Sauced beef, a traditional delicacy with a rich history and cultural heritage, has a long history dating back to ancient times. In "Qi Min Yaoshu", Jia Siqian recorded the method of marinating and boiling a variety of meats, which is undoubtedly one of the earliest documented records of sauced beef. In the Tang and Song dynasties, with the increasing sophistication of sauce making technology, sauced beef gradually became a delicacy on the table of the court and nobles, and its unique flavor and nourishing effect were widely praised. In the Ming and Qing dynasties, with the popularization of food culture, sauced beef flowed into the folk and became a must-have hard dish for every household to celebrate the New Year, implying wealth and auspiciousness. To this day, it still conquers the hearts of countless diners with its rich sauce aroma and soft taste.
Cooking Steps:
**Main Material**:
- Beef tendon meat 1000g
- Ginger 30 grams
- 2 green onions
**Seasoning**:
- Dark soy sauce 50ml
- Light soy sauce 50ml
- 100 grams of soybean paste
- 50 grams of caster sugar
- Star anise: 2 pieces
- 3 bay leaves
- Cinnamon 1 small piece
- 3 dried chili peppers (optional)
- 50 ml cooking wine
- Water: Appropriate amount
**Steps**:
1. Cut the beef tendon into large pieces, boil it in a pot under cold water, add a little cooking wine to blanch the water to remove the blood foam, remove and wash.
2. Put oil in a pan and sauté over low heat until fragrant with ginger slices, green onions and all spices.
3. Add dark soy sauce, light soy sauce, soybean paste, rock sugar and cooking wine, stir-fry well.
4. Pour in enough water, add the blanched beef, bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce the heat to low heat and simmer for 2 hours until the beef is soft and rotten.
5. When the beef is cooked through, turn the heat to reduce the juice until thick, so that the surface of the beef evenly wraps the sauce.
Tips:
- Blanch the pot under cold water to help better remove blood and impurities.
- Keep turning the beef to prevent it from sticking to the pan while collecting the sauce, and observe the consistency of the sauce to avoid sticking to the bottom.
- Beef is pat or pierced with the back of a knife in advance to help the marinade penetrate.
- When simmering, you can add a few pieces of tangerine peel to remove the smell and enhance the flavor.
When slices of beef in sauce are presented in front of you, the bright red color seems to tell its history and story, and the rich flavor of the sauce comes to your nose and awakens the sleeping taste buds. The meat is soft and chewy, and the mellow sauce and the deliciousness of the beef are intertwined in the mouth, creating a layered taste experience. When you close your eyes, you can hear the echoes of history and feel the warmth and ingenuity that have passed through thousands of years. Sauced beef is not only a dish, it is the inheritance of culture, the sustenance of emotion, and the persistence of quality of life.