Braised Beef Brisket
Chinese name: 红烧牛腩 (hóng shāo niú nǎn)
Style: Sichuan (Szechuan) Cuisine
Characteristics: The beef brisket is tender and tastes fabulous. After 2 hours’ braising, the broth is quite thick and smells good with the help of the Chinese seasonings.
The Braised Beef Brisket belongs to Sichuan Cuisine. As containing valuable nutrition, the dish is loved by many diners; the easy-to-chew beef, carrot and potato are especially popular among kids and seniors. It’s said that consumption of beef brisket would improve the disease resistance function of the body, and help with wound healing. If having the dish in winter, you will feel comfortable and warm in the stomach. However, people suffering from the hepatopathy or nephropathy and those who have high cholesterol and high fat are suggested not to eat it. In addition, according to the food interaction, it should be noted that the beef brisket should not be consumed together with chestnuts, viviparidae, and leek. The recipe below presents a typical cooking way of the dish for your reference.
Ingredients:beef brisket, 500g carrot, 100g potato, 100g green onion |
Seasonings:cooking oil; salt; cooking wine; dark soy sauce; brown sugar; Chinese prickly ashes; amomum tsao-ko; cinnamon; star anises; 6-8 dried chili peppers; 2-3 cloves of garlic; ginger Note: The amount of the ingredients and seasonings above can be appropriately used according to one's personal taste. |
Preparation:1. Clean the beef brisket and cut into 2-3cm cubes. 2. Peel the potato and carrot, and dice into 2-3cm cubes. 3. Get rid of the husk of garlic and peel the ginger. Then slice them. 4. Prepare green onion and cut into 3-5cm sections. 5. Put some Chinese prickly ashes and two star anises into a strainer. This will be used during the cooking to boost the flavor. |
Methods:
STEP 1 Pour some water into a wok. Add two star anises, two small sections of cinnamon, a score of prickly ashes, and an amomum tsao-ko, and pour 10ml cooking wine. Then add the beef brisket. Heat the water until boiling and blanch for 3-5 minutes to release the blood. Remove the foams and pick out the mixture with a colander to drain off the water. |
STEP 2 Clean the wok and place over high heat. Pour in some cooking oil. When the temperature goes up to about 400℉ (204℃), add the green onions, ginger, garlic and dried chili peppers. Stir-fry for 10 seconds until aromatic. Pour in the processed beef brisket and mix with the seasonings thoroughly. Stir-fry for 2-3 minutes over medium heat, and add in some cooking wine, brown sugar and dark soy sauce in sequence. Keep stirring with a kitchen ladle while adding them. Then throw the strainer with prickly ashes and star anises into the wok. |
STEP 3 Add hot water into the mixture. Then sprinkle some salt. When the water starts to boil, switch the heat to low fire and braise for about 2 hours until the beef becomes tender. In the cooking process, water shall get less and less, so it requires adding enough water in the very beginning. |
STEP 4 Add the carrot and potato dices and stew for another 15-30 minutes. Add a little more salt thereafter according to the personal taste. |
STEP 5 Turn off the heat and dish up. Scoop into a bowl. Garnish with coriander or broccoli. Now the Braised Beef Brisket is prepared. |
Further Reading: 12 Best Chinese Beef Recipes to Whet Your Appetite
Learn to make more Chinese dishes:
Stir-fried Beef with
Onions and Peppers
Black Pepper
Beef
Beef Stew with
Potatoes & Carrots
Sichuan Dry-fried
Shredded Beef
Beef Curry with
Potatoes & Carrots