Red Braised Beef Noodles

Ingredients
  • 1 lb beef, cubed (preferably beef tendon or birsket, but regular stewing beef is okay)
  • 5 dried shitake mushrooms, halved
  • 2 carrots, cut into pieces
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 tbsp ginger, minced
  • 1/2 white onion, thinly sliced
  • 3 tbsp oil
  • 1.5 cups water
  • 1/2 cup soy sauce
  • 1.4 cup rice wine or dry sherry
  • Black pepper
  • Salt
  • Five spice powder
  • Cornstarch
  • 5-7 black peppercorns (optional)

Instructions
  1. Marinate beef with black pepper, salt, cornstarch and five spice in airtight ziplock bag in fridge, for at least 30 mins
  2. Soak dried mushrooms in small amount of water.  Reserve liquid for later use!
  3. Heat 1 tbsp oil in wok on low heat, when hot, sweat the onion for about 15 minutes.
  4. While waiting for beef to marinate and onion to sweat, prepare the ginger, garlic, and carrots.
  5. Remove onions and set aside.
  6. Heat remaining 2 tbsp cooking oil over medium-high heat.
  7. Stir-fry ginger and garlic till fragrant.
  8. Stir-fry beef till browned on all sides and 70% cooked.
  9. Place onions and dried mushrooms in wok and give a few quick stirs to mix.
  10. You can transfer to a claypot or continue cooking in the wok at this point.
  11. Add water, reserved mushroom soaking water, soy sauce, rice wine, peppercorns and mix well.
  12. Turn heat on high till it comes to a boil.
  13. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 1 hour, uncovered.
  14. Put in carrots and simmer for another 30 minutes or until carrots are tender.

** Stir occasionally to prevent ingredients from burning at the bottom, and add water if it dries up too much in the cooking process.

** You may wish to thicken the sauce - stir cornstarch in cold water till dissolved, and stir in the cornstarch mixture and let cool to thicken.

Serve:  Serve over noodles or pasta, or just have it with rice!