Ok, so here is a New York Times cooking recipe that I reluctantly jumped into because of the number of steps and ingredients. I usually shy away from a recipe with more than ten ingredients and a ridiculous amount of steps! I went to an Asian market with the list in my hand they did the best they could!! However, though I have omitted a few things (mostly since I was unable to find them), this dish was delicious. Labor intensive (not with a glass of wine) and, long but really, it’s worth it! Don’t be afraid….here we go!
INGREDIENTS
FOR THE BRAISING LIQUID:
• 2 cups homemade or store-bought low-sodium chicken broth
• 1 cup Shaoxing wine
• 3 tablespoons Chinese dark soy sauce or shoyu
• 3 tablespoons dark brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon doubanjiang – Sichuanese fermented chile bean paste
• 1 (1/4-ounce) envelope unflavored powdered gelatin (about 2 1/2 teaspoons/7 grams)
FOR THE BEEF:
• 3 pounds meaty, bone-in English-cut short ribs (about 4 large pieces)
• Kosher salt
• 1 tablespoon neutral oil, such as canola, rice bran, or grapeseed
FOR THE AROMATICS:
• 1 medium yellow onion, peeled and roughly chopped
• 2 Roma tomatoes, roughly chopped
• 8 to 10 medium garlic cloves, unpeeled, smashed with the side of a cleaver or knife
• 1 (2-inch) knob fresh (unpeeled) ginger, sliced about 1/4-inch thick
• 3 scallions, trimmed and roughly chopped
• 3 small hot dried chiles, such as Sichuan heaven-facing, Thai bird or chiles de árbol, split open
• Kosher salt
FOR THE SPICES:
• 1 (3-inch) cinnamon stick
• 2 whole star anise pods
• 2 teaspoons whole fennel seeds
• 2 teaspoons whole coriander seeds
• 2 teaspoons whole Sichuan peppercorns
• 2 teaspoons whole black peppercorns
• 2 dried bay leaves
FOR SERVING:
• 2 tablespoons Chinese black or balsamic vinegar, plus more for serving
• Kosher salt
• 1 pound baby bok choy, halved lengthwise (or Chinese water spinach, Napa cabbage, or other tender greens, cut into strips)
• 1 pound fresh Chinese egg noodles or wheat noodles
• ¼ pickled radish or any pickled vegetable that you can get your hands on
• ¼ cup roughly chopped cilantro leaves and tender stems
Make the braising liquid: Combine chicken broth, wine, dark soy sauce, sugar, and doubanjiang in a medium bowl or large liquid measure. Sprinkle gelatin over the top and set aside.
Sear the beef: Season short ribs lightly with salt on all sides. Heat oil in a large Dutch oven over high until shimmering. Working in batches if necessary, add short ribs in a single layer and cook, occasionally turning, until well browned on all sides, about 8 minutes, reducing heat if necessary if the oil smokes excessively. Transfer short ribs to a large plate and set aside. (Do not wash out the pot.)
Add the aromatics: Add onion, tomatoes, garlic, ginger, scallions, and dried chiles to the pot, season lightly with salt, and cook, frequently stirring, until the vegetables are starting to brown around the edges and the tomatoes are breaking down about 4 minutes. Reduce heat if the bottom of the pot starts to blacken or smoke excessively. Bloom the spices: Add cinnamon, star anise, fennel seeds, coriander seeds, Sichuan peppercorns, and black peppercorns, and cook, frequently stirring, until aromatic, about 1 minute.
Stir the braising liquid to get the sugar off the bottom. (The hydrated gelatin will have formed a raft that will break up a little when you stir. It’s OK if it’s not dissolved at this point.) Pour the braising liquid into the pot, then scrape up any browned bits from the bottom of the pot. Return the short ribs to the pot and add enough water to cover them, about 1 1/2 to 2 quarts. Bring the liquid to a boil, adjust heat to maintain a bare simmer, and cover the pot with a lid, leaving it slightly cracked to allow steam to escape.
Braising liquid added Short ribs floating
Cook until a toothpick or skewer inserted into the meaty part of the largest short rib shows very little resistance but isn’t falling apart, 2 to 2 1/2 hours. Using a spatula and tongs, carefully transfer the short ribs to a plate. Strain the braising liquid through a fine-mesh strainer into a fresh pot. Discard the solids.
Leftover Solids Fatty and delicious
To Serve: Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add greens and cook until tender-crisp, about 1 minute. Remove greens with a slotted spoon or tongs and set aside—return water to a boil and cook noodles according to package instructions. Drain noodles and divide among four serving bowls. Top with short ribs, divide the greens evenly among the bowls and ladle the broth over the top. Place a small pile of chopped Chinese pickled vegetables or sauerkraut on top of each short rib, sprinkle with chopped cilantro, and serve.
Ok, so here is a New York Times cooking recipe that I reluctantly jumped into because of the number of steps and ingredients. I usually shy away from a recipe with more than ten ingredients and a ridiculous amount of steps! I went to an Asian market with the list in my hand they did the best they could!! However, though I have omitted a few things (mostly since I was unable to find them), this dish was delicious. Labor intensive (not with a glass of wine) and long, but really, it's worth it! Don't be afraid....here we go!
Ingredients
- INGREDIENTS
- FOR THE BRAISING LIQUID:
- • 2 cups homemade or store-bought low-sodium chicken broth
- • 1 cup Shaoxing wine
- • 3 tablespoons Chinese dark soy sauce or shoyu
- • 3 tablespoons dark brown sugar
- • 1 tablespoon doubanjiang - Sichuanese fermented chile bean paste
- • 1 (1/4-ounce) envelope unflavored powdered gelatin (about 2 1/2 teaspoons/7 grams)
- FOR THE BEEF:
- • 3 pounds meaty, bone-in English-cut short ribs (about 4 large pieces)
- • Kosher salt
- • 1 tablespoon neutral oil, such as canola, rice bran, or grapeseed
- FOR THE AROMATICS:
- • 1 medium yellow onion, peeled and roughly chopped
- • 2 Roma tomatoes, roughly chopped
- • 8 to 10 medium garlic cloves, unpeeled, smashed with the side of a cleaver or knife
- • 1 (2-inch) knob fresh (unpeeled) ginger, sliced about 1/4-inch thick
- • 3 scallions, trimmed and roughly chopped
- • 3 small hot dried chiles, such as Sichuan heaven-facing, Thai bird or chiles de árbol, split open
- • Kosher salt
- FOR THE SPICES:
- • 1 (3-inch) cinnamon stick
- • 2 whole star anise pods
- • 2 teaspoons whole fennel seeds
- • 2 teaspoons whole coriander seeds
- • 2 teaspoons whole Sichuan peppercorns
- • 2 teaspoons whole black peppercorns
- • 2 dried bay leaves
- FOR SERVING:
- • 2 tablespoons Chinese black or balsamic vinegar, plus more for serving
- • Kosher salt
- • 1 pound baby bok choy, halved lengthwise (or Chinese water spinach, Napa cabbage, or other tender greens, cut into strips)
- • 1 pound fresh Chinese egg noodles or wheat noodles
- • ¼ pickled radish or any pickled vegetable that you can get your hands on
- • ¼ cup roughly chopped cilantro leaves and tender stems
Instructions
Make the braising liquid: Combine chicken broth, wine, dark soy sauce, sugar, and doubanjiang in a medium bowl or large liquid measure. Sprinkle gelatin over the top and set aside.
Sear the beef: Season short ribs lightly with salt on all sides. Heat oil in a large Dutch oven over high until shimmering. Working in batches if necessary, add short ribs in a single layer and cook, occasionally turning, until well browned on all sides, about 8 minutes, reducing heat if necessary if the oil smokes excessively. Transfer short ribs to a large plate and set aside. (Do not wash out the pot.)
Add the aromatics: Add onion, tomatoes, garlic, ginger, scallions, and dried chiles to the pot, season lightly with salt, and cook, frequently stirring, until the vegetables are starting to brown around the edges and the tomatoes are breaking down about 4 minutes. Reduce heat if the bottom of the pot starts to blacken or smoke excessively. Bloom the spices: Add cinnamon, star anise, fennel seeds, coriander seeds, Sichuan peppercorns, and black peppercorns, and cook, frequently stirring, until aromatic, about 1 minute.
Stir the braising liquid to get the sugar off the bottom. (The hydrated gelatin will have formed a raft that will break up a little when you stir. It’s OK if it’s not dissolved at this point.) Pour the braising liquid into the pot, then scrape up any browned bits from the bottom of the pot. Return the short ribs to the pot and add enough water to cover them, about 1 1/2 to 2 quarts. Bring the liquid to a boil, adjust heat to maintain a bare simmer, and cover the pot with a lid, leaving it slightly cracked to allow steam to escape.
Cook until a toothpick or skewer inserted into the meaty part of the largest short rib shows very little resistance but isn’t falling apart, 2 to 2 1/2 hours. Using a spatula and tongs, carefully transfer the short ribs to a plate. Strain the braising liquid through a fine-mesh strainer into a fresh pot. Discard the solids.
To Serve: Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add greens and cook until tender-crisp, about 1 minute. Remove greens with a slotted spoon or tongs and set aside—return water to a boil and cook noodles according to package instructions. Drain noodles and divide among four serving bowls. Top with short ribs, divide the greens evenly among the bowls and ladle the broth over the top. Place a small pile of chopped Chinese pickled vegetables or sauerkraut on top of each short rib, sprinkle with chopped cilantro, and serve.
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