The summary of ‘The Unobtainable Beef Lao Gan Ma’

The video discusses the unavailability of a specific version of Lao Gan Ma chili oil with beef and Sichuan pepper outside of China due to meat import regulations. It explores making a homemade version using fresh ingredients. The process involves slicing, drying, and mincing red chilies, preparing fermented black soybeans, toasting Sichuan peppercorns, and marinating beef. Cooking methods for a beef dish using Lao Gan Ma chili oil are detailed. The importance of specific ingredients like Sichuan caiziyou oil is stressed. The speaker recommends consuming the dishes a day after preparation for the best flavor and acknowledges supporters.

00:00:00

In this part of the video, the speaker discusses an unavailable version of Lao Gan Ma chili oil that includes fried beef and Sichuan pepper. Due to the strict regulations on importing meat products to the US and similar countries, this particular chili oil cannot be obtained abroad. The three legal meat categories allowed to be imported from China to the US are raw catfish, cooked chicken, and cooked duck. Importing beef is prohibited, making it unlikely for US-China trade to open up for this product. The option left is to make a similar version at home using the fresh chili method, as industrial producers tend to use this method closest to the authentic Lao Gan Ma flavor.

00:03:00

In this segment of the video, the process of making a homemade version of Lao Gan Ma chili oil is described. The key actions include slicing, de-seeding, drying, and mincing red chilies, preparing fermented black soybeans (douchi), toasting and grinding Sichuan peppercorns, and marinating ground beef. The detailed steps for preparing each ingredient are outlined, including draining the chilies, steeping the douchi, toasting and grinding peppercorns, and marinating the beef. Additionally, the use of specific ingredients like Sichuan caiziyou oil and the option to add aromatics like ginger, garlic, and onion are discussed.

00:06:00

In this segment of the video, the process of making a Lao Gan Ma beef dish is detailed. Key points include frying the beef until crispy and rendered, frying minced chilis until moisture is expelled, adding red chili powder and douchi, seasoning with MSG, sugar, salt, and Sichuan peppercorn powder, then letting the dish sit for a day for best results. An alternative method using Lao Gan Ma black bean chili and ground beef is suggested. The cooking process is similar, but ingredients are halved. Both versions are recommended to be consumed a day after preparation for optimal flavor.

00:09:00

In this part of the video, the speaker mentions the use of Sichuan douchi and other ingredients that may be hard to find but are recommended. They encourage viewers to check out the recipe in the description box, express gratitude to supporters on Patreon, and suggest subscribing for more Chinese cooking videos.