Braised Beef

In the Swallow's childhood days, it was common for people in Malaysia to get their meat or vegetables from wet markets. In those days, she would trudge behind her mother, carrying the bags and bags of meat and vegetables passed to her, sometimes dreaming of what it would be like to do marketing in a different environment. Maybe somewhere drier. Maybe somewhere cooler. Maybe somewhere quieter.

Fast forward to the present, and this has become a reality to the Swallow. Nowadays, it was more usual for her to push her trolley cart in supermarkets which were drier, cooler and quieter than the wet markets, and which also provided her opportunities to obtain toiletries, appliances and other household needs at the same time.

Her friend, however, made regular visits to Chinatown wet market to buy meat and seafood. According to her, the prices were very reasonable and worth the more-than-an-hour journey there from her home. Invited to follow along on one such visit, the Swallow accepted, for the fellowship with her friend if nothing else. It was a nostalgic visit, bringing to mind those days with her mother.

Purchasing some beef brisket, she had tried cooking some Braised Beef. That first try was a hit but she had forgotten to write down the actual ingredients. Since then, there were many near hits and misses as the Swallow dabbled with various methods and amounts of ingredients to get that first hit again till finally, a written recipe approved by family and friends.

BRAISED BEEF (serves 4 to 6)

Ingredients

• 1kg beef brisket / boneless beef shank, cut into bite-sized chunks
• 500g beef tendons, cut into bite-sized chunks
• 1 tbsp oil
• 3 large carrots / 1 large white radish, cut into bite-sized chunks
• 8 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 pc thumb-sized ginger, chopped
• 2 spring onions, chopped (keep 1 tbsp of the soft green parts for garnishing)
• 1 pc cinnamon, about 1 1/2 inches long
• 1 pc star anise
• 1 tsp 5-spice powder
• 1 tsp ground black pepper
• 1/2 cup light soya sauce
• 1/4 cup oyster sauce
• 1 tbsp hua tiao jiu
• 2 tsp sesame oil
• 1L hot water
• 2 tsp cornflour

Method

1. Bring a big pot of water to a boil. When boiling, blanch the beef brisket / shank / tendons for a few minutes to remove scum. Drain and rinse the beef in cold water. Drain again.
2. Heat oil in a large wok on medium high heat. Add garlic, ginger, spring onions, cinnamon, star anise, 5-spice powder and black pepper. Fry till aromatic.
3. Add the beef and carrots / radish. Toss the mixture several times.
4. Add light soya sauce, oyster sauce, hua tiao jiu and sesame oil. Toss the mixture several times until well mixed. Add hot water and bring the mixture to a boil, stirring occasionally.
5. When boiling, turn off the heat and transfer everything into a slow cooker (with a minimum 4L volume capacity). The sauce should come up to 3/4 level of the ingredients. Add more hot water if necessary.
6. Cook at high heat. After 2 hours, stir the mixture gently and remove a bowl of sauce from the slow cooker, and continue cooking the beef at low heat for another 1 1/2 hours.
7. Allow this sauce to cool to room temperature. When cooled, add cornflour and mix well. Stir the mixture well into the pot of braising beef to thicken the sauce, but gently so that the beef do not break up. Continue cooking for another 30 minutes, or until the beef is soft and tender but not falling apart.
8. Switch off the slow cooker, dish out, garnish with the spring onions which had been set aside, and serve hot with rice, noodles or bread.

Notes

• This recipe can be cooked in advance. Keep in the fridge for up to 3 days, or in the freezer for up to a month (ensure fridge / freezer temperature is constant). Remove from freezer and thaw in the fridge. Reheat thoroughly and garnish with spring onions just before serving.
• A thermal pot may be used. Adjust cooking times according to the manufacturer's guidelines. Reheating may also have to be done several times to bring out the flavour of the beef.
• If cooking over the stove, cook at medium high heat till the sauce is boiling, then turn the heat to low and simmer for several hours until the beef is soft and tender but not falling apart. Check sauce level occasionally and add more hot water if necessary as the sauce may evaporate over the stove. When the beef is almost ready, thicken the sauce by mixing the cornflour with a little water and adding this mixture to the sauce.