Beef shin is a cut of meat we don’t really see often, except on menus in some Chinese restaurants. Here it is cooked in what could be described as a classic red braise a Chinese method of slow-cooking meat in a mixture of soy sauce, rice wine and aromatics. A stout is the beer to do this rich dish justice.
Ingredients
- 2 lb 4 oz (1 kg ) beef shin about 4 pieces
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 5 garlic cloves crushed
- 5 cm (2 inch) chunk fresh ginger thinly sliced
- 4 fl oz/½ cup (125 ml) rice wine
- 9 fl oz/1 cup (250 ml) dark soy sauce
- 4 fl oz/½ cup (125 ml) oyster sauce
- 2 star anise
- 1 cinnamon stick broken in half
- 3 cloves
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 1 white radish peeled cut into 5 cm (2 inch) pieces
- coriander (cilantro) sprigs, Chinese celery leaves and white pepper, to serve
How to Make It
- In a large saucepan, bring 2.5 litres (85 fl oz/10 cups) water to the boil. Add the beef shin, reduce the heat to low, then cover the pan and simmer for 30 minutes. Remove the beef and reserve the stock. When the beef is cool enough to handle, slice it into chunks about 2 cm (¾ inch) thick.
- Heat the oil in a heavy-based saucepan over high heat. Add the garlic and ginger and stir-fry for 1 minute, or until aromatic but not burnt. Add the rice wine and let it sizzle in the pan for 1 minute.
- Add 1.25 litres (44 fl oz/5 cups) of the reserved stock, along with the soy sauce, oyster sauce, star anise, cinnamon, cloves and sugar. Bring to the boil, then add the beef. Reduce the heat to low, then cover and simmer for 2 hours.
- Remove the lid and increase the heat to high. Stir in the radish and cook for 30 minutes, or until the radish is tender and the sauce has thickened. Serve with coriander, Chinese celery and white pepper.