eglamkowski's Journal: Slashdot cookbook

I'm going to squeeze out another chapter here. I wasn't going to, but this weekend I cooked this beef dish that was SOOOOO good that I couldn't wait. On your way home from work, stop by the grocery store and buy whatever ingredients for this you don't already have, because this is what you are having for dinner tonight: Stewed beef with tender garlic chives

I used a lot of substitutes and it still kicked ass, so I list my substitutes along side the ingredient list. I also used one of the cheaper cuts of beef for this, so don't spend $8/lb on your beef here - I went with a $2.59/lb cut of beef and it was still amazing. Just keep it to a relatively trim piece of meat.

Also note the garnish is most for the visual impact more than flavor (unless you like eating whole chives or scallions by themselves...), so if you don't want to bother (and it is a bother to make), just skip it. If you're making this for guests, however, you'll probably want to do it exactly because it is a good visual impact.

1 pound stewing/braising beef
2 tablespoons lard or vegetable oil (I used corn oil)
1 tablespoon soy bean paste or mashed fermented black beans (I actually used hoisin sauce...)
3 cups beef stock (I used plain old water)
10 slices fresh ginger root
2 spring onions (shallots/scallions), halved (I used a yellow onion, chopped)
1 tablespoon soy bean powder or cornflour (I used cornstarch)

Seasoning:
1 tablespoon rice wine or dry sherry
1/2 teaspoon Sichuan peppercorns (Fagara or Sansho) (I used a combination of red and black ground pepper)
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons sugar

Garnish:
2 fresh red chillies
20 garlic chives or spring onions (I used scallions, and only 6)
1 tablespoon of oil for frying

-Cut the beef info slices about 1/2 inch thick, then into sticks about 3 inches by 1 inch.

-Heat a wok over moderate heat and add the lard. Stir-fry the bean paste or mashed black beans for about 40 seconds until fragrant, then add the beef and stir-fry over high heat until lightly coloured and well sealed on all surfaces. (I didn't cook the hoisin sauce, I added the beef first, then the sauce. If you do use actual bean paste, though, you should do this step as indicated.)

-Pour in the stock, heat through briefly over high heat, then reduce the heat and simmer for about 1 hour, covered, until the beef is tender and the liquid reduced to about 1 cup.

-Halfway through cooking, add the ginger and spring onions and the pre-mixed seasoning ingredients.

-Meanwhile prepare the garnish. Cut the chillies into long thin shreds (and they do need to be extremely thin!) discard the seeds. Use only about 2 inches of the white end of the chives or spring onions. Use a toothpick or bamboo skewer to make a hole in one end of each piece of onion and insert a sliver of chilli to resemble the wick of a firecracker. Heat another wok or pan and add the oil. Stir-fry the onions quickly and carefully. Sprinkle with 1 tablespoon of water to help them to soften, simmer until evaporated, then set the garnish aside.

-Mix the soy bean powder with a little cold water and stir into the sauce with the beef. Simmer, stirring, until it thickens and the oil floats on the surface.

-Spoon the beef into the centre of a serving plate and arrange the onions around the edge of the plate.