Sichuan Couple’s Sliced Beef & Offal

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Sichuan Couple’s Sliced Beef & Offal — SichuanChengdu home cooking.

Ingredients

• beef shank (lean, trimmed)
• beef tongue
• light soy sauce
• Chinese black vinegar
• sesame oil
• Sichuan peppercorns
• dried red chilies

Instructions

1. Rinse beef shank and tongue under cold water. Place in a large pot with 1.5 L water, 1 tsp Sichuan peppercorns (half the amount), and 2 whole star anise (not listed — optional pantry item). Bring to boil, skim foam, then reduce heat to low and simmer covered for 2 hours until fork-tender. (Surface of broth is barely shimmering; meat fibers separate easily when poked with chopsticks.)
2. Remove meat from broth; reserve 250 ml broth. Let cool slightly, then slice shank and tongue into 2-mm-thick pieces using a sharp knife or mandoline. Arrange on a serving plate. (Slices are translucent at edges, uniform in thickness, and lie flat without curling.)
3. Heat reserved broth in a small saucepan. Add light soy sauce, Chinese black vinegar, and sesame oil. Simmer gently for 2 minutes to meld flavors. (Liquid bubbles softly at edges but does not boil vigorously.)
4. Toast dried chilies and remaining Sichuan peppercorns in a dry wok over medium heat for 1 minute until fragrant and deepened in color. Grind coarsely using a mortar or spice grinder. (Chilies turn brick-red; peppercorns swell slightly and release white dust.)
5. Pour warm sauce over sliced meat. Sprinkle toasted chili-peppercorn mixture evenly. Garnish with chopped roasted peanuts and scallion greens. Serve at cool room temperature (18–22°C). (Sauce coats each slice without pooling; peanuts glisten with oil sheen.)