Shuizhu Frog (Sichuan Boiled Frog)
Spicy and numbing, with tender frog meat complemented by bean sprouts and lettuce, this classic Sichuan dish is irresistible.
Ingredients
16 items- Frog meat (bullfrog) 500g
- Mung bean sprouts 200g
- Lettuce stem (celtuce) 1 stalk
- Dried chili peppers 20g
- Sichuan peppercorns 10g
- Ginger 15g
- Garlic 15g
- Pixian doubanjiang (chili bean paste) 2 tbsp
- Light soy sauce 1 tbsp
- Cooking wine 1 tbsp
- Salt ½ tsp
- Sugar ½ tsp
- Cornstarch 1 tbsp
- Egg white 1
- Cooking oil as needed
- Cilantro as needed
Nutrition
Steps （8 steps）
Wash and drain the frog meat, place in a bowl. Add 1 tbsp cooking wine, ½ tsp salt, 1 egg white, and 1 tbsp cornstarch. Mix well and marinate for 10 minutes.
Remove roots from bean sprouts, wash. Peel and slice lettuce. Bring water to a boil, add a little salt and oil. Blanch sprouts and lettuce for about 30 seconds, then drain and transfer to a large bowl.
Heat oil in a pot to 50% hot. Add sliced ginger and minced garlic, stir until fragrant. Add chopped pixian doubanjiang, cook on low heat until red oil releases, about 2 minutes.
Add dried chili sections and half of the Sichuan peppercorns, stir a few times. Pour in some water or broth, bring to a boil over high heat. Add soy sauce and sugar to season, reduce to medium heat and cook for 3 minutes.
Gently add marinated frog pieces one by one into the soup. Do not stir initially. Once the surface sets, gently push with a spatula. Cook for about 5 minutes until the frog meat floats and is fully cooked.
Pour the cooked frog meat and soup into the bowl with the vegetables. Sprinkle the remaining dried chili sections and Sichuan peppercorns on top.
Heat about 100ml of oil in a separate pot until smoking (about 200°C). Turn off the heat and drizzle the hot oil evenly over the chili and peppercorns to release aroma.
Finally, garnish with cilantro segments and serve. Dip in the soup when eating.
Tips
Marinating frog meat with egg white and cornstarch makes it tender; the final hot oil must be very hot to fully release the aroma of the chili and Sichuan peppercorns. Also, do not overcook the frog meat—it's done when it turns white and floats.
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