Asian Braised Beef

This slow cooked aromatic beef is delicious, easy to prepare and great served with noodles. Cook in the oven in a big pot until the meat is soft and falling apart.

INGREDIENTS (serves 8)

◆ 1¼ kilo beef chuck steak, finely sliced

◆ 3 tbsp plain flour

◆ a pinch of salt

◆ ½ tsp fresh ground pepper

◆ 3 tbsp vegetable oil

◆ 4 garlic cloves, minced

◆ 4 spring onions, thinly sliced

◆ 5cm ginger, minced

◆ 1 tsp chilli flakes

◆ ½ red fresh chilli, sliced

◆ 1 stalk lemongrass, thinly sliced

◆ 250ml beef stock

◆ 125ml reduced salt soy sauce

◆ 60ml hoisin sauce

◆ 125ml rice vinegar

◆ 145g light brown sugar

◆ 1 tbsp chilli paste

◆ pak choi (approx. 120g)

1

Preheat the oven to 170°C. In a small bowl, mix together the flour, salt and pepper and dust the beef with the seasoned flour. Shake off excess flour and set aside. Heat the oil in a frying pan and brown the beef in batches to cook off the flour. Then place the browned beef in a suitable ovenproof casserole dish with a lid.

2

Using the same frying pan in which you browned the beef, add the minced garlic and ginger and cook until fragrant. Then add the lemongrass and cook for a few more minutes until the garlic begins to brown. Next add chilli flakes, fresh chilli and beef stock. Mix well and add to the beef in the casserole dish.

3

In a measuring jug, mix the soy sauce, hoisin sauce, rice vinegar, brown sugar and chilli paste. Add the spring onions, stir and add to the casserole. Put the casserole dish on the hob and bring the ingredients slowly up to a simmer, then transfer to a preheated oven and cook for 2 hours or until the meat is very soft and falling apart.

4

Stir the meat halfway through cooking. If there is not much sauce, add more water if necessary and turn the oven down to 140°C. Just before serving, cut the pak choi into quarters and steam for a few minutes, so it stays crunchy. Add to the beef casserole and serve.