Braised beef shin with shiitake in oyster sauce
Beef shin and shiitake braised slowly until tender and full of flavour in a rich oyster sauce gravy — soft, gelatinous and great over rice, ideal when you're run down.
- 1 hr 55 min
- Serves 3
- Braise
- Easy
Why it suits you: Qi-deficient people tire easily and have poor appetites, and Liqiu's lingering heat makes them sweat, leaving them breathless and drained. Beef shin strengthens the spleen and stomach and builds qi and blood, shiitake boosts qi, and slow braising makes it soft and easy to digest. The savoury oyster sauce gravy is perfect with rice.
Method
Prep 15 min · Cook 100 min- 1Soak the shiitake until soft and remove the stems, keeping the soaking water. Put the whole beef shin in cold water, bring to the boil, boil for 5 minutes, then lift out and rinse.
- 2Heat the oil and fry the ginger until fragrant. Brown the beef all over, splash in the wine, then add the oyster sauce, soy sauce and sugar and turn to coat.
- 3Add the shiitake, the soaking water and enough water to cover, plus the star anise. Bring to the boil, then cover and braise over a low heat for 1½ hours, turning the beef halfway.
- 4Lift out the beef, let it cool slightly and cut into thick slices. Reduce the sauce and thicken with the cornflour mixed with water. Blanch the choi sum, arrange around the beef and pour over the sauce.
Cautions
- Beef shin needs long braising to soften, so a few slices are enough if your digestion is weak; cut back on the oyster and soy sauces if you have high blood pressure.
Chef's tips
- A pressure cooker gets the beef tender in 35 minutes; let it cool a little and slice against the grain so the slices hold together.
The TCM view
Beef is sweet and neutral, strengthening the spleen and stomach, building qi and blood and fortifying the sinews — the Mingyi Bielu says it 'calms the middle, boosts qi and nourishes the spleen and stomach'. Shiitake is sweet and neutral, boosting qi and supporting the body's defences; ginger warms the middle; star anise warms and moves qi so the beef doesn't sit heavily. It tonifies qi without dryness.
