star anise braised beef on rice noodles
2 min readVisit any noodle shop in Hong Kong or Guangzhou and you will find ow larm fun on their menu. This dish has earned its classic status by offering meltingly tender beef brisket in a pool of dark velvety sauce, all atop soft rice noodles. Sichuan pepper is rarely used in Can-tonese cooking but here it adds a background hum to the sauce. The sauce is also excellent for rice and we encourage you to double the recipe for freezing.
Serves 500g beef brisket, cut into 3 x 3cm cubes 1 tbsp vegetable oil 3 pieces ginger, each the size of a garlic clove, smashed 2 cloves garlic, smashed 2 tbsp hoisin sauce 2 tbsp oyster sauce tsp dark soy sauce 1 tsp granulated sugar large pinch salt 12 tsp Sichuan pepper 3 star anise 3 dried whole chillies 150g dried wide rice noodles tbsp cornflour add an exotic(see here) 30gjijook(dried beancurd) 1 If you are adding an exotic: soak the ji jook in a bowl of cold water for 30 minutes. Drain and dis-card the water, and cut the ji jook into 5cm long pieces.
2 Put the beef into a medium saucepan, pour in 700ml boiling water, cover and bring to the boil.
Turn off the heat, remove the beef with a slotted spoon and drain in a bowl lined with kitchen paper. Pour the broth into a bowl and set aside.
3 Add the oil to the now empty pan and heat over a medium heat. Add the ginger and fry for 20 seconds, then add the garlic and fry for further 20 seconds. Return the beef to the pan and fry until the edges are browned. Pour in the reserved broth. Add the rest of the ingredients, except the noodles and cornflour, and brin oring to the boil. Reduce the heat to low, cover and simmer for 30 minutes. Turn off the heat and allow the pan to sit on the hob for 30 minutes.
4 Bring the mixture back to the boil then reduce the heat and simmer for 1 hour. During the last 15 minutes, add the jijook, if uing, and simmer uncovered until the liquid has reduced.
5 Meanwhile, soak the rice noodles in a bowl of cold water for 30 minutes, then drain. Cook the noo-dles in a pan of boiling water according to the packet instructions until al dente.
6 In a small bowl, mix the cornflour and 2 tablespoons water into a slurry, then stir into the beef.
Bring back to a bubble to cook the cornflour for 2 minutes. Serve divided between bowls.
