Name: Red Braised Beef {Hong Shao Niu Rou 红烧牛肉}
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 1 h 15 min
Total time: 1 h 30 min
Yield: 8
Cuisine: Chinese
Ingredients: 2 lb beef, chuck or top round; 1/2 tsp baking soda; 1 tbsp Shaoxing wine, or 1 tbsp sake; 1 tbsp dark soy sauce; 2 tsp Zhenjiang vinegar; 2 tsp cane sugar; 1 tbsp arrowroot flour; 4 tbsp cooking oil, such as avocado oil; 2 tbsp cooking oil, such as avocado oil; 1 tbsp minced ginger, or 1 small piece of ginger (thin sliced); 1 tbsp minced garlic, or 4 garlic cloves (thin sliced); 1/2 (half) red onion, or 2 (two) green onion, chopped; 3 tbsp dark soy sauce; 3 tbsp light soy sauce; 1 tbsp cane sugar; 1 tbsp Pi'Xian Doubanjiang, or a couple dried red chili pepper, see notes; 1/2 tsp red yeast rice, optional, this is to enhance the red color; 1/4 tsp star anise, or 2 star anise; 2 bay leaves; 1/4 tsp cinnamon powder, or a small piece of cinnamon; 1/4 tsp Sichuan pepper powder (Hua Jiao), freshly ground; half dried orange peel, optional

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Red Braised Beef {Hong Shao Niu Rou 红烧牛肉} is so yummy and juicy. Pair with a bowl of rice or go for the iconic Taiwanese Niu Rou Mian {Beef Noodle Soup}.

As we sear the beef before braising, it also significantly cuts down the time required to cook the beef. Rest assured, you can cook this tasty beef in about 1.5 hours. Most importantly, this way, the beef remains tender and flavorful.

How to cook a juicy Red Braised Beef?

Tip No.1 is to marinate the beef properly

The first thing first after you cut the beef across the grain into bite-size chunks is to soak them in cold water. It will help get rid of the trapped blood and hydrate the meat. Then mix the beef with a tiny bit of baking soda to tenderize the meat. Following that, add Shaoxing wine, soy sauce, Zhenjiang vinegar, and a bit of sugar to further tenderize and flavor the beef.

Use a pair of bamboo spatulas to toss beef chunks until everything is blended well. Following that, add a pinch of arrowroot flour, my go-to superfood starch to wrap the tenderized and flavored beef. Last but not least, add a splash of cooking oil to lock in the moisture and flavor.

marinating bite-size beef chunks for braised beef

This is the same technique I use to tenderize beef for stir fry like Mongolian Beef and Beef with Broccoli.

how to prepare and tenderize beef for cooking?

Tip No.2 is to sear the marinated beef properly before braising

The heat-resistant hard anodized frying pan is a must-have for healthy cooking. Heat the frying pan for 1 minute before adding a splash of avocado oil, spread out the oil using a silicone spatula. Add a small batch of marinated beef, no more than one pound into the pan, try to lay them flat with minimal overlapping, and cook for about 2 minutes. Then flip and toss the beef until the beef is fully browned, about 2 minutes.

I recommend using a quality hard anodized frying pan for this step. It is made with healthy materials, can endure high-temperature cooking, and has a superb non-stick function. Why non-stick function is important here? It helps using less oil and keeps the coating stay wrapped around beef for the ultimate tender yumminess.

Tip No.3 is to braise the seared beef appropriately for a tasty Braised Beef

I usually use a Dutch oven or cast iron wok for the braising step. Both have superb heat retention capabilities.

Simmer the previously pan-fried beef in a Dutch for 1 hour. Mix and fold the beef into the braising juice half way through.

Enjoy a super tasty Braised Beef!

Red Braised Beef {Hong Shao Niu Rou 红烧牛肉}

Yield: 8 servings

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 1 hour 15 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour 30 minutes

Red Braised Beef Chinese Style featuring juicy and yummy bite-size beef chunks can be an easy dish to cook as long as you know a few tips and tricks. Eat it alone or make an iconic Taiwanese Niu Rou Mian.

Ingredients

2 lb beef, chuck or top round

For Marinating the Beef:

1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tbsp Shaoxing wine, or 1 tbsp sake
1 tbsp dark soy sauce
2 tsp Zhenjiang vinegar
2 tsp cane sugar
1 tbsp arrowroot flour
4 tbsp cooking oil, such as avocado oil

For Searing the Beef:

2 tbsp cooking oil, such as avocado oil
1 tbsp minced ginger, or 1 small piece of ginger (thin sliced)
1 tbsp minced garlic, or 4 garlic cloves (thin sliced)
1/2 (half) red onion, or 2 (two) green onion, chopped

For Braising the Beef:

3 tbsp dark soy sauce
3 tbsp light soy sauce
1 tbsp cane sugar
1 tbsp Pi'Xian Doubanjiang, or a couple dried red chili pepper, see notes
1/2 tsp red yeast rice, optional, this is to enhance the red color
1/4 tsp star anise, or 2 star anise
2 bay leaves
1/4 tsp cinnamon powder, or a small piece of cinnamon
1/4 tsp Sichuan pepper powder (Hua Jiao), freshly ground
half dried orange peel, optional

Instructions

Prep Work:

Gather Ingredients. Cut beef across the grain into bite-size chunks, not overly thick please, and soak in the cold water for about 10 minutes, change the water and rinse a couple of times.

Marinate the Beef:

Remove the beef from the water, gently squeeze to get rid of the extra water, and place in a mixing bowl.
Add baking soda, toss, and mix well using a pair of bamboo spatulas. Then add Shaoxing wine, dark soy sauce, Zhenjiang vinegar, and sugar, toss and mix well again.
Following that, add arrowroot flour, toss, and mix well again. Lastly, add the cooking oil and toss and mix well. Set aside.

Sear the Beef:

We are going to sear the beef in two batches.
Turn the heat to medium-high and heat a hard anodized frying pan for 1 minute then add 1 tbsp avocado oil and half of the minced ginger, garlic, and chopped red or green onion, along with half of the marinated beef chunks.
Try to lay them flat with minimal overlapping and cook for 2 minutes.
Frequently turn or flip the beef and cook for another 2 minutes or so, or till the beef is properly browned.
Remove the beef from the pan place them on a plate and set it aside. Repeat to sear the other half of the marinated beef.
Then add the first batch back to the pan and stir fry for about 1 minute.

Braise the Beef:

Use a Dutch oven or cast iron wok to braise the beef. Turn the heat to medium-high, add everything under "For Braising the Beef", whisk to blend, and cook for about 30 seconds or till fragrant, then turn the heat to simmer.
Add the seared beef into the Dutch oven, fold it into the braising juice, cover the lid, and cook for 1 hour, turn and mix the beef with the braising juice halfway through.
Optional step - The beef is done at this point. If you'd like the beef to camerize a little bit, then do this optional extra step. Turn the heat to medium-high, leave the lid off, constantly toss and fold the beef with the braising juice for about 5-10 minutes.
All done! Enjoy a super juicy and yummy Braised Beef.

Notes

Red Yeast Rice {Hong Qu Mi} is an ancient Chinese ingredient. They are white rice fermented in a certain way that turns the white rice into red rice. It is an all-natural superfood that has a beautiful bright red color. I use a little bit here to enhance the color. By the way, I also use red yeast rice as a natural red color to make the yummy Red Velvet Cake.

For the iconic Taiwanese Red Braised Beef flavor, Pi'Xian Doubanjiang is a must.
You do not need to add water for the braising, enough water will come out of the beef during the simmering process.

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Nutrition Information

Yield 4 Serving Size 0.5 pound beef
Amount Per Serving Calories 533Total Fat 31gSaturated Fat 7gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 21gCholesterol 150mgSodium 1311mgCarbohydrates 7gFiber 1gSugar 4gProtein 53g

Nutrition calculation is provided by Nutritionix to the best knowledge per ingredients description and isn't always accurate.

braised braised beef red braised red yeast rice

Red Braised Beef {Hong Shao Niu Rou}

Easy & Juicy Red Braised Beef Chinese Style