Ben Li, chef-owner of Chinatown’s Double Li, is the subject of this week’s Omnivorous. Though he specializes in Sichuan cuisine specific to his hometown of Chongqing, here he’s making a nontraditional “fusion” dish invented by a chef from the provincial capital Chengdu. The most unusual ingredient in black pepper-garlic “tenderloin” (it’s actually flank steak) is butter, which gives it an over-the-top richness. Normally Li serves it with steamed broccoli to offset the utter licentiousness of it all. Notice Li deep-fries the beef several times to achieve a wicked crunch.
edited by Elizabeth Gomez