SichuanMedium 40 min serves 3

Dry-Fried Beef Shreds Sichuan-Style (干煸牛肉丝)

Name: Dry-Fried Beef Shreds Sichuan-Style (干煸牛肉丝)
Total time: 40 min
Yield: 3 servings
Cuisine: Sichuan
Ingredients: beef flank or sirloin, cut into matchsticks; celery, cut into 5 cm sticks; carrot, cut into matchsticks; dried chilies, snipped; sichuan peppercorn; ginger, shredded; garlic cloves, sliced; shaoxing wine; light soy sauce; dark soy sauce; cooking oil; sesame oil

干煸牛肉丝 · gan bian niu rou si

家庭快手版 · Home version: Family version dry-fries the beef in a wok over medium-low heat with modest oil. Restaurant versions use far more oil and higher heat to get the characteristic dehydrated, almost jerky chew in a fraction of the time.

Gan bian means 'dry-fried' — a Sichuan technique where the ingredient is cooked in oil over patient, moderate heat until its moisture leaves and its flavour concentrates. Applied to beef shreds it produces something between a stir-fry and beef jerky: dark, chewy, humming with Sichuan peppercorn. It takes longer than most weeknight dishes, which is exactly why it tastes like a weekend.

Recipe author: HǎoWèi Test Kitchen

Home-cooking research team

Reviewed by HǎoWèi editorial team · Last updated 2026-08-29

More beef recipes →Spicy

Ingredients

beef flank or sirloin, cut into matchsticks牛腩条 / 牛里脊（切火柴梗丝）🛒 local400 g
celery, cut into 5 cm sticks芹菜（切 5 厘米段）🛒 local150 g
carrot, cut into matchsticks胡萝卜（切细丝）🛒 local80 g
dried chilies, snipped干辣椒（剪段）🏮 asian6 pieces
sichuan peppercorn花椒🏮 asian1 tsp
ginger, shredded姜（切丝）🛒 local1 tbsp
garlic cloves, sliced大蒜（切片）🛒 local3 cloves
shaoxing wine绍兴酒🏮 asian1 tbsp
light soy sauce生抽🏮 asian1 tbsp
dark soy sauce老抽🏮 asian1 tsp
cooking oil食用油🛒 local3 tbsp
sesame oil香油🏮 asian1 tsp

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Instructions

1Cut the beef across the grain into matchsticks about 6 cm long and 4 mm thick. Toss with shaoxing wine and half the light soy sauce, and set aside 10 minutes.
🔍 Look for 10 min
Visual: beef coated and no liquid pooling
You know it's right when: marinade absorbed
2Heat 2 tbsp oil in a wok over medium heat. Add the beef shreds in a single layer and leave them alone for 2 minutes so moisture can escape rather than steam.
🔍 Look for Medium heat 2 min
Visual: surface browning, liquid collecting at the edges
You know it's right when: sizzle softens to a dry crackle
3Continue stir-frying over medium-low heat for 8-10 minutes, stirring every minute, until the shreds have darkened, shrunk by about a third and squeak slightly against the wok.
🔍 Look for Medium-low 8-10 min
Visual: deep mahogany, visibly shrunken and dry
You know it's right when: wok sounds dry, no spattering
4Push the beef up one side of the wok. Add the last tbsp oil to the bare surface, then dried chilies, sichuan peppercorn, ginger and garlic. Fry for 30 seconds until the kitchen smells toasted and numbing.
🔍 Look for Medium-low 30 sec
Visual: chilies darkening but not black
You know it's right when: sharp toasted-numbing aroma
5Add celery and carrot sticks. Raise the heat and stir-fry for 2 minutes until the celery turns bright green and just loses its raw snap.
🔍 Look for High heat 2 min
Visual: celery glossy bright green
You know it's right when: vegetables squeak when bitten
6Return the beef, add remaining light soy sauce and dark soy sauce, and toss for 1 minute until everything is evenly coloured. Finish with sesame oil and serve with plain rice.
🔍 Look for High heat 1 min
Visual: dark glossy shreds with no free sauce
You know it's right when: ready to serve

Tips

· Cut across the grain, always. With the grain, dry-fried beef becomes impossible to chew.
· The dry-fry stage is slow on purpose. Rushing it gives you boiled beef, not gan bian beef.
· Keep the chilies dark red, not black. Black means burnt and bitter.
· It reheats well and tastes even better the next day — make a double batch.

Sources & references

Quantities, technique notes, and substitution ratios are cross-checked against established Chinese cookery references and standard food-science sources.

Read our editorial policy
Fuchsia Dunlop, Land of Plenty: A Treasury of Authentic Sichuan Cooking
USDA FoodData Central — ingredient nutrition and portion data
Traditional Chinese family-kitchen practice and regional taste records

Common questions

Can I skip Shaoxing wine? What's the substitute?

Dry sherry is the closest 1:1 swap (fidelity ~80%). No sherry? Use a splash of white wine plus a little water, or just skip it and add a tiny extra pinch of sugar — the wine's job is depth and removing meat's gamey notes, and a good marinade covers most of it.

Source: HǎoWèi substitution engine

I can't find Sichuan peppercorns. What do I use?

Honestly, there is no true substitute — the numbing (má) sensation is unique. Best local approximation: 1/2 tsp black pepper + a little citrus zest for warmth and brightness. If you cook Sichuan food regularly, buy them online; they keep for months in an airtight jar.

Source: HǎoWèi substitution engine

It's too spicy. How do I tone it down?

Add a dairy element (a swirl of yogurt, milk, or a spoon of peanut butter) — dairy fat binds the capsaicin. Sugar or honey also helps balance heat. For next time: remove chili seeds (they hold most heat) or halve the dried chilies and add chili oil at the table instead.

Source: HǎoWèi flavor guide