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Cooking with Pixian Doubanjiang: Erjie Tuding (二姐兔丁) Second Sister Rabbit Cubes

Author: Kathy Yuan | The Mala Market | Inspiration & Ingredients for Sichuan Cooking

Ingredients

  • 1 whole skinless rabbit (we used headless + legless) about 500 grams/1 pound
  • 1 thumb ginger, washed
  • 1 tablespoon Shaoxing yellow rice wine or other cooking wine (liaojiu)
  • 2 teaspoons white sesame seeds
  • 2 tablespoons 3-year aged Pixian doubanjiang
  • 4-5 stalks celery stalks, washed and dried, thinly sliced on the diagonal
  • 3 scallions, washed and dried light green/white parts only
  • 2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil
  • 4 teaspoons Chinese light soy sauce (Zhongba preferred)
  • teaspoons white sugar
  • 1 teaspoon Sichuan ground chilies
  • 1 teaspoon huajiao (freshly ground Sichuan pepper) see note
  • 3 tablespoons roasted peanuts, divided
  • 3 tablespoons caiziyou (Chinese roasted rapeseed oil)
  • 2 tablespoons douchi (fermented black soybeans)
  • hongyou (red oil from Sichuan chili oil) to taste see note

Instructions

PREP

  • Begin with washing and drying the rabbit. Chop it in half. Smash a thumb of ginger with the heel of your hand upon the flat side of a blade.
  • Place the halved rabbit in a large sauce pot (stockpot is not necessary) with the smashed ginger and add enough cold water to just cover the rabbit. Add the rice wine and cook on medium heat until boiling, then lower to a simmer, about 10 minutes, or until you see foam. Skim off the scummy foam while simmering for another 10 minutes or until bubbles disappear.
    Continue simmering, covered, on the lowest heat possible for another 15-20 minutes. Check for doneness periodically toward the end. When rabbit is cooked through (about 35-40 minutes total, juice will run clear when poked with a chopstick; if using a thermometer, once internal meat reaches 160°F/71°C), remove from pot and set aside to drain and cool.
  • While rabbit cooks, toast the sesame seeds in a dry pan over low heat, about 5 minutes, stirring frequently to avoid burning. Set aside.
  • Mince the doubanjiang on a cutting board until it resembles a smooth paste. Then, slice the scallions into slivers on the diagonal and do the same with the celery (see prep photo in post for walkthrough). Set aside.
  • Once rabbit drains, hack into small 1-inch pieces (bone and all) with your butcher or bone-splitting knife. Set aside.

FRY

  • Preheat your wok and add 3 tablespoons of caiziyou over medium-high heat. Heat to smoking (if not using caiziyou, skip smoking step). Add minced doubanjiang and 2 tablespoons douchi, then stirfry 5 minutes until douchi shrinks, stirring constantly so it doesn't burn. It should be getting very fragrant by now!

TOSS

  • With the heat off, add the chopped rabbit back into the pan and toss to coat. Add the celery and toss again. Add the sesame oil, soy sauce, white sugar, ground chilies, ground huajiao and half of the roasted peanuts. Mix evenly to distribute the sauces and spices.
    Transfer to a wide serving bowl and top with the scallions, toasted sesame seeds, remaining peanuts, a drizzle of hongyou and an extra dusting of huajiao if desired. Serve immediately and enjoy!

Notes

For hongyou, skim the red oil only from the surface of your lajiaoyou (Sichuan chili oil). To make my family's authentic Sichuan homestyle lajiaoyou using roasted rapeseed oil and fragrant-hot ground chilies, see my Traditional Sichuan Chili Oil recipe. Or, for the ultra-mouthwatering 香辣 (xiānglà)/fragrant-hot hongyou version, see my Aromatic Sichuan Chili Oil recipe!
GROUND HUAJIAO (Sichuan pepper):
Toast whole huajiao in a dry skillet until pods start to smell very fragrant, but do not brown them. Let peppercorns cool, then grind in a spice grinder or in a mortar + pestle to your desired coarseness. Sichuan pepper powder will retain its potent flavor and numbing punch for only a few weeks.