Winter is officially upon us again for another year, but for me it’s not all bad news. Winter time is all about comfort food and a chance for me to do some serious cooking in the kitchen.
By Luke Mangan
You can’t beat a lazy Sunday afternoon roast or cooking up a big pot of soup for hours on the stove top – just delicious!
I love to use the heavier cuts of meats in winter too like chuck steak, beef cheeks and shanks; perfect for slow cooking.
This is a great winter herbal broth, very warming and aromatic. I discovered this style of stew in a tiny back street restaurant in Hong Kong on a cold winter’s day and it was just amazing, so I created my own version of this dish…enjoy!
Asian Style Beef Stew
Serves 8+
Ingredients
1 kg beef brisket, cut into 2cm cubes
1kg beef ribs
500g gravy beef
1 stick of cinnamon, broken up
5g (1 tsp) whole black peppercorns
3 pieces whole star anise
3 pieces dried tangerine peel (available at Asian grocers)
6 cloves
2 litres (8 cups) light beef or vegetable stock
45g (3tbsp) thick soy sauce
115ml (1/2 cup) light soy sauce
45ml (3tbsp) oyster sauce
30ml (2tbsp) Chinese cooking wine
8 dried shitake mushrooms, pre-soaked and cut
1 whole garlic head, unpeeled
½ cup goji berries (wolf berries)
Spring onions and fresh coriander/cilantro, chopped to garnish
Method
Blanch the brisket, ribs and gravy beef in boiling water for 1 minute. Drain and rinse.
Place the cinnamon, peppercorns, star anise, tangerine and cloves into a piece of muslin and tie securely with string.
Place the beef stock into a large pot with the thick and light soy sauces, oyster sauce and Chinese cooking wine. Add the spice bunch, garlic head, goji berries, blanched meat and the mushrooms and simmer very gently for at least 2 hours or until the meat is tender.
Remove the spice bunch and garlic head (you can actually squeeze out the soft garlic cloves and include them in the broth).
Spoon the beef and ribs with some mushroom into serving bowls, including the broth.
Garnish with spring onion and coriander/cilantro and served with steamed rice.
By Luke Mangan
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