I usually reserve braising for the winter/colder months and/or during football season (Easy to cook things that take 3-4 hours while I’m watching football =P) but last week I was feeling a little inspired. I originally cooked this back in college, senior year as part of a Chinese New Year dinner (I wish I still had pictures) along with 6-7 other dishes. It’s probably the most I’ve ever tried to cook at one time, and of course I attempted it after maybe a year’s worth of experience cooking, period. It went well, but there’s definitely an art to cooking multiple dishes at the same time, something I haven’t quite figured out yet (or maybe I should start off trying to cook 2-3 at the same time instead of jumping straight to 7).
This dish takes a little bit longer (about 2 hours) than what I’m used to, but the great thing is that there’s only about 5 minutes of prep. Then, everything goes into a saute pan and stays there while I finish up all the other odds/ends that need to be done around the condo. If I get back earlier from work or maybe on a Sunday night and am looking for something easy, this is a no brainer for sure!
If you’re looking for something a little tastier, you can try substituting short rib instead of the chuck, although short rib’ll have a lot more fatty juices that will build up in the sauce. A trick would be to braise, refrigerate, scrape off the congealed fat, and then reheat. Easy enough =)
Last quick note, this recipe calls for a lot of garlic…a ton almost. I ended up using 2 bulbs and could have used even more!
Braised Beef with Garlic
Serves 4
Time : 2 hours
Ingredients
- 1 – 1¼ pound beef (shin or chuck), cubed or sliced
- 2 tbsp oil
- 4 ounces garlic cloves, peeled (about 2 bulbs)
- 2 tbsp Shaohsing rice wine
- Dash of salt
- ½ tsp sugar
- 1 tbsp ketjap manis (dark thick soy sauce)
- ½ tbsp light soy sauce
- ½ pint chicken broth
- ½ tsp corn starch dissolved in 1 tbsp water
- 4 stalks scallions, chopped
Method:
1. Heat wok over high heat. Add oil and swirl. Add garlic, toss until it browns slightly.
2. Add beef, brown with garlic for 2-3 minutes. Add Shaohsing wine, stir for another minute. Remove from heat.
3. Transfer beef and garlic to a large saucepan. Add salt, sugar, soy sauces, and stock. Bring to a boil and then simmer, covered, for 1½ – 1¾ hours. Check occasionally and add water or broth if the sauce gets too thick.
4. Before serving, bring to a boil, add corn starch and water. Stir, then add scallions. Cook a few more seconds and serve over rice
Notes:
Adapted from Yan-Kit’s Classic Chinese Cookbook
