Chinese Braised Beef is a popular Szechuan dish. After 1 - 2 hours of slow cooking, the beef absorbs all the good flavour from the sauce and carrots and tastes so tender, juicy, soft and flavourful. I only use carrots in this dish, however you can add tomatoes to give an extra sweet and sour flavour. I use chili bean sauce for this dish because I like spicy flavours with beef. You can use a regular bean sauce if you prefer it less spicy. This dish is also great to make noodles and I will show you how to make Braised Beef Noodles in an upcoming post.
Ingredients:
- 1 lb lean beef
- 1 lb carrots
- 1½ tbsp olive oil
- 6 pcs star anise
- 1 tsp dried cumin
- 1 tsp dried cinnamon
- 1 tsp caraway seeds
- 1 tsp dried clove
- A few bay leaves
- A few basil
- 5 - 6 pcs crystal sugar
- Half tsp Sichuan peppercorn
- 2 tbsp Asian chili broad bean sauce
- Soy sauce to taste
- 4 green onion
- A few cilantro
- Half cup garlic
- 2 oz sliced ginger slices
Directions:
- Cut the carrots and beef in cubes.
- In a large non-stick saucepan, heat oil over medium heat. Add all ingredients except beef, carrots and crystal sugar, stirring for about 1 - 2 minutes. Add beef and cook, stirring, until it's no longer pink, about 4 minutes.
- Add 3 - 4 cups of water and bring to a boil. Add the crystal sugar and then cover, reduce heat and simmer for about half an hour. Add carrots and bring to a boil. Make sure there is enough water to cover all the ingredients. Cover and then simmer for 1 - 2 hours.
- Transfer to a serving plate and garnish with fresh cilantro. Now enjoy!