Chinese sizzling beef

[Cineris]

At the local chinese restaurant they have an amazing beef, and I'm trying to figure out the recipe. I've been searching the net for similar recipes, but could only find black bean sauce recipes. I'm pretty sure it's neither black bean sauce or pepper sauce, as these are dishes on their own. It's served in a hot pan, with onions or shallots, leeks, bells peppers and a lot of garlic. The sauce is dark in colour. Any help is greatly appreciated.

A guy on another forum was talking about douchi and tian mian jiang, but then again, these are bean bases. Haven't had a chance to try it out though.

[Katie Meadow]

You can easily put together a sauce using the following: oyster sauce, soy sauce, rice wine, a little broth or water, a little sesame oil if you think that flavor complements the dish or reminds you of the one you had. See how that goes and then start messing with the ingredients or the ratio of ingredients to make adjustments. That's just a very basic non-bean based sauce. If oyster sauce doesn't seem right, you might try hoisin sauce instead, but--just a guess here--it is more likely oyster sauce was used. For a basic beef stir-fry I would probably use oyster sauce for a bit of body.

 

If the dish was simply called sizzling beef you might look up other sizzling recipes and get ideas for the technique as well.

Edited April 12, 2016 by Katie Meadow (log)

[liuzhou]

The usual Chinese name for this dish is 铁板牛肉 tiě bǎn niú ròu which literally translates as "iron plate beef". A Google search for "iron plate beef" brings up a few recipes such as this and this.
 

[Cineris]

Forgot to mention. Already tried to make it with basic soy/oyster sauce. Not the same. 

[Cineris]

10 hours ago, liuzhou said:

The usual Chinese name for this dish is 铁板牛肉 tiě bǎn niú ròu which literally translates as "iron plate beef". A Google search for "iron plate beef" brings up a few recipes such as this and this.
 

And you are correct. I think this is the dish I'm looking for. Though just searching for iron plate beef doesn't really help me a lot. I tried searching for  铁板牛肉 and this is definitely the one. A little hard to find a decent recipe, even with google translate. Anyone who can help me out finding a really good recipe for this?

[Cineris]

Tried making yesterday using a black bean base. Definitely not it either. As stated before, it just tasted like the black bean dish.  

[liuzhou]

2 hours ago, Cineris said:

Tried making yesterday using a black bean base. Definitely not it either. As stated before, it just tasted like the black bean dish.  

 

So beef cooked in black bean sauce tastes like beef cooked in black bean sauce. Who'd have thunk it?

 

As has been said before, the iron plate beef is normally a simple stir fry with peppers and aliums (leeks, onions, shallots, garlic) of your choice in oyster sauce, The iron plate is purely for presentation.

 

I'm not sure what you mean by a basic soy/oyster sauce.

 

Perhaps if you detail the soy/oyster sauce recipe you used, we may spot what's missing.

[Lisa Shock]

Is the meat velveted?

Other than that, the description is much like that for 'pepper steak'. One thing to remember is that different brands of soy sauce and oyster sauce, etc. taste different from each other. Next time you eat at the restaurant, try asking what brands they use.

[Beebs]

Perhaps try googling Mongolian beef?  And to add to Lisa Shock's suggestion - black pepper steak or Chinese pepper steak?

[Cineris]

8 hours ago, liuzhou said:

 

So beef cooked in black bean sauce tastes like beef cooked in black bean sauce. Who'd have thunk it?

 

As has been said before, the iron plate beef is normally a simple stir fry with peppers and aliums (leeks, onions, shallots, garlic) of your choice in oyster sauce, The iron plate is purely for presentation.

 

I'm not sure what you mean by a basic soy/oyster sauce.

 

Perhaps if you detail the soy/oyster sauce recipe you used, we may spot what's missing.

Beef/chicken broth, couple of tablespoons oyster and soy. Or skip the broth. Tried both. And yeah, I know the iron plate is for presentation.

[Cineris]

8 hours ago, Lisa Shock said:

Is the meat velveted?

Other than that, the description is much like that for 'pepper steak'. One thing to remember is that different brands of soy sauce and oyster sauce, etc. taste different from each other. Next time you eat at the restaurant, try asking what brands they use.

The meat doesn't really matter. All I'm looking for is the sauce. The beef is shredded. I've tried using dark soy sauce and light sauce from Lee Kum Kee and from Kikkoman.

[Cineris]

1 hour ago, Beebs said:

Perhaps try googling Mongolian beef?  And to add to Lisa Shock's suggestion - black pepper steak or Chinese pepper steak?

Neither. It's not a pepper steak at all. 

[rotuts]

@Cineris  

 

a picture of your dish would have been helpful.

 

other wise, well,  you are not going to get the help you ask for.

[Cineris]

6 minutes ago, rotuts said:

@Cineris  

 

a picture of your dish would have been helpful.

 

other wise, well,  you are not going to get the help you ask for.

https://www.google.no/search?q=%E9%93%81%E6%9D%BF%E7%89%9B%E8%82%89&espv=2&biw=2133&bih=1087&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjjooONvIvMAhXFkCwKHQdJA84Q_AUIBygB&dpr=0.9#imgrc=Vaj5Gz5qIE2zlM%3A

 

I'd say this is pretty close. Just add bell peppers and leeks. Minus the peppercorns.

Or this one: https://www.google.no/search?q=%E9%93%81%E6%9D%BF%E7%89%9B%E8%82%89&espv=2&biw=2133&bih=1087&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjjooONvIvMAhXFkCwKHQdJA84Q_AUIBygB&dpr=0.9#imgrc=ebCRuvnP1q7GaM%3A

[Lisa Shock]

But, velveting the meat does affect the sauce.

[Cineris]

Just now, Lisa Shock said:

But, velveting the meat does affect the sauce.

Aha, explain. Please. 

[Lisa Shock]

It changes the appearance of the exterior of the meat, and gives an added thickness to the sauce. Try this recipe for comparison.

[liuzhou]

10 hours ago, Cineris said:

Beef/chicken broth, couple of tablespoons oyster and soy. Or skip the broth. Tried both. And yeah, I know the iron plate is for presentation.

 

I meant the recipe for the whole dish. But I'm beginning to see what may be the problem.

 

You are never going to replicate this dish if you insist on keeping the sauce separate from the other ingredients. Chinese cooking doesn't work that way. The sauce isn't something you pour over at the end. It is an integral part of the whole dish. The meat  partially cooks in the sauce, gaining from and contributing to the sauce. As do the other ingredients.

 

I've already given you links to recipes both in English and Chinese, but you seem to have rejected those because they don't include a separate sauce. They never will..

 

I'm done.

[Cineris]

2 hours ago, liuzhou said:

 

I meant the recipe for the whole dish. But I'm beginning to see what may be the problem.

 

You are never going to replicate this dish if you insist on keeping the sauce separate from the other ingredients. Chinese cooking doesn't work that way. The sauce isn't something you pour over at the end. It is an integral part of the whole dish. The meat  partially cooks in the sauce, gaining from and contributing to the sauce. As do the other ingredients.

 

I've already given you links to recipes both in English and Chinese, but you seem to have rejected those because they don't include a separate sauce. They never will..

 

I'm done.

You're misunderstanding. Of course the other ingredients play an important role. The sauce wouldn't be at all the same without the garlic, leeks and onions. Though, I just thought the beef wouldn't really play a big role here.

And the post with the links and description was very helpful. I will continue trying and looking. Btw, the first link doesn't work. 

Edited April 20, 2016 by Cineris (log)

[Lisa Shock]

BTW, those random google images appear to show velveted beef, IMO.

[Cineris]

2 minutes ago, Lisa Shock said:

BTW, those random google images appear to show velveted beef, IMO.

Yeah, I think you are right.

[Paul Bacino]

Addition of Maggi ?

 

[huiray]

I gather you are in Norway (from the google search address). It is possible that the "local Chinese restaurant" may have adapted some of the ingredients to what is available locally in that part of Norway where you are?  Your posted stuff that you tried did not include rice wine. Perhaps, if you can get your hands on Shaohsing wine, you might try that and see if it gets closer to what you seek? Or - ask the restaurant - nicely - next time - what they put into it?

 

"Tit Pan Ngau Yook" is a dish that I grew up with in SE Asia, and each restaurant had its own version of the sauce and dish; including cases where the dish would be brought out to you as a completed dish on the still-sizzling iron plate, and others where the components (partially cooked) were assembled on the table in front of you on the very hot platter and the sauce poured onto it in front of you. Could it be possible that this particular restaurant simply had its version that you have "fixed" your desires on, not necessarily what the dish in a general sense may have suggested in a general sense as components for its execution?

 

BTW - what was the "regionality" or dialect group of the chef (or owners) of that restaurant? (Cantonese, Szechuanese, etc) It might have some bearing on this.

Edited April 20, 2016 by huiray (log)

[Cineris]

That's right, Norway. Not sure about the ingredients, but I really doubt they buy it locally, as the restaurant is located in what you probably would call a village. I know they travel to China, and you can get stuff sent from Oslo, which is where I'm located at the moment. Not easy for me to run back home to order the dish. That's why I can't provide pics or menu atm. Unfortunately I have not been able to get my hands on some Shaoxing wine yet, as the alcohol laws here are pretty strict, and expensive.
And I think you are very right about mentioning that the restaurant has it's very own version. Not just a general dish. That's why I'm searching all over the net. Maybe someone knows something. It's difficult.

 

The owners have lived in Norway since 2000, and they still do not speak the language. I asked one of their sons if he could ask about the recipe and explain it to me. He said it would be very difficult for him to translate it to Norwegian. I don't know if that's the truth, or if it's just a way to keep it a secret. I really doubt they are Szchuanese as their menu is not close to Szechuanese food.

Edited April 21, 2016 by Cineris (log)

[huiray]

2 hours ago, Cineris said:

The owners have lived in Norway since 2000, and they still do not speak the language. I asked one of their sons if he could ask about the recipe and explain it to me. He said it would be very difficult for him to translate it to Norwegian. I don't know if that's the truth, or if it's just a way to keep it a secret. I really doubt they are Szchuanese as their menu is not close to Szechuanese food.

 

Thanks for the response. I would suspect they are more likely to be in the direction of Cantonese or southern Chinese, anyway...rather than Szechuanese, and your comment about the overall menu seems to suggest that.

 

No Shaohsing wine...OK, try some dry sherry (NOT my "best substitute recommendation", but it is in the generalized desired direction), or try some sake...

Edited April 21, 2016 by huiray (log)