Tony Tan's braised beef brisket with chilli-oil sauce

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PREP TIME: 30mins | COOK TIME: 2hrs | SERVES: 4-6

"This recipe is a breeze to make and is perfect on a cool spring day – the charm lays in the perfect balance of spices, which enhances the distinctive beef flavour. This version is rather magical, especially with a robust chilli-oil sauce. It's a hot favourite with family and friends – it's one of my sister's favourite recipes. You're more likely to encounter this dish in specialty food stalls rather than in Chinese restaurants."

INGREDIENTS:

Brisket

• 1 kg piece beef brisket, fat trimmed

• 1 tbsp vegetable oil

• 20 gm ginger (about 4cm), sliced

• 2 large garlic cloves, finely chopped

• 2 spring onions, cut into 2.5cm lengths

• 2 star anise

• 4 bay leaves

• 1 tsp Sichuan peppercorns

• 1 small cinnamon quill

• 2 pieces dried tangerine peel (see note)

• 1 tbsp coarsely crushed rock sugar (see note)

• 1 tbsp light soy sauce

• 1 tbsp dark soy sauce

• 1 tsp cornflour mixed with 1 tbsp water

• Steamed rice and coriander, to serve

Chilli Oil Sauce

• 1 garlic clove, finely chopped

• 2 tsp finely chopped ginger

• 1½ tbsp light soy sauce

• 80 ml (⅓ cup) chilli oil (see note)

• 2 tsp rice vinegar

• Pinch of caster sugar

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Place beef in a large saucepan, cover with water and bring to the boil. Reduce heat to medium and simmer to remove impurities (8-10 minutes). Remove with a slotted spoon and rinse under cold water. Rinse the saucepan.

2. Heat vegetable oil in the same saucepan over high heat. Add ginger, garlic and spring onion and stir-fry until fragrant (1-2 minutes). Add star anise, bay leaves, Sichuan peppercorns and cinnamon, reduce heat to medium, and stir-fry until fragrant (3-4 minutes). Add tangerine peel, rock sugar, light and dark soy sauce and beef, cover with water (about 3 litres) and bring to the boil. Cover partially with a lid, then reduce the heat to low-medium and simmer until beef is fork-tender (1½ hours to 2 hours).

3. Meanwhile, for chilli-oil sauce, whisk ingredients in a bowl until sugar dissolves.

4. Transfer beef to a large heatproof bowl with a slotted spoon. Ladle some braising liquid over the beef to taste and cover to keep warm. Strain remaining braising liquid through a fine sieve (discard solids) and transfer 500ml of the liquid to a small saucepan. Bring to the boil, add cornflour and whisk until a smooth glossy sauce forms, season to taste and keep warm. Slice beef and place in a large bowl, pour over 2-3 ladles of reduced stock to taste, then some chilli-oil sauce. Serve with rice and coriander.