Spicy beef with mushrooms

Ingredients for 2 servings:

• 150 g water
• 1 tsp, heaped stock powder (mushroom bouillon, granules)
• 4 medium-sized shiitake mushrooms, dried
• 200 g beef fillet(s) in one piece
• 2 pinches of salt
• 1 tsp cornstarch
• 2 tbsp rice wine, dark, spicy-mild
• 10 g papaya pulp, pureed, frozen
• 20 g spice lily (aromatic ginger)
• 3 small onions, red, small
• 2 medium-sized garlic cloves
• 1 small chili pepper(s), green
• 1 small spring onion(s)
• 30 g carrot(s), a piece about 4 cm long
• 50 g beer radish(s)
• 1 tsp cornstarch
• 1 tbsp, levelled sugar, fine
• 1 tsp rice vinegar, dark, mild
• 2 tsp soy sauce, light
• 25 g bean paste, spicy, made from black beans
• 30 g water (soaking water from the mushrooms)
• 2 m.-large tomato(s), oblong
• n. B. flowers and leaves
• 5 tbsp sunflower oil

Instructions

Working time approx. 30 minutes; Cooking/baking time approx. 4 minutes; Total time approx. 34 minutes

A spicy side dish from Szechuan cuisine in China.

Bring the water to a boil, dissolve the mushroom stock in it, and soak the mushrooms in the broth, covered, for 30 minutes. Then gently squeeze out the soaking water, slice the mushroom caps into fine strips, discarding the tough stems, and reserve the soaking water for the sauce. Cut the slightly thawed (if frozen) meat across the grain into approximately 5 mm thick slices, ideally using a bread and sausage slicer, and then cut these crosswise into approximately 6 mm wide strips. Mix the salt, cornstarch, rice wine, and thawed papaya puree until smooth and stir into the meat pieces. For the vegetables, peel and roughly chop the chili pepper, onion, and garlic cloves. Cut the chili pepper crosswise into thin rings. Leave the seeds and discard the stem. Cut the washed spring onion crosswise into approximately 5 wide pieces in the green part. Cut the white part crosswise into approximately 4 cm long pieces and quarter lengthwise. Wash, peel, and slice/grate the carrot into 3 mm thin strips. Cut the washed and peeled beer radish crosswise into approximately 4 cm long pieces, then slice/grate these lengthwise into 4 x 4 mm thick strips. Chop the lilies of the valley, onions, garlic cloves, and chili in a food processor. Mix all the ingredients for the sauce until smooth and set aside. For the tomato blossoms, cut off the tops of the washed tomatoes so they stand upright. While standing, make four crosswise cuts from top to bottom, leaving about 1.5 cm free at the bottom. Separate the petals from the core and bend them outwards slightly. Sprinkle the inside with salt and pepper and place on a serving dish. Wash the blossoms and leaves, if desired, and set aside. To stir-fry, heat 3 tablespoons of sunflower oil in a wok. Add the meat pieces and stir-fry for 60 seconds. Remove from the wok with a slotted spoon and keep warm. Add the remaining sunflower oil and heat until hot. Add the carrot, beer radish, white spring onion, and mushroom pieces and stir-fry for 60 seconds. Add the mixture from the food processor and stir-fry for 30 seconds. Deglaze with the sauce and simmer until just used up. Remove from the heat and stir in the meat pieces. Transfer the finished side dish to the serving dish and garnish with flowers and leaves, if desired. Serve and enjoy.