Beef in a Spicy Soup-Sauce

Apparently, this dish originated in the south of Sichuan, where salt wells abounded, and domestic cattle were used to push the carts which brought the water up from the wells. When these cattle became exhausted within six months, they were slaughtered and their meat was used as part payment to the labourers who worked for the salt-producing industry. At first, the labourers could do little more than slice the tough meat as thinly as possible and cook it in water seasoned with plenty of salt