Description
A specialty of Xi'an's Muslim Quarter (Huimin Jie). Beef is heavily coated in coarse 'rice flour' blended with star anise and Five-Spice, then placed in tiny bamboo steamers and steamed for hours until the meat melts. An art piece of aroma and texture.
Restaurants serving Fen Zheng Rou (Steamed Beef with Spiced Rice Flour)
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We are researching restaurants that serve this dish.
On this site you can check dictionary details and, later, places to buy or eat related items.
The Recipe section below is a general reference, not a recipe from the listed shops.
Recipe
Ingredients
- Beef
- Raw rice
- Star anise/Cinnamon/Sichuan pepper
- Soy sauce
- Sweet bean sauce
- Sweet potato(for lining)
Instructions
- [Authentic Recipe]
- (Steaming Powder Prep) This is the soul. Dry-roast raw rice with star anise, cinnamon, and Sichuan pepper in a pan until aromatic. Grind this in a blender into a 'coarse powder' (Mi Fen).
- (Meat) Slice beef (slightly fatty cuts).
- Massage the beef with soy, sweet bean sauce, Doubanjiang (optional), scallion, ginger, and wine.
- Coat the seasoned beef heavily in the 'spiced rice powder' and a splash of broth, ensuring a thick, muddy layer clings to the meat.
- Line the bottom of a small bamboo steamer with sweet potatoes or pumpkin (to act as a sponge for the fat).
- Place the coated beef on top. Steam on high for 1-
- hours until the meat cuts with chopsticks and the rice flour turns wildly chewy and umami-packed.
Learn more Spice, substitutes, tips
Key spices
Complex spice of star anise/Sichuan pepper、Steamed rice sweetness
Substitutes at Japanese supermarkets
(Use store-bought 'Zheng Rou Fen' powder to coat and steam)
Pairing
Lotus leaf bun (stuffed inside) / Oolong Tea
Trivia
[Trivia] 'Fen' means rice flour. In Southern China it's made with pork, but in Xi'an's Hui (Muslim) quarter, the absolute rule is beef or mutton. It's often said the sweet potatoes at the bottom, soaked in meat fat, taste even better than the meat itself.
Eating tips & etiquette
[Unique Eating] Served directly in the mini steamer. One bite, and the 'chewy rice flour coating' and 'melting meat' dissolve simultaneously in your mouth. In Xi'an, the ultimate royal style is to stuff this meat inside a piping hot 'Lotus Leaf Bun' (fluffy bread).
Allergen
Beef, Wheat, Soybeans