This is a very unusual preparation and one that I think I probably need a bit more practice at. You boil the beef, then fry it, then pound it in a molcajete or similar. It's delicious, but I found that my beef wasn't sufficiently tender to be broken down by the pounding. I ended up putting it back in the pot to cook for a little longer. Next time I think I'd give it a much longer boiling/braising period so that it could be more easily worked with in the final step.

Kachin Pounded Beef

Slightly adapted from Burma: Rivers of Flavor by Naomi Duguid

Ingredients

• 2 c. water
• 450g stewing beef
• 1 tsp. ground Sichuan peppercorns
• 1 Tbsp. oil
• 1 Tbsp. chopped ginger
• 1 Tbsp. chopped garlic
• 1-2 dried red Thai, cayenne, or arbol chilies
• 1 tsp. Sichuan peppercorns¹, toasted
• 1 tsp. coarse sea salt
• 1/2 c. chopped fresh cilantro or Vietnamese coriander

Directions

1. Combine water, beef, and Sichuan pepper in a wok and bring to a boil.
2. Simmer until meat is tender.²
3. Reduce heat gradually as the water evaporates.
4. Remove from heat once most of the liquid has evaporated and the meat is tender.
5. Set the meat aside and rinse out the wok.
6. Place wok over medium heat.
7. Drizzle in the oil and swirl to coat.
8. Add the meat and cook, turnning occasionally until seared on all sides (~5 minutes). Remove from heat and set aside.
9. Combine ginger, garlic, dried chilies, Sichuan peppercorns, and salt in a molcajete or very large mortar and grind to a paste.
10. Add cilantro and grind to a paste.
11. Add the meat, a piece or two at a time, and pound to break it down and incorporate the flavour paste.

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¹ Be sure to remove and discard any seeds. You want only the husks when working with Sichuan peppercorns. The seeds will become gritty and unpleasant in the mouth. ^Back
2 Duguid starts with 1 c. of water and recommends simmering for ~30 minutes. I've started off with 2 c. and would recommend simmering for at least 90 minutes. (Add more water if necessary.) ^Back