Whenever I go to my favorite Chinese restaurant I always order a dish called Szechuan Beef Proper. My wife and I have been trying out different recipes in different cuisines but have yet to find a recipe for this dish. Any assistance from the culinary minded dopers will be appreciated.
Thanks
Cooking questions go best in Cafe Society, so I’ll move this thread over there.
Sorry Bibliophage, I wasn’t sure where to post my question. I am also taking this opportunity to bump the thread. I wouldn’t normally do this but I love Szechuan Beef Proper. This stuff is liquid crack. If this helps, it is dry sauteed.
mouth watering… drool trickling out of the corner of the mouth…mmmmmmm…szechuan beeeeef…
<snip>
I love it too. Or perhaps I should say that I LOVED it.
It seems that I haven’t had Szechuan Beef PROPER since I left Washington, D.C. years ago. Here in Cleveland they basically serve you a dish of Peppered Steak and call THAT Szechuan Beef.
Szechuan Beef as I remember it from D.C. had thin slivers of beef, shredded carrots, and these tiny, hard, dark red peppers that were the hottest thing I’d ever tasted. And yes, it was rather dry.
In Cleveland, it has large “slabs” of beef, GREEN PEPPERS and it’s very saucey.
I still order it here, on the chance that SOMEONE will make it the way I used to get it.
I did a Google search for “Szechuan Beef” + recipe and got 317 hits. Some of them are quite different than I remember, and nearly all the ones I looked at included green peppers as a big part of the recipe. I don’t remember having green peppers in D.C. In my mind, what really stood out were the shredded carrots.
Brujo, if you and the missus are successful at recreating it, you’ll have to send me some.
I’ll pay the postage. 
Good luck
Mann Slaughter
That’s the one! Let me guess, the place in the D.C area where you enjoyed this was a Chinese Restaurant in Falls Church On Route 7. I have seen it at a delivery place in Alexandria but I think they called it cripsy beef szechuan style. Somehow, I will find out how to make this stuff, even if I have to go undercover in the kitchen of one of these places!
Mangomerlot, I feel the same way about Szechuan Beef Proper. Once you’ve had it, you’re hooked for life.
If I understand what you’re looking for, I do have a recipe at home for it. Never tried making it myself, but was very happy to come across the recipe.
In college I used to eat about once a week at a little hole-in-the-wall Chinese place that only served 6 different things, and one of them they called Szechuan Beef, but it was radically different than anything I’ve seen labelled Szechuan Beef since.
It had slivered carrots and slivered celery, and was not very “saucy” and had NO green peppers. The recipe I have looks very promising. I will try to get it posted this weekend.
Last weekend I found something quite similar at the Shanghai Village restaurant in Arlington MA. It was almost the same as the one I ate in college, but it was less spicey and was more sweet and saucy. They called it Shredded Beef with Celery and Carrots.
Motorgirl
You might have a recipe? From your description, it sounds promising! You have no idea how joyful you’ve made me.
Thanks in advance.
If you don’t see the recipe posted by Sunday afternoon, feel free you send me a harassing email. It’s on my ancient Mac, which I haven’t been booting up much lately because it’s got a wee monitor problem.
http://www.cooking.com/recipes/static/recipe3680.htm
This sounds similar to what you’re describing. Whatd’ya think?
Vodkahead, thanks for the recipe, it’s looks like a possible match with the delicacy that is Szechuan Beef Proper. Ironically, me and the missus couldn’t hold out so we broke down and went to the restaurant that had it. So it might be a week before we can try it. Either way, thanks for the recipe, it looks delicious. There is nothing better than trying a recipe and enjoying the results.
Motorgirl, please post your recipe as well, one can never have too many recipes for such a fine delicacy. Rest assured that if I’ll send you a non-crazy email if I don’t hear from you regarding the recipe. Although if it’s because your computer didn’t boot up, I’ll understand. Thanks again for the future recipe.
Here’s the one I have. I’ve never tried it, though I think maybe I will this weekend. MMM.
Shredded Beef, Szechuan Style
2 cups shredded beef
1/2 cup shredded carrots
1/2 cup shredded celery
Seasoning mixture:
1 tsp chopped green onion
1 tsp chopped fresh ginger
1 TB soy sauce
1 tsp dry sherry
1 tsp hot bean sauce
1 tsp brown sugar
1 tsp toasted sesame oil
1 tsp Chinese black vinegar
1 tsp Szechuan hot sauce
4 TB cooking oil, divided
1 tsp chopped garlic
1 tsp Szechuan peppercorns, ground
Procedure:
Stir fry the shredded carrots and celery in the wok with 2 TB cooking oil.
Remove the vegetables from the wok and set aside.
Add 2 more TB of cooking oil to the wok; add the Szechwan peppercorn and cook until the fragrance is released. Remove the peppercorn. Add the garlic, then the beef and stir until the beef is almost dry. Pour in the seasoning mixture, stir and cook until the liquid has almost disappeared. Add the vegetables and serve.
Notes:
If powdered Szechuan peppercorn is available cooking the peppercorn will not be necessary. Just mix in 1/4 tsp of the powdered peppercorn during the last minute of cooking.
A couple of shredded garlic stalks give this dish a very good flavor. However, garlic stalks are not easy to come by in this country; one can use a medium sized leek stalk as a substitute.
The original recipe calls for the beef to be cooked until it is very hard and dry. You can use your best judgment and cook it until it is as well done as you want it.
Thanks Motorgirl, I appreciate it. thanks for digging through the old computer.
Vodkahead, I’d like to thank you again as well for digging through some recipe sites since szechuan beef proper doesn’t seem to bring up anything.
Thanks all