible moisture evaporate.
- 5Heat
Add the bok choy stems first, then add the leaves after about 30 seconds.
If the pan looks crowded, cook in batches, because trapped steam will water down the mala coating.
- 6Season
Add the 2 tablespoons mala sauce in portions rather than all at once, tossing to coat evenly.
When the thickest beef pieces are cooked through and the sauce clings to the ingredients, turn off the heat and sprinkle with 1 teaspoon sesame seeds.
Practical Cooking Checks
The cues that matter most while cooking.
- Key technique
- Mala xiangguo tosses beef and vegetables in a dry wok with numbing peppercorns and sharp chili heat.
- Finish cue
- When the thickest beef pieces are cooked through and the sauce clings to the ingredients, turn off the heat and sprinkle with 1 teaspoon sesame seeds.
- Avoid this
- Do not overcrowd the pan or the dish turns watery.
Cooking decision evidence
Calculated Charim data and applicable official cooking and food safety guidance.
This recipe
32min, 8 ingredients
Category median
25min, 8 ingredients
Based on 220 recipes
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