Braised Beef Brisket

Method

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1. Put the beef in cold water, bring to the boil and blanch 5 minutes. Drain, rinse the beef and wash out the pot.

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2. Heat the oil and fry the ginger, garlic and spring onions 2 minutes.

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3. Add the chu hou paste and mashed bean curd and fry 1 minute.

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4. Add the beef and turn it in the paste until coated.

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5. Add both soy sauces, the wine, rock sugar, star anise, cinnamon, tangerine peel, water and salt.

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6. Bring to a simmer, cover, and cook over the lowest heat 2 hours 20 minutes.

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7. Add the daikon and cook a further 40 minutes, until the beef is completely tender and the daikon translucent.

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8. Take the lid off and reduce the sauce if it is thin.

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9. Scatter with spring onion and coriander and serve from the pot with rice.

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Chef’s Tips

• Brisket with the tendon on. Lean brisket gives a watery sauce.
• Daikon in for the last forty minutes only.
• Blanch the beef and wash the pot, or the sauce goes grey.

Common Substitutions & Variations

• Out of spring onions? A small regular onion, finely sliced, or a few chives stirred in at the end both cover the job.
• A quarter-teaspoon of ground ginger per tablespoon of fresh is the standard ratio if you are working from the spice rack rather than a fresh root.
• An eighth of a teaspoon of garlic powder per clove is the usual stand-in when you are out of fresh garlic — it will not caramelise the same way, but it carries the flavour.

Pairing Suggestions

• Steamed rice
• Noodles in the sauce
• Blanched greens

Storage & Reheating

Refrigerated for 4 days and better on the second. Freezes 3 months.

Common questions

Nutritional Highlights

Per serving, calculated from the ingredient list. Treat these as an estimate — brands and cuts vary.