Recipe - Szechwan Dry-Fried Beef

Three fourths pound Boneless lean beef
1 tablespoon Hot bean sauce
1 tablespoon Dry sherry
One half teaspoon Sugar
2 Small, dry, hot chile peppe
crumbled & seeded
One half cup Salad oil
1 lg Stalk celery, cut in
matchstick pieces
1 Mediumsize carrot, cut in
matchstick pieces
2 teaspoon Minced garlic
1 teaspoon Minced fresh ginger
2 Whole green onions, cut in
1 1/2" lengths
1 teaspoon Sesame oil
One half teaspoon Szechwan peppercorns

To prepare peppercorns, place in an ungreased frying pan and cook, shaking
pan frequently, over medium heat until aromatic; cool, then crush with a
mortar and pestle or rolling pin. Set aside. Cut meat in slices 1/8 inch
thick, then cut into shreds 1/8 inch wide and 2 inches long. In a bowl,
combine the hot bean sauce, sherry, sugar and chile peppers; set aside.
Pour salad oil in a wok or small deep pan and heat over mediumhigh heat to
360 degrees on a deepfrying thermometer. Add One half the meat and stir to
separate shreds. Cook until meat is dark brown, slightly shriveled, and
chewy (about 2 One half to 3 minutes). Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on
paper towels. Reheat oil to 360 degrees and repeat with remainder of the
meat.
Pour off all but 3 T oil. Increase heat to high. When oil is hot, add
celery and carrot and stirfry for 2 minutes. Add garlic and ginger and
stirfry for 30 seconds. Add onion and stirfry for 30 seconds. Return meat
to pan, add hot bean sauce mixture, and cook, stirring until most of the
liquid has evaporated. Stir in sesame oil and crushed peppercorns before
serving.

From Gemini's MASSIVE MealMaster collection at www.synapse.com/~gemini