Mala beef meat sauce

Soak the soybeans in hot boiled water overnight.

Toast the Sichuan peppercorns over a medium-low flame about three minutes, until they leave oil splotches on the wok; transfer to a mortar and grind to a fine powder.

Slice the arjing tiao and xiaomila chilies, toast over medium-low about ten minutes until they break apart easily, then pound to a fine powder in the mortar.

Put the soaked soybeans in a pot with salt, bay leaves, star anise, a dried chili and the whole peppercorns; bring to a boil, drop to a simmer and cook one hour.

Strain the beans and reserve the cooking liquid.

Long yao the wok with the oil, then over a medium flame infuse it with the cinnamon, star anise, fennel seed and caoguo until fragrant, about eight minutes; remove the spices and shut off the heat.

Fry the doubanjiang over a low flame about three minutes, until it stains the oil red.

Add the garlic, ginger, onion and scallion whites and fry over medium about three minutes until fragrant and cooked through.

Raise the flame to high and add the beef, along with the douchi.

Once the beef is cooked, add the chili powders and fry about a minute.

Add the soybean cooking liquid, liaojiu, soy sauce, sugar and chicken bouillon powder, mix, then add the cooked soybeans.

Cook and reduce over a high flame about eight minutes, until the liquid has mostly evaporated and it sounds like frying rather than bubbling.

Add the scallion greens and fry about a minute.

Finish with salt, white pepper powder, MSG, dark Chinese vinegar and the ground Sichuan peppercorn.

Serve mixed with noodles, or as a stir-fry base with boiled corn cut off the cob and scallions.