Ma la is a much celebrated regional sauce in Sichuan cuisine, the term ‘ma la’ is a combination of two Chinese characters: “numbing” and “spicy”. Fei Wang of Hutong has adapted the recipe to perfectly complement the texture of beef tenderloin…

Need to know

Hutong’s head chef Fei Wang has developed his own technique to achieve a version of the sauce with an authentic spicy flavour which perfectly complements the texture of beef tenderloin.

Ingredients
  • 2 tbsp vegetable oil
  • 200g beef tenderloin strips
  • 20g thinly sliced fresh green and red bird’s eye chillies
  • 5 chilli bean sauce
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/2 tsp white pepper
  • 5g sliced ginger
  • 5g thinly sliced spring onion
  • 5g thinly sliced garlic
  • 1/2 tsp potato starch or cornstarch
  • 35ml cold water
  • 3 thinly sliced aubergines
  • vegetable oil
Method

1. Heat a non-stick pan with 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil, then pan fry the beef tenderloin for 5 minutes.

2. Add the remaining ingredients and keep stirring for 5 minutes on a high heat, being careful they don’t burn.

3. In a separate bowl, stir the potato starch and water until mixed. Add the mixture to the pan and stir for 2 minutes until the sauce thickens.

4. Warm up the oven or steamer and place the sliced aubergine into the steaming tray. Let them steam for 2-3 minutes until soft.

5. Place the aubergine at the bottom of the serving plate, add the ma la beef and garnish with spring onion.