China · Cantonese

Lamb Brisket Claypot with Bean Curd Sticks

Name: Lamb Brisket Claypot with Bean Curd Sticks
Prep time: 237 min
Cook time: 118 min
Total time: 355 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: Cantonese
Ingredients: lamb brisket 500 g; fried bean curd sticks 30 g; chu hou paste 30 g; fermented bean curd 40 g; fermented red bean curd 35 g; dark soy sauce 5 ml; chili oil 5 ml; water 500 ml; rock sugar 20 g; sugar 10 g; scallion 5 pieces; ginger slices 8 pieces; shiitake mushrooms 8 pieces; onion 1 pieces; garlic cloves 8 pieces; bay leaf 1 pieces; star anise 5 pieces; cassia bark 10 g

Lamb brisket slow braised with two fermented bean condiments, shiitake and fried bean curd sticks, served bubbling in its pot.

355 minutes · 4 servings · advanced

This is a winter claypot dish from Guangdong, built around two fermented ingredients, chu hou paste and fermented bean curd, which is how a pot of lamb becomes savory rather than plain. The bean curd sticks go in late so they soak up the broth without collapsing into paste. It is brought to the table still boiling in the pot it was cooked in.

Ingredients

lamb brisket500 g
fried bean curd sticks30 g
chu hou paste30 g
fermented bean curd40 g
fermented red bean curd35 g
dark soy sauce5 ml
chili oil5 ml
water500 ml
rock sugar20 g
sugar10 g
scallion5 pieces
ginger slices8 pieces
shiitake mushrooms8 pieces
onion1 pieces
garlic cloves8 pieces
bay leaf1 pieces
star anise5 pieces
cassia bark10 g

Directions

1
Preparation: soak the shiitake for two to three hours until soft. Soak the bean curd sticks for thirty minutes until soft.
2
Prepare sauce one: put the fermented red bean curd, chu hou paste, twenty grams of fermented bean curd and the dark soy sauce in a small bowl and mix well.
3
Prepare sauce two: put twenty grams of fermented bean curd, the sugar and the chili oil in another small bowl and mix well.
4
Trim the stalks off the soaked shiitake.
5
Cut the soaked bean curd sticks into five-centimeter lengths and squeeze out the water.
6
Peel the onion and shred it. Peeled shallots can be used instead, and taste better.
7
Cut the scallion into lengths of about five centimeters.
8
Put the lamb brisket into cold water with two or three slices of ginger, bring to a boil over high heat, then turn off the heat.
9
Lift out the lamb and put it into a basin of cold water to cool, which makes it chewier.
10
Heat the wok with cold oil, add four or five slices of ginger, the onion or shallot, the white parts of the scallion and seven or eight garlic cloves, and fry until fragrant.
11
Add the cooled lamb and stir with chopsticks for two to five minutes until it turns golden.
12
Add sauce one and stir-fry for about two minutes until the color is even.
13
Pour in water until it just covers the ingredients.
14
Add the shiitake, rock sugar, bay leaf, star anise and cassia bark.
15
Cover and simmer over low heat for ninety minutes.
16
Uncover, add the bean curd sticks, cover again and cook over medium heat for twenty minutes.
17
Uncover, add sauce two and stir to combine.
18
Turn off the heat and add the green parts of the scallion or some cilantro before serving.

Source: HowToCook · WorldBite adaptation · Unlicense source text; bilingual recipe adapted by WorldBite.