For the Love of...: ...Chinese Stewed Beef Brisket

...Chinese Stewed Beef Brisket

Often called beef "flank" in restaurants, stewed beef brisket is Chinese comfort food at its best. The tenderness of the beef is only made better with the aromatic star anise, ginger and garlic sauce. Excellent served over rice or egg noodles, it is the perfect meal for a cold winter's night.

Ingredients:
- 2 lb slab of beef brisket
- 2 onions roughly chopped
- 2 inch piece of ginger sliced
- 5 cloves of garlic chopped
- 5 shallots thinly sliced
- 1 bunch of green onion chopped
- 1/2 cup of dark soy sauce
- 1/2 cup light soy sauce
- 1/3 cup of oyster sauce
- 1/3 cup of hoisin sauce
- 1/4 cup of chinese cooking wine
- yellow rock sugar
- 1 tsp 5 spice powder
- 3 tbsp corn starch

Method:
1. Rinse the beef brisket in cold water and boil in a large pot of water for 3 minutes. Pour out the water and scum and add fresh water back to the pot. Simmer for 30 minutes

2. Remove the brisket and allow to cool and reserve the broth

3. Once cooled, cut the beef brisket into 1 inch cubes and sear each piece in a large pot until slightly brown then remove to a separate dish

4. In the pot you used to sear the beef in, sauté the ginger, garlic and onion until slightly browned and aromatic then deglaze pot with the cooking wine

5. Add the dark and light soy sauce, hoisin sauce, oyster sauce, five spice powder, yellow rock sugar and 2-3 cups of the reserved broth

6. Return the seared brisket to the pot and braise in a preheated 350 degree oven for 3-4 hours until the meat is tender adding more broth as it evaporates.

7. Remove the meat from the broth and set aside. Strain the sauce and return to the pot. Thicken with a cornstarch slurry and return the meat to the sauce. Season with more soy sauce and rock sugar to your taste