Great for casual entertaining, when you fancy a warming beef stew but with some more vibrant flavours
Prep:10 mins
Serves 6
3-4 tbsp olive oil6 garlic cloves, thinly slicedgood thumb-size piece fresh root ginger, peeled and shredded1 bunch spring onions, sliced1 red chilli, deseeded and thinly sliced1 ½kg braising beef, cut into large pieces (we used ox cheek)2 tbsp plain flour, well seasoned1 tsp Chinese five-spice powder2 star anise (optional)2 tsp light muscovado sugar (or use whatever you’ve got)3 tbsp Chinese cooking wine or dry sherry3 tbsp dark soy sauce, plus more to serve500ml beef stock (we used Knorr Touch of Taste)steamed bok choi and steamed basmati rice, to serve
STEP 1Heat 2 tbsp of the oil in a large, shallow casserole. Fry the garlic, ginger, onions and chilli for 3 mins until soft and fragrant. Tip onto a plate. Toss the beef in the flour, add 1 tbsp more oil to the pan, then brown the meat in batches, adding the final tbsp oil if you need to. It should take about 5 mins to brown each batch properly.STEP 2Add the five-spice and star anise (if using) to the pan, tip in the gingery mix, then fry for 1 min until the spices are fragrant. Add the sugar, then the beef and stir until combined. Keep the heat high, then splash in the wine or sherry, scraping up any meaty bits. Heat oven to 150C/fan 130C/gas 2.STEP 3Pour in the soy and stock (it won’t cover the meat completely), bring to a simmer, then tightly cover, transfer to the oven and cook for 4 hrs, stirring the meat halfway through. Allow 6 hrs for the meat to cook if using a slow cooker. The meat should be very soft, and any sinewy bits should have melted away. Season with more soy. This can now be chilled and frozen for up to 1 month.STEP 4Nestle the cooked bok choi into the pan, then bring to the table with the basmati rice straight away and tuck in.
