Beef Brisket with Chu Hou Sauce 柱侯牛腩
You can use any cut of beef or meats for this recipe.Chu Hou Sauce would also be suitable for braised goat meat.Besides white raddish, carrots and potatoes may also be used. Any kind of firm vegetable that will not fall apart during braising could be a suitable substitute.You may choose to make this the night before so that the sauce gets better absorbed and becomes even more flavourful. This is a common practice at restaurants.
Approximate cost (CAD) $30
Ingredients
- 450 g Rib finger meat
- 450 g Beef tendon
- 450 g Simmering short ribs (boneless)
- 800 g White radish (lo bak)
- 1 stalk Green onions , chopped
- 4 slices Ginger
- 4 cloves Garlic , chopped
- 2 Shallot , halved
- 2 tbsp Oil
- 1 Cinnamon stick
- 4 Star anise
- 2 tsp Fennel seeds
- 2 tsp Black peppercorn
- 6 Bay leaves
- 20 g Rock sugar
- 2 L Water
Ingredients for sauce mixture:
- 3 tbsp Chu Hou Sauce
- 2 cubes Red fermented bean curd
- 1 tbsp Oyster sauce
- 1 tbsp Light soy sauce
- 2 tsp Dark soy sauce
- 1 tsp Sugar
Instructions
- Cut meats and tendon into 3.5 cm or 1.5” pieces. Set aside
- Pour 2 L water into a pot. Add cut tendons. Bring to a boil. Cook at low-medium heat for 1 hour
- Prepare ginger, shallots and garlic. Set aside
- Combine 3 tbsp Chu Hou sauce, 2 cubes fermented bean curd, 1 tbsp oyster sauce, 1 tbsp light soy sauce, 2 tsp dark soy sauce and 1 tsp sugar in a bowl. Set aside
- Prepare 1 cinnamon stick, 6 bay leaves and 20 g of rock sugar and set aside
- In a spice bag, add 4 star anise, 2 tsp fennel seeds and 2 tsp black peppercorn and set aside
I used a tea bag and it worked well 
- After 1 hour, add the rest of the meats to the water and cook for another 15 minutes
- Remove meats and tendon from the pot and set aside. Do not discard water
- In a wok or pot, add 2 tbsp oil. Fry ginger and shallots for 20 seconds on medium-high heat. Add garlic and fry until aromatic
- Add all the meats and tendon into the wok. Stir-fry for 1 minute
- Add sauce mixture to the wok and stir-fry for 1 minute
- Add the saved water until most of the meat is covered. Discard any remaining water
I don’t cover all the meat with water since I’m braising at low temperature. I don’t anticipate too much evaporation and too much water will dilute the sauce. Mixing it every 15 minutes will prevent the meat from drying 
- Add all the ingredients in step 5 and the spice bag to the wok
- When the liquid begins to boil, turn the heat down to low and cook for 1 hour. Mix with a spatula every 15 minutes for even cooking
- Peel and roll cut the white radish to approx the same size as the meat or slightly larger. Set aside
Roll cut is cutting a vegetable at an angle and rolling it 90 degrees after every cut. This allows for faster cooking time and regardless of the size of the white radish, you can cut them to a fairly uniformed size 
- After 30 minutes of braising the meat, add the white radish, mix well. Continue braising for another 30 minutes and mixing every 15 minutes
- Chop green onions and set aside
- When time is up, check the meat for tenderness. If the meat is still tough, you may braise it for another 15-30 minutes
- Taste test to make any adjustments if necessary
- Fish out the spice bag, cinnamon and bay leaves
- If there is too much water, you can turn the heat to high and allow for some evaporation to thicken the sauce.
This may be the case if you didn’t add any tendons. Tendons are high in collagen that help the sauce thicken. You may also choose to make a slurry from corn starch and water to thicken the sauce - Serve with rice or noodles. Sprinkle with chopped green onions