Why is this dish not very well-known outside the Chinese community?
A dish with a weird name
Well, it has a weird enough name to scare anyone away, like the famous saliva chicken. Fu Qi Fei Pian can be translated literally as “Husband and Wife Lung Slices”. You can read a bit more about the story of this strange name on Wikipedia. Just so you know, the dish doesn’t usually contain lung. In reality, the dish is usually made with the cheapest cuts of the beef available, such as brisket, plus some offal, such as tripe, heart, or tongue. Not only are these offal parts cheaper, but they also create a mixed texture of tender and crunchy, which adds a nice touch to the cheap beef cuts.
Traditionally, the beef cuts are braised for 6 to 7 hours in a savory broth, then thinly sliced and served in a scrumptious sauce made with chili oil, some braising liquid, and plenty of aromatics. And guess what? It’s only an appetizer. Seems like some intensive labor just to make an appetizer, right? That’s why I rarely make it at home, at least, until recently. I found out it was a favorite dish of a close friend. So I decided to develop this shortcut version that yields perfect results, just like you’d get in China.
Cooking notes
1. Which cut to use
My favorite combinations are – beef brisket and beef tongue, or beef chuck and beef tongue. I would be sure to have at least two types of meat, so that the texture of the dish is more interesting. If you prefer to cook the dish the super authentic way, use beef tripe and beef brisket. However, if you prefer lean meat, you could use brisket or chuck without any offal.
2. Be sure to cook it in a big batch
I usually cook about 3 to 3.5 lbs (1.4 to 1.5 kg) of meat in my 6-quart Instant Pot. I cut the meat into big chunks so it fits into the pot in one layer. This way, the cooking liquid will just cover the meat once the cooking is done. If you have a larger Instant Pot, you probably can cook more beef in one batch without doubling the sauce. I would not recommend cooking this dish in a small batch. First of all, you will need exactly the same amount of time to cook a small batch. Plus, you will end up using more water if cooking it on the stovetop, or need to double the braising seasoning if cooking in a pressure cooker. It will dilute the broth and result in a taste that isn’t as rich.
3. Homemade ingredients are key
Yes, it takes a lot of time to make chili oil and flavored sweet soy sauce from scratch, but it is totally worth the effort. These two ingredients stay well in the fridge for months, and you can use them to make many other dishes. For example, Sichuan Wontons in Red Oil, Lanzhou Beef Ramen, Sichuan Chicken in Red Oil, and Vegetarian Chow Mein. These two ingredients will make your dishes taste like the real-deal Sichuan food in China. To make the best Sichuan food, I highly recommend getting some premium Sichuan peppercorns and chili flakes from The Mala Market. Their products are some of the freshest available and are imported directly from Sichuan.
4. Cooking in advance is a great idea
This dish is perfect for meal-prep or hosting an impressive Chinese dinner. You can make the beef and the sauce a day in advance and assemble it a couple hours before serving. The beef will soak up the sauce and taste so good. When I make this dish for my friend, I always save some for myself and serve it on top of rice. So irresistible! After my friend tasted my dish, she loved it so much and demanded more. She told me that it tasted even better than the restaurant version, because my dish had a fresher taste, plus all the seasonings were on point!
More real-deal Sichuan recipes
Real-Deal Kung Pao Tofu Sichuan Dry Fried Green Beans Dan Dan Noodles Sichuan Eggplant Stir Fry (Yu Xiang Qie Zi) Addictive Sichuan Mala Chicken (La Zi Ji) Suan Cai Yu (Sichuan Fish with Pickled Mustard Greens)
If you give this recipe a try, let us know! Leave a comment, rate it (once you’ve tried it), and take a picture and tag it @omnivorescookbook on Instagram! I’d love to see what you come up with.
