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This stir fry is very full of flavor and delicious. I love the thin beef strips stir-fried with the thin cut, or julienned cut, vegetables. I will admit that my rendition of Sichuan Beef is certainly not authentic; however, I will assure you it’s delicious. Sichuan Beef is meant to be super crispy so I tossed thin cut sirloin in a little tapioca starch to create a slightly crispy crust to replicate the original as much as possible, while also keeping the dish Whole30 compliant. The dish is meant to be spicy, but you can adjust the crushed red pepper flakes to your level of heat preference. The ginger gives it a little heat itself and the addition of the Sichuan peppercorns adds a lovely, mouth-tingling effect to really take the dish to the next level. Sichuan peppercorns are sometimes tricky to find, so check out your local Asian grocery store or I even buy mine via Amazon sometimes! You can also sub this for Five Spice Powder, but I highly recommend tracking down Sichuan peppercorns if you can!
Lastly, this Sichuan Beef Stir Fry is very easy to make–but it does take extra time to julienne the veggies and cut the steak super thin but its totally worth the work! The end result is a flavor bomb of deliciousness and one you’ll want to make again, for sure! Enjoy!
SHOP THE POST.
- 1.5 lbs sirloin steak
- 1 tablespoon tapioca flour*
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 2 tablespoons + 1 teaspoon avocado oil
- 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
- 1/4 - 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (or to taste)
- 1.5 inch knob of ginger, peeled and julienned
- 2 cups green onions, julienned (about 5 green onions)
- 2 cups carrots, julienned (or 1 medium carrot)
- 2 cups celery, julienned (or 2 stalks celery)
- 1/4 cup coconut aminos (I like Big Tree Farms brand)
- 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
- 1 teaspoon fish sauce (I like Red Boat brand)
- 1/4 teaspoon ground sichuan peppercorn (or sub Chinese Five Spice Powder)
- Slice the steak into about 1/4 inch thick slices. Then, take each slice and cut them in half lengthwise, into thin strips.
- Place the sliced steak and season with the tapioca starch, garlic powder, kosher salt, pepper and toss to coat evenly.
- Heat a large skillet or wok over high heat with 2 tablespoons avocado oil and 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil. When the oil is shimmering, fry the beef, in small batches being careful not to overcrowd the skillet so that they crisp up nicely, until the beef is golden brown on both sides, about 1-2 minutes per side. Transfer cooked beef to a plate and set aside and continue until all of the beef is browned. (if your skillet starts to smoke excessively, turn the heat down to medium-high or medium during this process).
- Reduce the heat to medium-high and add the remaining teaspoon of the avocado oil along with the crushed pepper, ginger, carrots, celery, and onions and saute, stirring, until the veggies are tender, about 4 minutes.
- Add the coconut aminos, rice vinegar, and fish sauce and stir to combine and bring to a simmer.
- Add back in the seared beef (and any of its juices) and cook, stirring occasionally, until the sauce has thickened, about 2-3 more minutes.
- Sprinkle with sichuan peppercorn.
- Serve alone, over steamed rice, or over prepared Cauliflower Rice. Enjoy!
- *tapioca flour is a Whole30 compliant flour that acts as a thickener. You can also substitute Arrowroot powder and, if not Whole30, you can use Corn starch.
Just made this and it was so good! So much flavor and complexity. Will definitely make it again!
I made this last night for me and my fiancé. I’m doing Whole30 and he is not. He’s a somewhat picky eater and I’ve cooked so many things for him but he said that this dish may be his favorite. I served his with rice and mine with dry leafy greens. When he saw my salad side he asked for greens too and we agreed it added nice texture and lightness to the dish. I also added julienned red bell peppers to the veg mix, so good.
I made this last night for the first time and it was very tasty! I did find sichuan peppercorns at a local oriental store. It was an easy dish to make and very flavorful!
Love love love this recipe so much! Best stir fry out there and one of my favorites of Alex’s!
I have cooked TONS of Alex’s recipes and she is hands down, my go-to when I need a new recipe. Everything is always so so easy and exceeds expectations. This Sichuan Beef is probably my favorite though! Better than most take-out near me- no joke!
This was amazing! All 3 of my kids liked it, including my super picky 6 year old. Husband said we are “adding it to the rotation”. This is fantastic. Thank you!
I made this when my mother-in-law was visiting. She is a really good cook so I’m always a bit self-conscious when I cook for her. This recipe was easy enough to make after work but special enough to really impress! She loved it an even requested to eat the leftovers the next day for lunch. Success all around!
I used chicken (was the only protein I had) and what I thought was my ground peppercorns. Turns out it was the spice mix from the Mission Chinese wings, but turned out fantastic!