← Nouns Cooking · Chinese

Ingredients

• 1 kg beef brisket (or chuck), cut into 4 cm chunks
• 2 tbsp neutral oil
• 4 slices Ginger
• 4 cloves Garlic, smashed
• 4 Shallot, halved
• 2 tbsp chu hou paste (or hoisin sauce)
• 1 tbsp Oyster sauce
• 2 tbsp light soy sauce
• 1 tsp Dark soy sauce
• 2 tbsp Shaoxing wine
• 2 Star anise
• 1 Bay leaves
• 1 piece Dried tangerine peel (chenpi), soaked and scraped (optional)
• 20 g rock sugar or sugar
• 1 l hot water
• 600 g Daikon radish, peeled and cut into 4 cm chunks
• 1 tsp cornflour mixed with 1 tbsp water (optional)
• 2 Spring onion, sliced

Method

1. Put the beef in a large pot of cold water, bring to the boil and boil for 5 min. Drain, rinse off the scum and pat dry.
2. Heat the oil in a heavy casserole over medium heat and fry the ginger, garlic and shallots for 1 minute. Add the chu hou paste and stir for 30 seconds, until fragrant.
3. Add the beef and toss for 2–3 min to coat. Add the oyster sauce, soy sauces, Shaoxing wine, star anise, bay leaf, tangerine peel, sugar and hot water to cover.
4. Bring to the boil, then cover and simmer very gently for 2 hours, stirring now and then, until a chopstick slides easily into the beef.
5. Add the daikon and simmer, uncovered, for 25–30 min more, until it is translucent and soft and the sauce has reduced.
6. Taste for salt, thicken the sauce with the cornflour mix if you like, scatter with spring onion and serve with rice or noodles.

Tips

• Even better made a day ahead: chill it, lift off the set fat, and reheat gently.
• A pressure cooker cuts the braising to about 40 minutes.

Sources

Written in our own words after cross-checking these recipes:

Ang Sarap Taste of Asian Food Omnivore's Cookbook