ASIAN INSPIRED BRAISED BEEF

ASIAN INSPIRED BRAISED BEEF – TWO WAYS

One braised beef dish that creates two different dishes!

Here, Katrina makes one big batch of Asian braised beef and shows you how to take it in two completely different directions

A crispy, unctuous pot pie that’s equal parts comfort and creativity
A fresh, build-your-own bowl loaded with whatever vegetables you have on hand.

One cook, two dinners, endless possibility.

KATRINA MEYNINK

Tomato-based braises, be gone. It’s the question I get every time the temperature drops – “what do I cook when I’m over the tomato-based beef slow cook”? This is it. Heavy on master stock, ginger, sake and soy with a brightening hit of lemon juice or yuzu and a subtle sweetness from mirin.

It’s adaptable enough that I always double batch it and see how far I can stretch it. One effort, many meals! It’s the only way forward when life gets busy and everyone still needs dinner.

INGREDIENTS
2 tbsp coconut oil
3 eschalots, diced
3–4 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped
1 large thumb-sized piece of ginger, chopped
2kg Meat at Billy’s grass-fed chuck steak, cut into large bite-sized pieces
500ml master stock or pho base
125ml sake
125ml mirin
125ml soy sauce
4 tbsp brown sugar, or to taste
2 tbsp yuzu juice, to finish (optional)

CHUCK BEEF (DICED) Price range: $16.00 through $64.00
CHUCK BEEF (STEAKS) Price range: $15.00 through $60.00

METHOD
Heat the coconut oil in a dutch oven or large stew pot over medium heat. Once hot, add the eschalots, garlic and ginger. Reduce to low and cook until soft and fragrant.

Add the beef in batches, browning well on all sides. Pour over the stock, sake, mirin and soy sauce. Cover and simmer on low for four hours, or until the meat is tender and the liquid has reduced by half.

Remove the lid, add the brown sugar and continue to cook until you reach a thick, sauce-like consistency.

I like to finish off with finely grated lemon zest or a splash of yuzu juice – it just lightens and brightens the whole proposition. I suggest doing this just before serving.

Braised Asian Beef Pot Pie

Shepherd’s pie? Stew? A beef pie by another name? Whatever it is, it’s an excellent idea. Soft, fall-apart braised beef, crisp hash browns and a hit of spicy furikake – it’s the cold weather antidote you didn’t know you needed. It’s for those days where it’s more important not to ask why, but why not?

It doesn’t get simpler. Scoop, layer, heat, done. The result is an incredibly unctuous dinner that takes almost no effort. If you need to stretch the braised beef further, throw in whatever vegetables you have on hand.

INGREDIENTS
800g ish, Asian inspired beef braise
Yuzu juice or lemon zest to finish
1 x packet frozen hash browns
Spicy furikake, to serve (optional)

METHOD
Preheat your oven to 180°C.

Spread the beef across the base of a roasting dish and drizzle over a little yuzu juice or scatter over some lemon zest – it adds the most wonderful brightness to the beef. Top with the hashies, overlapping them slightly is best, so every bit of beef is covered. Sprinkle with as much or as little furikake as you like, then bake for at least 20 minutes, or until the hash browns are crisp and golden and the beef underneath is piping hot.

Bring it straight to the table and scoop into bowls. Heaven sent on a cold night.

CHUCK BEEF (DICED) Price range: $16.00 through $64.00
CHUCK BEEF (STEAKS) Price range: $15.00 through $60.00

Braised Asian Beef BOWL

The hard work is done. The braise is already cooked and waiting. All that’s left now is to build your bowl with whatever vegetables you have in the fridge. Colourful, crunchy, nutritious, and endlessly adaptable. My ingredient list is a simple guide as to what you can include but is by no means an absolute. Please use it as a suggestion, not a rule.

INGREDIENTS (PER PERSON)
|1/2 cup beef braise
½ cup steamed rice
1 small–medium carrot, peeled and shredded
½ cup shredded cabbage
¼–½ avocado

TO TOP
Furikake
Fried shallots
Fried garlic
Kewpie mayo
Pickled ginger

TO ASSEMBLE
Scoop beef braise into each bowl. Add the rice and pile in the vegetables, remember, we’re aiming for mass colour and crunch here. I like to dip the avocado in furikake or fried shallots before adding it to the bowl. Finish with any additional toppings you like and serve.