Chinese Beef Cheek Casserole / Red Braised Ox Cheek

by Lizzie Mabbott from Chinatown Kitchen (Mitchell Beazley/Octopus)

Photography: David Munns

This is the kind of dish that is made for winter. The star anise works beautifully with beef, and you’ll find that your whole house smells aromatic and a little spicy, while you tap your foot, impatiently waiting for it to do its cooking thing. Cuts of beef that work particularly well are anything with some fat on it or connective tissue so that it all breaks down with the slow cooking into a delicious, lip-smearing, beefy hug. I sometimes use half ox cheek and half beef tendon for a little textural contrast.

Serves 4 with other dishes

Ingredients

450g (1lb) ox cheek or other beef for slow cooking, cut into bite-sized pieces

2 tbsp cooking oil

2 tbsp chilli bean paste

20g (¾oz) fresh root ginger, peeled and thinly sliced, then whacked with the side of a knife

3 garlic cloves, slightly crushed

2 spring onions, white parts only, chopped into 7.5cm (3in) pieces, green parts reserved and sliced

1 tbsp yellow bean paste

2 tbsp Shaoxing rice wine

1 star anise

500ml (18fl oz) beef stock or water

Method

Bring a saucepan of water to the boil and blanch the ox cheek pieces in

the boiling water for 2–3 minutes. Drain and rinse the ox cheek pieces, and

rinse the pan out. This is to get rid of the scum that clouds the broth. Place

the ox cheek pieces in a clay pot or a snug saucepan.

Heat the cooking oil in a wok and stir-fry the chilli bean paste with the

ginger, garlic and spring onion whites. Add the yellow bean paste and rice

wine, then the star anise and the stock or water. Bring to the boil and add

to the ox cheek. Put a lid on it and braise very slowly for 3–4 hours until

the ox cheek is tender. Top up with a little water (or stock if it didn't all fit)

if it’s looking dry.

Serve, garnished with the spring onion greens, on rice or on noodles.

Drinks served on air, alongside the dish