| Prep: 60 mins | Cook: 30 mins | Difficulty: Medium | Serves: 6 |
| kcal | fat | saturates | carbs |
| 278 | 16.1g | 3.6g | 15.1g |
| sugars | fibre | protein | salt |
| 5.3g | 1.9g | 27.6g | 0.86g |
Why I Love Chinese Dry Fried Beef Kidney Pot
There’s a special place in my heart for the Dry Fried Beef Kidney Pot, a melodious composition that bridges my love of gamey textures with a delightful hint of Eastern flair. Sometimes, when I’m caught up in my routine of trout dishes and hearty mountain classics, I stumble upon a recipe like this that playfully challenges me, pushing the envelope of my culinary comfort zone. This Chinese delicacy, brimming with flavor, vibrancy, and a touch of spice, just so happens to be one of them. Featured in the picture below, you can almost taste the delectable fusion of savory, spicy, and tangy components right from the image.
The Inspiration
The humble origins of the Dry Fried Beef Kidney Pot trace back to my chance conversation with Chef Chen Kenmin, regarded as the Father of Szechuan cuisine in Japan. His approach to using offal meats in beautiful, bold dishes was awe-inspiring. Who could have foretold that this encounter would lead me down the path of exploring a world of taste that was different, yet familiar?
Recreating Tradition
What I absolutely adore about this recipe is how it bridges cultures. Although beef kidney isn’t a typical feature in the Rocky Mountain kitchen, it does retain the robust character I cherish in game meats. It’s about honoring traditional Chinese cuisine, peppers and Szechuan peppercorns presenting a fiery dance, while borrowing the resilience and fearlessness of mountain cooking.
The Dry Fried Beef Kidney Pot, with its complex tapestry of flavors, bears a remarkable resemblance to the classic Beef Stir-Fry with Black Pepper Sauce. A good pairing for this pot dish would be a light Chinese Cucumber Salad to balance the robustness of the dish, lightening the palate.
In the spirit of something greater, the savory interplay of beef kidney with spring onions, ginger, and chili bean paste rends a distinct, unapologetic snapshot of a culture and a man learning to blend his love of hearty fare with new culinary endeavours. It’s this sense of exploratory adventure that goads me into the kitchen, day after day, in search of new creations, tastes, and cuisines, like the Dry Fried Beef Kidney Pot.
What You’ll Need
- 1.5 lbs of beef kidney
- 4 spring onions
- 2 bell peppers
- 4 cloves of garlic
- 1 inch of fresh ginger
- 2 tablespoons of soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons of Chinese rice wine
- 1 tablespoon of sesame oil
- 1 tablespoon of chili bean paste
- 1 teaspoon of sugar
- 1 teaspoon of Szechuan peppercorns
- 1/2 teaspoon of salt
- 1/4 cup of cornstarch
- 3 tablespoons of vegetable oil for frying
Method
Step One
Start by cleaning the beef kidney. Remove any fat and membranes, and cut it into thin slices. Rinse in cold water until the water is clear, then soak in a mixture of water and salt for about 30 minutes to remove the strong flavor. After 30 minutes, rinse again and pat dry.
Step Two
While the kidney is soaking, prepare your vegetables. Clean and slice the spring onions, bell peppers, garlic, and ginger. Set these aside for later.
Step Three
In a mixing bowl, combine the soy sauce, Chinese rice wine, sesame oil, chili bean paste, sugar, Szechuan peppercorns, and salt. Stir until well combined. This will be your sauce for the dish.
Step Four
Once your kidney is ready, coat the kidney slices in cornstarch. Make sure each slice is thoroughly coated.
Step Five
Heat the vegetable oil in a wok or large frying pan over medium heat. Once the oil is hot, add the kidney slices and fry until they are browned and crispy. Remove the kidney from the wok and set aside.
Step Six
In the same wok, add a little more oil if necessary, then add your prepared vegetables. Stir-fry these until they become tender but still retain some crunch.
Step Seven
Return the fried kidney to the wok and stir in the prepared sauce. Continue to stir-fry until the kidney and vegetables are well coated in the sauce and heated through.
Step Eight
Ensure everything is heated thoroughly, then remove from heat. Your Dry Fried Beef Kidney Pot is ready to serve.
