Pan-fried Beef

1) Break and beat the eggs. Mix with wheat flour into a batter. (The egg must be added little by little while mixing.) Heat peanut oil (4 tablespoons) in pan until it smokes. Pour oil, when cooled, into batter and mix well.

2) Cut beef in 2 large chunks. Put it in saucepot and add enough cold water to keep beef just submerged. Bring to a boil and skim the stock. Remove and wash beef with warm water of what scum is still attached to it.

3) Bake and stir salt (6 tablespoons) and the rest of peppercorn on dry pan over slow fire. When an aroma is smelt, put them on workboard and crush fine, while hot, into powder with a rolling pin. Mix in gourmet powder (if it is the granulated variety, also rolled fine). And this becomes "spiced salt".

4) Rub salt evenly into beef. Leave it in a container and add scallion, ginger, cooking wine, pepper, peppercorn, cinnamon, clove and anise. Let set for an hour.

Steam beef with container in a closed steamer for 3 hours over high flame.

Pick spices off steamed beef and cut it, when cool, into big pieces of 3/4 inches thick.

5) Heat fry pan and pour in peanut oil. When the oil begins to smoke, coat beef pieces with egg batter and fry them till dark brown. Drain and slice beef, holding knife at an angle, into large slices.

Arrange in a dish. Sprinkle on adequate amount of spiced salt before serving.

Notes:

(1) The steaming time may vary according to the texture of the beef (tenderloin preferred), which should be well-done.

(2) Mutton may be used instead of beef for the same recipe.