Slow-Cooked Braised Beef
Tender beef braised in a savory-sweet sauce with aromatic spices, cooked entirely in a rice cooker for effortless convenience. The meat absorbs the complex flavors of soy, star anise, and cinnamon until meltingly soft.
Story
This recipe uses the rice cooker's keep-warm function to slowly braise the beef, resulting in incredibly tender meat with minimal hands-on time. The combination of light and dark soy sauce creates both savory depth and beautiful color.
Ingredients
beef shank or chuck
500g (about 1 lb)
light soy sauce
3 tablespoons
dark soy sauce
1 tablespoon
rock sugar
3-4 pieces
bay leaves
2
star anise
1
cinnamon stick
1 (about 3 inches)
dried chili peppers
5-6
oyster sauce
1 tablespoon
water
enough to cover beef completely
Instructions
1
Prepare the beef
Cut the beef into large chunks, about 2-3 inches each. Place in the rice cooker pot. Add enough cold water to completely cover the meat.
2
Add seasonings and spices
Pour in the light and dark soy sauces. Add the rock sugar, bay leaves, star anise, cinnamon stick, dried chilies, and oyster sauce. Stir everything together to combine.
3
Cook on rice cycle
Close the lid and press the cook/rice button. Let it run through one full cycle, then press it again for a second cycle. The beef should be very tender and deeply flavored.
4
Rest and serve
Let the beef rest in the liquid for 10 minutes. Remove and slice against the grain. Serve drizzled with some of the braising liquid, or let cool and refrigerate overnight for even better flavor.
