Cantonese Style Beef Brisket

After the Beef Rendang, I've been looking around to find another recipe that I can make in bulk on the weekends, then frozen and ready to be consumed during the week. Work has been rather busy the past week, and by the time I get home, there just isn't enough time to cook something from scratch.

This Cantonese Style Beef Brisket is relatively inexpensive (at about $5-6 for 1kg of beef brisket) and quite easy to make. It also freezes really well and goes great with plain rice or noodles. The Daikon Radish was added to bulk up the stew a bit more. Unlike potatoes, the radish doesn't break down and isn't starchy after cooking. Its not a must have item, and you can omit this if you can't find any radish. However, if you are able to easily source some then do try adding them to the stew. As during the cooking process, the radish sucks up all the flavours of the stew and becomes really quite tasty. :)

Cantonese Style Beef Brisket

Recipe adapted from Pigpigscorner.com

• 1kg Beef Brisket (chopped into chunks)
• 500g Daikon Radish (peeled and chopped into chunks)
• 1/4 cup Shaoxing Wine
• 5 slices Ginger
• 3 cloves Garlic (crushed)
• 2 tablespoons Chu Hou Sauce
• 2 Star Anise
• 1 piece Cassia bark
• 1 small piece of Rock Sugar (about
• Light Soy Sauce
• Cornstarch Slurry (1 teaspoon cornstarch mixed with cold water)

Method:

1. In a pot heat up the oil, add ginger and garlic, saute until fragrant.
2. Add beef brisket and stir until the beef is evenly brown
3. Deglaze with the Shaoxing wine.
4. Mix in Chu Hou sauce.
5. Add star anise and cinnamon stick
6. Add radish, rock sugar and enough water to cover all ingredients.
7. Bring liquid to boil, lower heat and cover to simmer until meat is tender (at least 1 1/2 hours). Stir the ingredients around half way through. I left the stew simmering for 2 hrs.
8. Add light soy sauce to taste.
9. If required, thicken the stew with cornstarch slurry.

Notes:

• Chu Hou Sauce is available at most Asian supermarkets.