Foodie

Tuesday, November 1, 2011

Braised Beef Shank



I love this beef stew with daikon/radish.  It is a Cantonese favorite and it's usually eaten with egg noodle soup and tasted just as delicious with white rice.   I like mine with lots of beef tendon, so i cooked this dish with beef shank instead of the usual beef brisket.  Adding Daikon /radish to this stew is a must as beef and daikon/radish together is a marriage made in heaven..  Daikon/radish is bland by itself but will taste very distinct and tasty after it has soaked up those wonderful flavors of this stew. How to choose a good daikon/radish?  As with any root crop, look for one that are free of growth cracks and bruises with firm and crisp roots. It must be heavy as a light one will be dry and hollow which is not good eats.  Chu Hou Sauce is made from soybeans, garlic, ginger and sesame seeds,therefore a convenient cooking sauce for braising meats and vegetables.  It brought this stew totally to another level  and i consider this sauce as an important ingredient.


Ingredients:

2 lbs beef shank
2 lbs daikon/radish - cut into roll-cut pieces
1 piece dried tangerine peel
3 cloves garlic - sliced
1/3 cup sliced ginger
1/4 cup cooking oil

Seasoning:

4 tbsp Chu Hou sauce
1 cup stock
2 tbsp oyster sauce 
2 tbsp soya sauce 
1/4 tsp salt 
1/2 tbsp sugar
1 tbsp shaoxing wine
Freshly ground black powder ︰
1 tablespoon tapioca/cornstarch plus 1 tbsp water
1 tsp Sesame oil

Spring onions for garnishing

 Method:

Cut the beef shank into large cube size pieces.

Bring water to the boil in a wok and cook the beef shank until foamy and beef shank is no more pink.

Add in the daikon/radish pieces and let the water come back to the boil, cook for 2 minutes.

Drain the beef and daikon/radish pieces and wash away the scum thoroughly.

Heat 1/4 cup oil in a wok and when oil is shimmering, add the ginger slices.  Fry ginger slices until soft, then remove and leave aside.

Remove half of the oil from the wok, saute garlic, orange peel and Chu Hou sauce.  Return the cooked ginger and saute to combine.  Remove into the slow cooker.

Return the other half of oil and fry the beef and radish  in high heat.  Add in the wine to the side of the wok, then add the stock, syster sauce, salt, sugar and soya sauce. Then let it come to the boil.

Transfer to the slow cooker to stew over low heat for more than 2 hours or so until beef shank is soft.  Adjust the taste and make a slurry with the tapioca/cornstarch plus water and add in to gravy to thicken.  Give a dash of freshly ground black pepper and sesame oil.

Garnish with coriander and serve hot with white rice or with egg noodles.

17 comments:

missyblurkit said...

thanx for sharing. it looks simple enough from your pics and instructions.

hopefully that gets me into the mood to cook it. i am quite hopeless at asian dishes:-(

StephenC said...

I have just become a follower of your blog, this morning I believe. This recipe is a disappointment. I do not believe in the slow cooker. I think the proper way to do shanks, whether beef or lamb, is to braise them in the oven. You must understand that it serves no one's purpose to slavishly compliment whatever is posted. I'm a good cook (with a new cookbook just out) and I seek to be constructive. Please take my comment in that vein.

Unknown said...

stephenC

i thank you for your frank comment but you must remember i am asian, and we seldom cook in the oven.

Tigger mum said...

Lily, this recipe is just in time for the cold weather. Can't wait to cook this, this weekend.

Love the slower cooker idea. Everything in ... and it's ready in a few hours. No need to "jaga-jaga" over the oven or stove!!

And StephenC ... since you're SUCH a great Chef with a cookbook out and all ... please give me your cookbook name. I would love to tell all my friends about it so we can all boycott it.

We don't need to waste our hard earn money on a Chef like yourself who is A STICK IN THE MUD!!

Anonymous said...

This recipe looks awesome!! A few questions:
- Is beef shank the same as beef tendon? The tendon that I see for sale in the Chinese supermarkets don't have any meat on them like yours do.
- Could I use bottled Chu Hou marinade? I have a big bottle that is the prepared marinade, so I don't think I am supposed to add any other ingredients.
- Finally, I don't own a slow cooker - could I cook this on the stovetop, and if so, how and for how long?
Thanks!

Jenn

Unknown said...

jenn

the shank is the muscle on the legs of the cow. It has tendon inbetween the meat.

yes, you can cook on the stovetop but replenish with water if the sauce if running low and the shank meat is not soft yet.

Yes, just use chu hou marinate and adjust according to your taste

simplybest55 said...

Dear StephenC.....Please go and see a Doc. You seem be suffering from Andropause and what's worse, you also have a gangrenous ego.
People, forgive him !

Simply

Anonymous said...

I love this dish but what is Chu Hou sauce? Thanks

Unknown said...

anonymous

Chu Hou Paste made from soybeans, garlic, ginger and sesame seeds. They are readily available in the asian stores and the brands are lee kum kee, koon chun etc.

Teresa said...

I just tried this recipe and it is excellent. It's my first time using Chu Hou sauce. I too love tendon and the shank gives the dish a yummy unguousness. Frankly, I could hardly stop eating it. It is definitely a keeper! Finally, a beef dish that I can make that reminds me of my mom's cooking!

Anonymous said...

Dear lily, I Just love your recipes. All dishes are so awesome.



StephenC : SUCK! are you try to copying lily's recipe and make it yours??

Unknown said...

stephenC

i do not understand what do you mean, i am the one and only lily. lily's wai sek hong is my main blog and this one is my baby.

Pinkcaffeine said...

Dear Lily, thanks for your wonderful blog and all these yummy recipes. Helps being away from home when you can whip up dishes to satisfy the cravings ;)

Loved the beef/ daikon dish. Especially the daikon. But perhaps the brand of ChuHou sauce I used was on the salty side. Which brand did you use?

To comment on StephenC's suggestion: I recently found out that the Caucasians use something called a Dutch oven for stews and even roasts! It's basically a cast iron casserole (e.g. Le Creuset) that can be used on the stovetop or in the oven. I feel it's pretty much like the slow cooker ... Just that instead of flicking the slow cooker switch, the contents to be cooked are put in the Dutch oven and the Dutch oven dumped into the oven and the oven turned on. At the end of the day both ways (slowcooker vs dutch oven) serve to cook the food evenly over a few hours leaving meat tender and retaining the maximum flavour in the dish. If you use the Dutch oven on the stovetop, it's similar to the claypots we use to boil soup over a few hours ;)

I use both the slow cooker and the Dutch oven. Just depends what's on the menu and how much working space I have on the stove or kitchen table top ;) Though I must admit I retain my habits of Asian cooking and use the Dutch oven more on the stovetop. Have used it in the oven more for Ang Moh casserole dishes.

Just sharing ;)

Katie said...

I have never commented on a blog before but StephenC's comment is beyond unreasonable!!!

Why would a non-asian feel/believe/think that he could teach a asian cook the art of cooking? This dish that Lily has posted belongs in the Chinese-Cantonese cuisine category. It's accompanied by 5,000 years of history and depth. Each ingredient we use has a specific purpose used to improve our health. We have used goji berries long before Christopher Columbus discovered America! While it has only been introduced in the mainstream market.

My mother has always said "Small minded people will not get very far in life."

Asians can make a delicious well craft 13 course meal in ONE POT with ONE KNIFE. How many do you need StephenC?

Talent is the skill you posses, not the accessories.

Unknown said...

katie and everyone who defended me, i really appreciate this gesture.

Anonymous said...

I just chanced upon your blog and saw StephenC's rude egoistic comment. I can't help but to express some.

Stephen - I seriously wonder what u wrote in your cookbook - sucking? Shame on u, Stephen! Oven is probably how u know how to cook but chinese cooking needs special skills , unique talent and knowledge on absolutely everything - fire, timing, use of diff cookeries, style, cutting style, to name a few ... Which I doubt u will understand. Or..if this is your pathetic way of promoting your book, U have just succeeded the NON buyers award. Whatever it is...A word of advice - learn to respect people first before u do anything else.

Lily - keep up the good work! I'm from an Asian country and this certainly how WE COOK.

Unknown said...

anonymous

thank you, this comment made my day but take a deep breath, forgive him for his ignorance - (in cantonese - mng ho kaw chang he)

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