A pressure cooker brings soy braised beef shank down to about 45 minutes of stove time while still leaving the meat meltingly tender. The difficulty is clearing the smell of the beef and judging the braising liquid so it reduces just enough for a glossy brown finish.
Onion, ginger, shallot and red horn chili are wrapped in foil and roasted for 4 to 5 minutes before they go into the pot. The whole spices are toasted and tied into a bundle, which keeps the braising liquid clear.
This batch weighs about 2kg, at roughly 98 calories per 100g.
Method
Trim excess sinew and fat from the beef shank and rinse it. Put it in a basin with 1 tablespoon salt and a little water, scrub it clean, then rinse 2 to 3 times to clear the smell.
Lay out a sheet of foil and place 1 onion cut in half, half the ginger, 5 shallots and 1 red horn chili on it. Wrap it up and roast for 4 to 5 minutes until fragrant, turning both sides.
Crack the black cardamom open. Toast 1 tablespoon coriander seed, 2 star anise, 1 cinnamon stick, 2g clove, the cardamom and 1 tablespoon peppercorns in a dry pan until golden and fragrant. Tip onto a plate to cool.
Bruise the lemongrass and cut it into lengths. Bruise the remaining half of the ginger and the last shallot. Cut the roasted ginger into lengths and bruise it.
Put 3 tablespoons cooking oil in the pressure cooker, fry the lemongrass, shallot and bruised ginger until fragrant, then add the beef shank and stir it through.
Pour in 120ml soy sauce and 54g kOBE Monk Fruit Blend, then add 3 bowls of water so the meat is just covered.
Add the roasted aromatics to the pot. Tie the toasted spices into a bundle and drop it in along with the bruised lemongrass. Close the lid and cook for 10 to 15 minutes.
Open the lid, and once a chopstick slides in easily, move the beef shank to another pot. Strain out the lemongrass, ginger and shallot, then simmer over medium heat until the liquid sits just at the bottom of the pot.
Lift the beef shank onto a plate and cut it into bite sized slices.
Tips
Without a pressure cooker, cover the beef shank completely with water and braise for about 2 hours until the liquid has just reduced.
The leftover braising liquid is worth keeping, as a little minced garlic and chili turn it into a dipping sauce that suits this dish perfectly.
Toasting the whole spices and tying them into a bundle keeps the braising liquid clear.
Roast the onion, ginger and shallot in foil for 4 to 5 minutes, which is what lifts the aroma of the pot.
Slices cut once the beef shank has cooled slightly stay neat and hold their grain.
Need kOBE Monk Fruit Blend?
The recipe above is sweetened with kOBE Monk Fruit Blend, measured 1:1 like sugar. See the product page or send us a message.