BRAISED BRISKET OF BEEF
2 min readServes 5–6.
Preparation & cooking time: 2¼ hours.
675g (1½lb) brisket of beef (or shin, shank)
about 600ml (1 pint) boiling water
1 tablespoon soft brown sugar
2 tablespoons seasoned oil
1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh ginger root
1 tablespoon finely chopped spring onions
3 tablespoons light soy sauce
1 tablespoon dark soy sauce
2 tablespoons Chinese rice wine or brandy
25g (1oz) rock candy or crystal sugar
1 teaspoon five-spice powder
2–3 teaspoons thin cornflour paste
Trim the beef of excess fat, cut into matchbox-size chunks. Blanch in a pan of boiling water for 3 minutes, then turn off the heat and remove the beef with a strainer.
Add the sugar to the liquid. After 10 minutes or so, all the impurities will sink to the bottom of the pan, leaving the ‘stock’ clear. Drain it through a fine sieve and reserve.
Heat the oil in a preheated wok or pan, stir-fry the ginger and spring onions for a few seconds, then add the beef and stir-fry for 2–3 minutes. Now add the soy sauces and wine, blend well, then add the rock sugar and five- spice powder with about half of the reserved ‘stock’, bring to the boil, reduce the heat and braise under cover for about 2 hours.
Check the level of the liquid now and again – it should just cover the meat– top it up with more liquid if it seems to be too dry. Finally, uncover and thicken the gravy with the cornflour paste. Serve hot.
NB Any other cheap cuts of meat such as neck or breast of lamb, stewing veal and belly pork, etc, can all be cooked by the same method. But you may need to reduce the cooking time for the very last stage slightly – say by 20– 30 minutes or so.
