Fuqi Feipian (Husband and Wife Lung Slices)

Ingredients

• 400g beef shank, in one piece
• 300g beef tripe, cleaned
• 200g beef tongue or heart, cleaned
• 2 tbsp Shaoxing wine
• 40g ginger, sliced
• 4 spring onions, halved
• 2 star anise
• 1 small piece cassia bark
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 tbsp whole Sichuan pepper
• 1 tsp fennel seeds
• 2 tbsp fine sea salt
• 6 tbsp Sichuan chilli oil, with plenty of sediment
• 3 tbsp light soy sauce
• 1 tbsp Chinkiang vinegar
• 2 tsp caster sugar
• 1 tsp ground roasted Sichuan pepper
• 3 garlic cloves
• 60g roasted peanuts, roughly crushed
• 2 celery sticks, finely sliced on the diagonal
• 1 small bunch coriander, chopped
• 1 tbsp toasted sesame seeds

Before you cook

• Rinse the beef shank, tripe and tongue under cold running water, then leave them in a bowl of cold water for 30 minutes to draw out the blood.
• Tie the star anise, cassia bark, bay leaves, whole Sichuan pepper and fennel seeds into a square of muslin.
• Crush the garlic to a paste with a pinch of salt and stir in 2 tablespoons of cold water.

Steps

1. Put the shank, tripe and tongue in a large pot and cover them with cold water by 5cm.
2. Bring the pot to the boil over high heat and skim off the grey foam that rises for the first three minutes.
3. Drain the meat into a colander and rinse each piece under hot water to wash off any remaining scum.
4. Return the meat to the clean pot with the ginger, spring onions, Shaoxing wine, spice bag and salt.
5. Pour in 2 litres of fresh water and bring the pot back to the boil.
6. Turn the heat down until the surface of the liquid barely trembles.
7. Simmer the tripe and tongue for 90 minutes, until a skewer slides through with no resistance.
8. Lift out the tripe and tongue and set them aside on a plate.
9. Carry on simmering the shank for a further 30 minutes, until firm but tender.
10. Turn off the heat and return the tripe and tongue to the pot to cool in the liquid.
11. Chill the meat in its liquid until completely cold, which firms it enough to slice cleanly.
12. Lift the meat out and slice every piece across the grain as thinly as you can, about 2mm.
13. Ladle 6 tablespoons of the cooking liquid into a bowl and skim off the fat.
14. Whisk the light soy sauce, vinegar, sugar, garlic water and ground roasted Sichuan pepper into that liquid.
15. Stir in the chilli oil, scooping up the chilli sediment from the bottom of the jar.
16. Toss the sliced meat and celery gently through the dressing until every slice is coated red.
17. Pile it onto a shallow platter and scatter over the crushed peanuts, coriander and sesame seeds.
18. Serve at room temperature, and spoon the pooled oil back over the slices as people eat.