A deeply savory, spicy cold beef dish adapted from Wang Gang’s recipe. The beef is simmered with aromatics, chilled, sliced thinly, then tossed with a fragrant chili-sesame sauce. It tastes best after being chilled thoroughly.

Cold dishes like this one belong to the liangcai (凉菜) tradition — the cold appetizers that open a Sichuan meal — and they are built around the region’s signature pairing of chili heat with the tingling numbness of Sichuan pepper, the combination known as mala (麻辣). Rather than coming straight off the wok, the beef here is cooked in two stages: first gently simmered with whole spices until tender, then cooled, sliced, and fried a second time with chili and sesame. That second pass in oil is what gives the dish its concentrated, almost snack-like intensity.

The result sits somewhere between a cold appetizer and a preserved drinking snack. Dishes in this style keep well in the refrigerator, which is part of their appeal — a batch made ahead can be pulled out over several days, and the flavor improves as the chili oil and spices season the meat.

💡 Tips

This dish is much better cold — the flavors deepen as it chills. It is especially good as a drinking snack. Adapted from Wang Gang’s recipe.

Why Simmer First, Then Fry?

The two-stage cooking is the heart of the recipe. Simmering with star anise, cinnamon, fennel seeds, and Sichuan pepper seasons the beef all the way through and makes it tender enough to slice cleanly. But simmered meat on its own would taste soft and watery once chilled. Frying the slices over low heat drives off that surface moisture, firms up the texture, and lets the chili powder and sesame seeds toast directly against the meat instead of sliding off. It also concentrates the beef flavor, so each bite tastes deeply savory rather than diluted.

Why Slice the Beef So Thin?

Slicing to about 2 mm is not just about appearance. Thin slices have far more surface area relative to their volume, which means more of every bite is coated in chili oil, sesame, and spice. They also dry out evenly in the wok, giving a consistent, pleasantly chewy texture.

Ingredients

Beef:

• 1 kg beef
• Water, for soaking and blanching
• 30g ginger, sliced
• 3 stalks scallions, cut into sections
• 5g salt
• 1g sugar
• 3g five-spice powder
• 5g dark soy sauce
• 20g soy sauce
• 20g scallions, cut into sections

Aromatics for Simmering:

• 2 star anise
• 1 small piece cinnamon
• A few bay leaves
• 15g fennel seeds
• 2g green Sichuan peppercorns
• 10g dried chili segments

For Stir-Frying:

• Neutral oil, as needed
• 50g dried chili powder
• 30g white sesame seeds
• Dried chili segments, to taste
• 5g starch
• 3g five-spice powder
• 3g MSG
• 5g sugar
• Sichuan peppercorn oil, to taste

Instructions

1. Cut the beef into two long strips. Soak in clean water for 60 minutes to draw out excess blood, then drain. Blanch in cold water brought to a boil, then remove and drain well.
2. Heat a pot with a little oil. Stir-fry the sliced ginger and scallions until golden, then remove. Add the simmering aromatics and stir-fry over medium-low heat until fragrant. Add enough water, return the ginger and scallions, and add the blanched beef, salt, sugar, five-spice powder, dark soy sauce, soy sauce, and scallions. Bring to a boil, then simmer on low heat for 40 minutes.
3. Remove the beef, let cool, then slice very thinly — about 2mm thick.
4. Heat a wok with a generous amount of oil (the original uses about 80g, but less works too). Add the sliced beef and cook over low heat for about 5 minutes, stirring gently, until excess moisture cooks off.
5. Add the dried chili powder, white sesame seeds, and dried chili segments. Continue stir-frying over low heat for about 8 minutes until fragrant. Add the starch, five-spice powder, MSG, sugar, and Sichuan peppercorn oil. Stir evenly and remove from heat.
6. Let cool completely, then refrigerate until cold. Serve chilled.

Serving Suggestions

Serve well chilled, straight from the refrigerator — on its own with cold beer or iced tea, or as part of a spread of cold appetizers. The numbing heat is made for drinks. It also works as a topping for plain white rice or congee, where the chili oil seasons the grains. Leftovers keep well refrigerated for several days and arguably taste even better on day two.

Flavor Profile

Numbing Sichuan pepper, layered chili heat, toasted sesame, and deep braised-beef savoriness.

The first impression is aromatic — warm five-spice and toasted sesame — followed by building chili heat and the citrusy tingle of Sichuan peppercorn oil. The beef stays firmly chewy rather than tender-soft, which keeps the dish snack-like and makes you reach for another slice. Served cold, the flavors read cleaner and more distinct than they would warm.