Shin of beef braised in soy stock

Beef

Shin of beef braised in soy stock

Name: Shin of beef braised in soy stock
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 3 h
Total time: 3 h 10 min
Yield: 4

Main Serves 4 3h 10 min

Shin of beef has lots of connective tissue, but patient slow-cooking brings it to melt-in-the-mouth tenderness. Infused with aromatic soy-flavoured stock, it's delicious cooled, pressed, then arranged in thinly cut slices, perhaps with a scattering of bean sprouts and spring onion. A very special Chinese-style starter.

Ingredients

250ml soy sauce
150ml mirin or dry sherry
25g fresh ginger, sliced
2-3 star anise
1 garlic clove
1 red chilli
1 piece dried orange peel
600g shin of beef

Method

Prep time: 10 min

Cooking time: 3h

Step 1
Place all the ingredients, except the beef, in a saucepan with 750ml of water and bring to the boil then simmer for 15 minutes. Immerse the shin joint.
Step 2
Return to the boil and skim away impurities then turn down to a bare simmer for a further 2½-3 hours until tender (you may have to top up the stock with water).
Step 3
Drain, cool and press with a weight overnight before slicing as thinly as possible.