Braised Beef Strips
A classic Shandong (Lu) cuisine dish featuring a rich reddish hue, fall-apart tender beef, and a savory, well-balanced flavor.
Ingredients
beef (whole piece)
500 g
scallion (segments)
10 g
ginger (slices)
10 g
soy sauce
15 g
refined salt
20 g
Shaoxing wine
15 g
star anise
5 g
sesame oil
6 g
cornstarch (for thickening)
a pinch
Instructions
1
Cook the Beef
Place the whole piece of beef in cold water and soak thoroughly. Wash away the blood, then blanch in boiling water. Remove and rinse off any residue. Scrub the pot clean, add fresh water, and put in the cleaned beef, scallion segments, and ginger slices. Bring to a boil over high heat, skim off the foam, cover the pot tightly, and simmer over low heat for 2–3 hours until fully cooked. Remove and let cool.
2
Slice into Strips
Trim off the fat skin and uneven edges from the cooked beef. Cut against the grain into strips 8 cm long, 3 cm wide, and 0.4 cm thick. Arrange them neatly in a bowl with the smooth side facing down.
3
Steam
Add soy sauce, refined salt, Shaoxing wine, scallion segments, ginger slices, star anise, and the original broth from cooking the beef. Steam over high heat for 20 minutes, then remove. Discard the star anise, scallion, and ginger. Pour off the broth and invert the beef onto a flat plate.
4
Pour the Sauce
Pour the steaming broth into a wok, add soy sauce, and bring to a boil. Thicken with a wet cornstarch slurry, drizzle in sesame oil, and pour over the beef. Serve immediately.
