China · Chinese
Five-spice braised beef
The first of the eight cold starters of a Luoyang water banquet: beef shank braised until just tender, sliced thin, arranged on a plate and dressed with sesame oil, scallion and coriander. Savoury-led with a sweet finish. Public reference · home adaptation, not a historical original.
Public reference · Home adaptation Five-spice beef heads the eight cold starters of a Luoyang water banquet, served with the smoked fish, five-spice braised chicken and layered crunchy pig ear before the sixteen soupy hot courses. Water-banquet records give the dish name and a rough sequence only. Braised beef is common across Henan cooking; what the Luoyang plate does is slice it thin, dress it with sesame oil and finish it with scallion and coriander. Local origin stories are treated as tradition, not established history. **Pre-steps are not counted in the cooking time**: the public braising reference asks for the beef to be pricked, soaked 5–6 hours and refrigerated in the marinade for at least 12 hours. This version drops the long marinade and braises straight after blanching; soaking and marinating time are excluded from cookMinutes. Quantities, liquid volume and simmering time are editorial for 4 servings. The seat record says only “braised in a red braising pot, sliced, dressed with sesame oil, scattered with scallion and coriander”; the spice mix comes from a general public five-spice beef method and is a home adaptation. Not merged with same-named five-spice beef from other regions such as Guangdong. Text-reviewed, not kitchen-tested. Contains soy and wheat (light and dark soy sauce, cooking wine); sesame oil contains sesame. Home preparation: boards and utensils may cause cross-contact. 百度知道：洛阳水席怎么做（转录洛阳好吃网席面做法） — The seat-level method for five-spice beef as one of the eight cold starters: beef leg meat rinsed, cut into ~500 g chunks, braised in a red braising liquid, sliced, plated and dressed with sesame oil, scallion and coriander. https://zhidao.baidu.com/question/424155851027279692.html 下厨房：五香牛肉的做法（大-冰冰） — Beef shank technique: pricking, cold-water soaking to draw blood, blanching to skim scum, slow simmering with a spice pouch of star anise, cassia and peppercorn, reducing, then chilling before slicing. https://m.xiachufang.com/recipe/103928668/ 百度知道：洛阳水席24道菜的菜名是什么呀？ — Five-spice beef's place among the eight cold starters and the grouping of the 24 dishes. https://zhidao.baidu.com/question/558521656.html 河南省文化和旅游厅：烩面、胡辣汤、洛阳水席……这群“豫娃”，把河南美食唱成歌 — Official culture-and-tourism feature placing the Luoyang water banquet among representative Henan foods and listing five-spice beef among its dishes. https://hct.henan.gov.cn/2026/08-15/3399309.html FDA: Food Allergies — Basis for declaring soy, wheat and sesame allergens. https://www.fda.gov/food/food-labeling-nutrition/food-allergies AI-generated illustration; not kitchen-tested.
Ingredients
- beef shank, cut into 4 cm chunks800 g
- water for blanching, discarded1500 ml
- water for the braising liquid1200 ml
- star anise2 piece
- cassia bark2 piece
- Sichuan peppercorn2 g
- ginger, sliced15 g
- scallion in sections, plus fine shreds to finish30 g
- light soy sauce30 ml
- dark soy sauce10 ml
- cooking wine20 ml
- white sugar8 g
- salt5 g
- sesame oil for dressing5 ml
- coriander5 g
Directions
- 1
Cut the beef into 4 cm chunks, rinse under running water until the water runs clear, soak to draw out blood, then dry the surface thoroughly. Long soaking and marinating are not counted in the cooking time.
- 2
Start the beef in cold water with ginger and wine. Bring to the boil, skim the scum thoroughly, simmer about 3 minutes, then lift out, rinse with warm water and drain.
- 3
In a pot, combine the braising water, all spices, scallion, ginger, light and dark soy, wine, sugar and salt. Bring to the boil, add the beef, then reduce to a low heat and simmer 90–120 minutes.
- 4
When a chopstick slides into the thickest part with little resistance but still some give, turn off the heat and leave the beef covered in the liquid for about 20 minutes. Residual heat no longer reaches sanitising temperatures, so judge by colour and texture rather than time alone.
- 5
Lift out the beef and let it cool until warm but not hot. Slice thinly across the grain and arrange the slices in overlapping rows on a plate, trimming the edges.
- 6
Drizzle with sesame oil and, if you like, a spoon of strained braising liquid. Scatter fine scallion shreds and coriander over the top. Serve within 2 hours at room temperature, or chill for a firmer texture.
Source: WorldBite · public-reference adaptation · Source-attributed editorial adaptation; AI illustration; not an authenticated original recipe.