Title: One-Pot Chinese Braised Beef
Categories: Beef, Chinese
Yield: 1 Batch
3 tb Olive oil; up to 4 tb
6 cl Garlic; thinly sliced
1 Fresh ginger piece; thumb
-sized, peeled and shredded
1 bn Spring onions; sliced
1 Red chilli; deseeded and
-thinly sliced
1 kg Braising beef; cut into
-large pieces (we used ox
-cheek)
2 tb Plain flour; well seasoned
1 ts Chinese five-spice powder
2 Star anise (optional)
2 ts Light muscovado sugar (or
-use whatever you've got)
3 tb Chinese cooking wine or dry
-sherry
3 tb Dark soy sauce; plus more to
-serve
500 ml Beef stock (we used Knorr
-Touch of Taste)
Bok choi; steamed
Basmati rice; to serve
Heat 2 tb of the oil in a large, shallow casserole. Fry the garlic,
ginger, onions and chilli for 3 minutes until soft and fragrant. Tip
onto a plate. Toss the beef in the flour, add 1 tb more oil to the
pan, then brown the meat in batches, adding the final 1 tb oil if you
need to. It should take about 5 minutes to brown each batch properly.
Add the five-spice and star anise (if using) to the pan, tip in the
gingery mix, then fry for 1 minute until the spices are fragrant. Add
the sugar, then the beef and stir until combined. Keep the heat high,
then splash in the wine or sherry, scraping up any meaty bits. Heat
oven to 150 C/fan 130 C/gas 2.
Pour in the soy and stock (it won't cover the meat completely), bring
to a simmer, then tightly cover, transfer to the oven and cook for 1
to 2 hours, stirring the meat halfway through. The meat should be
very soft, and any sinewy bits should have melted away. Season with
more soy. This can now be chilled and frozen for up to 1 month.
Nestle the cooked bok choi into the pan, then bring to the table with
the basmati rice straight away and tuck in.
