Chinese people love to braise! We braise for big holidays, such as Chinese New Year. We also braise for everyday side dishes, or as something to go with beer. And we braise for late night snacks! What you probably don't know is you can eat braised food hot or cold. Most people braise with basic ingredients like water, soy sauce, and some Chinese spices. My recipe is a little fancier. I always like to use multiple ingredients to create layers of flavor. For example, sometimes, I use fried garlic along with raw garlic to create depth, so it's not boring. This time, I use three different kinds of fermented soy seasoning to enrich the broth. And this dish is usually served cold.
Ingredients:
- Beef shank x 1200g
- Soy sauce x 350g
- Water x 2000ml
- Onion (Cut into halves) x 1
- Ginger (slice) x 15g
- Fermented Tofu x 30g
- Star Anise x 1
- Szechuan Pepper x 1.5 - 2 tbsp
- Black Cardamon x 1
- Bay Leaf x 1
- Monk Fruit Seed x 3
- Salt x 3 tsp (or to taste)
Recipe:
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Soak beef shanks in cold water in the fridge for 2-3 hours.
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Take the soaked beef shanks out of the cold water, put them in a ziplock bag, pour in soy sauce, marinate overnight in the fridge.
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Put the marinated shanks in a pot along with the soy sauce. Add in water. Turn up the heat and bring to boil. While boiling, remove foam/impurities on top of the broth, if any.
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Put in onion, ginger, fermented tofu, star anise, szechuan pepper, black cardamon, bay leaf and monk fruit seed. Bring to boil again.
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Boil for a few minutes, turn the heat down to low, then taste the broth and add in salt, if needed. The broth should taste slightly saltier than a soup.
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Simmer with low heat for 1.5 hours with lid on.
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After 1.5 hours of simmering, turn the heat off, and with the lid on, let the shanks sit in the broth for 3 hours for it to cool down, allowing the flavor to completely penetrate into the beef.
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Put the shank in the fridge overnight.
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Thinly slice the beef and serve it!
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Optional : You can save some of the broth, add a little sesame oil, heat it up in microwave, and drizzle on top of the sliced beef before serving. Garnish with green onion, and enjoy!
