Taiwanese Beef Stew 紅燒牛肉

March 2, 2021 ChiaChia’s QUEENDOM Lin

Beef stew is such a common dish. Every culture and family has at least one beef stew recipe. It's hearty and comforting! So, why is my beef stew so awesome? A lot of beef stews out there end up with the beef being overcooked, dry, and flavorless. Many times, the sauce is on TOP of the beef, rather being incorporated in it. My beef stew allows the beef to be "beefy" and tender, with enough chew for a satisfying bite, but soft enough that even kids can enjoy. The flavors also permeate the beef, so that every chew is aromatic and tasty, and lingers on your palate. Finally, it is hearty and savory enough to go with bread or rice, but not so over-seasoned that you couldn't eat it right out of the pot!

This beef stew recipe was created by my mom and has impressed every single person who has ever tried it. It's also the very first dish that I learned from her, so it holds a special place in my heart. When I first wanted to learn how to cook, my mom decided to teach me this dish, because she said this will be my survival recipe! Not only can I feed myself with this, but definitely make an impression and help me make new friends when I first get into a new environment. It is that good! I was being selfish, and didn't want to share this recipe for a long time, because I believe that one day, I might need to make a living out this recipe if everything goes wrong in my life! But now, with everything going on in the world, I just feel like everyone needs a survival recipe. So here you go, I hope this at least will bring comfort to you and your family whenever you need it!

Ingredients:

Beef shank 3.75 lb
Onions x 1.5 pcs (Dice into big pieces)
Tomatoes x 2-3 pcs (Dice into big pieces)
Ginger x 5-7 slices
Star anise x 1
Taiwanese rice wine x 1 cup ( or sub. w/ Japanese dry sake)
Shao-Hsing Rice wine x ¼ cup (or sub. w/ extra Taiwanese Rice Wine or sake)
Soy sauce x ¾ cups
Oyster sauce x 1.5 tbsp

Recipe:

Cut beef shank into 2 x 4 inches (roughly) big chunks.
Blanch the beef shanks. Put all the beef shanks in a pot, cover with cold water. Turn the heat up to high and bring water to boil. Once boiled, turn the heat down to medium and let it boil for another 3 mins or so to bring out all the impurities. Then rinse under cold water to get rid off all the impurities.
While blanching the beef, prepare the other ingredients. Dice onions and tomatoes into big pieces. Slice ginger.
In a stew pan/pot, add oil to cover the bottom of the pan/pot, then add in onions. Saute until translucent, then add in tomatoes. Saute tomatoes for about one minute.
Add in the cleaned and rinsed beef shank chunks. Mix well, then add in ginger, star anise, and all the liquid seasoning.
Cover the pan/pot and let it simmer for 1 hour.
Meanwhile, cut the carrots into uniform pieces. ( Watch the video to see my tips on how to cut the carrots to absorb the most flavor)
After 1 hour, put the carrots into the stew, mix well, cover and let the stew continue simmer for another 30 mins.
When 30 mins is up, turn the heat off and let the stew sit for 2-3 hours.
Heat up before serving.