Potato Braised Beef (Tudou Shao Niurou)
Tender, melt-in-your-mouth beef and soft potatoes simmered in a rich, savory sauce create a comforting and hearty dish, perfect for warming up on cold days.
Ingredients
15 items- Beef brisket 500g
- Potatoes 3 medium (about 400g)
- Carrot 1 (optional)
- Ginger 4 slices
- Scallions 2 sections
- Star anise 2
- Bay leaves 2
- Cinnamon stick 1 small piece
- Rock sugar 15g
- Cooking wine 2 tbsp
- Light soy sauce 3 tbsp
- Dark soy sauce 1 tbsp
- Salt to taste
- Cooking oil as needed
- Water sufficient
Nutrition
Steps （9 steps）
Wash the beef brisket and cut into chunks. Place in a pot with cold water, add 2 slices of ginger and 1 tbsp cooking wine. Bring to a boil over high heat, skim off the foam, and continue boiling for 2 minutes to remove impurities. Remove the beef and rinse with hot water, drain well.
Heat the wok with a little oil, add rock sugar. Stir over low heat constantly until the sugar melts and turns into a deep amber color (caramel). Quickly add the beef chunks and stir-fry over medium heat to coat evenly with the caramel, about 1 minute.
Add the remaining ginger slices, scallion sections, star anise, bay leaves, and cinnamon stick. Stir-fry over medium heat until fragrant, about 1-2 minutes.
Pour in the remaining cooking wine along the edge of the wok, then add light soy sauce and dark soy sauce. Continue stir-frying to coat the beef evenly with seasoning, about 30 seconds.
Add enough hot water to submerge the beef by about 2 cm. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce to low heat, cover, and simmer for about 1 hour until the beef is tender. If time permits, simmer for 1.5 hours for better texture. Check the water level occasionally; add hot water if needed.
While the beef is simmering, prepare the vegetables: peel and cut potatoes into chunks (about 3 cm), soak in cold water to prevent browning; peel and cut carrot into rolling chunks.
Once the beef is tender (easily pierced with a chopstick), add the potato chunks and carrot chunks. Cover and continue simmering over low heat for 15-20 minutes until the potatoes are soft and the carrot is tender.
Season with salt to taste. Increase the heat to high to reduce the sauce, stirring gently to prevent sticking. Cook until the sauce thickens and coats the beef and vegetables evenly. Do not reduce too much.
Transfer to a serving plate, garnish with chopped scallions or cilantro, and serve hot. Pairs perfectly with steamed rice.
Tips
When caramelizing sugar, use low heat to avoid burning. Always use hot water for braising beef; cold water can harden the meat. Add potatoes later to prevent them from disintegrating.
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