RED-COOKED BEEF WITH THICK RICE NOODLES

Perfect for tougher cuts of beef like brisket or chuck, red cooking is a classic Chinese braising technique using soy sauce, rice wine and sugar to achieve a thick caramelised sauce and melt-in-the-mouth meaty morsels. Tossed with thick rice noodles, this dish will have the whole family drooling without breaking the budget.

SERVES 4

900g chuck or brisket beef, cut into bite-sized pieces pinch of salt

1 tbsp vegetable oil

250ml light soy sauce

250ml Chinese shaoxing rice wine

4 tbsp brown sugar

3cm piece of ginger, peeled and smashed

4 garlic cloves, crushed 2cm piece of dried orange peel, broken into small pieces

2 star anise

1 tbsp chilli flakes

900ml water

6 spring onions, whites cut into 5cm lengths, greens finely chopped

2 nests or 350g-500g fresh thick rice noodles (see tip)

Place the beef in a large bowl and add the salt, then massage thoroughly into the meat. Heat a 3-4 litre flameproof casserole over a medium heat with the oil, then add the salted beef and brown on all sides; this should take about 4 minutes.

Add the remaining ingredients (except the spring onion greens and rice noodles), mix thoroughly and bring to the boil, then turn the heat down to low and cook for 2½ hours. Turn off the heat and allow the pot to stand for 30 minutes.

Carefully loosen the strands of noodles under warm water and drain. Bring the beef back up to the boil and, once hot, turn down to a simmer and add the loosened noodles. Add a little more water if the sauce has dried out during cooking and allow the noodles to gently soften and warm with the beef. Transfer to serving bowls and sprinkle with the spring onion greens. TIP Fresh, thick rice noodles can be found in the fridge section of Chinese supermarkets. If you can’t find fresh noodles, use dried, but you’ll need to rehydrate before adding to the dish (following the instructions on the packet).