Chinese braised beef

Serves 4-6

Vegetable oil, for browning 1kg beef shank or brisket, cut into fist-sized chunks 2 onions, roughly chopped 1 x thumb-sized piece of fresh ginger, peeled and roughly chopped 3 garlic cloves, roughly chopped A handful of fresh coriander, stalks separated from leaves, roughly chopped 30ml water 2 tsp Chinese five spice 2 whole star anise 1 tsp black peppercorns 80g brown sugar 100ml light soy sauce 3 tbsp tomato purée Beef stock, to cover

To serve: Basmati rice

1 Preheat the oven to 150°C/130°C fan/gas mark 2. 2 Heat a little of the oil in a large pan over a medium-high heat. Working in batches so as not to overcrowd the pan, brown the beef on all sides, adding more oil if needed. When the beef is browned, transfer to a casserole dish. 3 Place the onions, ginger, garlic and coriander stalks in a food processor or mini chopper and whizz into a paste. 4 Use a ball of kitchen paper to wipe out the pan. Return to a medium heat and add the paste along with the water. Cook for 2-3 minutes until the paste is fragrant. 5 Add the five spice, star anise and peppercorns and cook for one minute. 6 Add the sugar, soy sauce and tomato purée. Add a splash of beef stock and stir to combine, then pour over the beef in the casserole dish. Add more stock until the beef is covered. 7 Cover the dish tightly with tin foil, then put on the lid. Place in the oven for three hours or until the beef is very tender. 8 Lift the beef out of the sauce onto a board. Shred using two forks. 9 With the lid off, place the casserole over a high heat and boil the sauce until it has reduced by about half. 10 Stir the beef back into the sauce. Serve over rice scattered with the reserved coriander.

Per Serving 426kcals, 13g fat (4.5g saturated), 22g carbs, 15.9g sugars, 53.3g protein, 1.8g fibre, 1.246g sodium