Chinese · Authentic-ish Chinese
Beef and Black Bean
375 kcal a serving, against 547 for the traditional version. That is 172 kcal off, or 31%, with 38.7g of protein. Serves 4. 30 minutes.
What the traditional version is
Thin strips of beef marinated in egg white and cornflour, then plunged into a wok of deep oil to velvet. Tossed with chunks of pepper, onions, fermented black beans and a thick, oil-heavy soy gravy that coats every single piece of meat. It relies on fat for both texture and sauce volume.
What changed, and what each change costs
150g of frying oil down to 15g, using boiling water instead of hot fat to velvet the beef
Restaurants velvet meat in hot oil to tenderise it and seal in moisture. Passing the marinated meat through boiling water achieves almost the exact same tenderness without absorbing half a cup of grease. You get the soft texture without the massive energy hit.
What it costs you. You lose the slightly fried, toasted edge on the meat. Water blanching leaves the beef visually pale and a bit slippery until it hits the dark sauce in the frying pan.
Building the sauce on 200g of beef stock instead of oil and sugar
Traditional sauces rely on a large volume of oil emulsified with sugar and cornflour to aggressively coat the meat. Beef stock provides the necessary volume and savoury depth to carry the black beans and garlic around the wok.
What it costs you. The sauce isn't as glossy or clinging as the takeaway version. It coats the meat well enough, but it won't leave that thick, shiny residue at the bottom of the bowl.
The numbers
| Per serving | Traditional | Lightened |
|---|---|---|
| Calories | 547 | 375 |
| Protein | 38.2g | 38.7g |
| Fat | 29.7g | 13.7g |
| Saturated fat | 6.1g | 4.4g |
| Carbohydrate | 31.7g | 23.5g |
| Protein per 100 kcal | 7g | 10.3g |
Every figure is computed from the recipe's own weighed ingredient list against public food composition databases. The appendix in Authentic-ish Chinese prints the exact database row used for each ingredient, so any number here can be checked.
Allergens. gluten, eggs, soybeans, celery.
The method is in the book
Water velveting is a brilliant trick to have up your sleeve. You get all the tenderness of a restaurant stir-fry without the heavy slick of grease coating your mouth. The chopped black beans and garlic do the heavy lifting for the flavour, while the beef stock provides enough savoury depth to cover the missing oil. Accept the trade. Call it a sharper, meatier dish that hits the spot and leaves you feeling properly fed rather than a glossy takeaway masterpiece and you'll be about right. You get a fantastic pile of lean protein and bold flavours, without the inevitable food coma.
The quantities and the method for this dish are in Authentic-ish Chinese, along with 55 more. Buy the paperback