Beef Brisket in Clear Broth . 清湯牛腩

Beef Brisket in Clear Broth . 清湯牛腩

                             
You could not cook Beef Brisket in Clear Broth without White Turnip, they are always the good companions. Even though my hubby does not eat white turnip, he does not like it's smell, I put white turnip into the pot of beef brisket as well, but put in a big carrot for him. If you cook a big pot of beef brisket in clear broth, you could eat it as it is with broth and you could turn the beef brisket into pulled beef to go with pasta or sandwiches as well. I always have an extra portion of cooked beef brisket kept in the freezer, so my hubby can take it before any of his sport sessions which consume extra energy.

煮清湯牛腩不能不放白蘿蔔，它們是絕配。即使如我外子般不吃白蘿蔔，他不愛白蘿蔔那味道，我煮清湯牛腩仍會加入白蘿蔔，但一定為外子多放進一個大胡蘿蔔。清湯牛腩好鮮味，煮好一大鍋，既可配飯，米粉和麵條，也可以手撕後配意粉或麵包。在我的冰庫裡總多放一些煮好的牛腩，讓外子打球運動前補充足夠能量；他常說吃了牛肉特別有力氣。

Beef Brisket in Clear Broth

Ingredients:

Beef Rib Fingers 1 kg

Water 1.5L

White Turnip, cut into wedges 1 pc

Carrot, cut into wedges 1 pc (optional)

Bay Leaves 10 pc

Peppercorn 1 tsp

Black peppercorn 1 tsp

Star anise 1 pc

Rock sugar, thumb sized 1 pc

Salt   to taste

Sesame Oil  to taste

Spring Onion, shredded  2 stalks

Method:

1.Clean beef rib fingers, boil over medium low heat from cold water to slightly bubbled, take out,  rinse and wipe dry

2. Peel off the skin of white turnip and carrot, cut into wedges

3. Add all the ingredients (except white radish) in a cast iron pot, cook over medium high heat till fully boiled, then reduce to medium low heat and cook for another 60 minutes, turn off heat and let cool for an hour. Then add white turnip and carrot in, cook for another 45 minutes, let cool for another hour. Reheat when serve, season salt and sesame oil to taste. Cut Rib Fingers into edible size and dish up with turnip, carrot and soup.  Garnish with shredded spring onions

Cooking Tips:

1. Beef rib fingers have fat, if you want to have a clear broth, you may let the beef and soup cool first, and put them all into the fridge for a few hours, and then take away the grease and fat, soup will stay clear by then. It is better to cut rib fingers to your desired size before serve

2. If you want rich soup, add in a can of beef broth or a piece of beef stock cube when reheating

3. If you do not want to use canned beef broth or beef stock cube, you can make your own beef stock with 1 kg of Ox bones, blanch and rinse the bones, then brown till fragrant and boil it for 5 hours; strain away the fat, keep the clear broth and boil with beef rib fingers following the method listed from step 1 to 3

4. For faster option, you may cook it with a pressure cooker, just put all the ingredients in(except turnip and carrot) after rib fingers are blanched and cleaned, boil over medium high heat for 45 minutes, add in turnip and carrot and boil with pressure for another 10 minutes before serve, then season to taste and garnish

5. If other cooking pot like stainless steel pot is used, please add extra water and cook 75 minutes each time before letting cool, then follow the same step for reheating and garnishing. 

6. Brisket is generally referred to a cut of meat from the breast or lower chest of beef or veal. The beef brisket is one of the nine beef prime cuts, though the definition of the cut differs internationally from flank, boneless short ribs, rib fingers, skirt steak etc.   

7. Briskets from local beef stalls are expensive these days, if you do not have a special preference on a particular part of brisket, I would suggest you to cook this dish with prime grade beef rib fingers imported from the United States for its reasonable price, decent flavor and meat quality

8. Put Bay Leaves, Peppercorn, Black peppercorn and Star anise into a small soup bag, and take it away when done

    

清湯牛腩

材料： 

牛肋條 (即牛坑腩) 1 kg

水  1.5 L

白蘿蔔，滾刀切角 1 pc

紅蘿蔔，滾刀切角 1 pc (可免)

月桂葉  10 pc

花椒粒  1 tsp       

黑椒粒  1 tsp

八角 1 pc

冰糖, 指頭大  1 pc      

鹽  適量

麻油  適量

蔥，切絲  2 pc

做法：

1. 牛肋條洗淨，冷水下鍋煮至微滾，汆水, 洗淨抹乾，備用。

2. 白蘿蔔去皮，滾刀切角，備用。

3. 在鑄鐵煲內加入所有材料（除了白蘿蔔），以大火煮滾後轉小火煲60分鐘，熄火焗 1 小時。之後再加入白蘿蔔及紅蘿蔔，再煲多45分鐘左右，焗多1小時。吃前翻熱，下鹽及麻油調味即可。取出牛肋條，切件；與白蘿蔔、紅蘿蔔連湯上深碟上，上飾以蔥絲

提示：

1. 牛肋條油脂多，如果想湯底清澈，可以待牛肋條涼後，放入雪櫃，待油脂凝固，可以原塊除去，就剩下清湯了。吃時才切。

2. 如想湯味更濃郁，可在翻熱時加入一小罐牛肉清湯或一粒牛肉濃湯宝

3. 如不想用現成湯料，也可先用一公斤牛骨先汆水洗淨索乾，烤至啡黃出味，煑湯5小時，去油，隔出清湯，再煑牛肋條

4. 有高速煲的，牛肋條氽水後，放齊材料，中大火煑45分鐘，吃前加入蘿蔔，牛湯高速多煑10分鐘，上桌前淋上少許麻油，洒上蔥絲即可。

5. 如用其他煮鍋，要多加水，每轉煮75分鐘，再熄火焗至水冷，之後翻熱調味

6. 牛腩除了牛胸腩(Brisket)，還包括扇面五花牛腩(Flank)，還有不同部位：

    坑腩（boneless short rib）：牛味最濃，取自牛胸前的牛小骨/肋排或旁邊牛肋條(Rib Finger )部位的的肉

    爽腩 (Skirt Steak)：又叫「崩沙腩」或「蝴蝶腩」，是牛肚皮的腩位，位於牛的横膈膜附近，薄軟帶膠質，爽軟不硬

    腩角：爽腩和坑腩中間的一塊肉，四面都有軟膠質，非常爽脆

    挽手腩：集坑腩和爽腩的優點於一身，味濃煙韌

    腩底：連著坑腩近牛皮下的一塊肉，又粗又韌，不建議用

7.  現在香港本地牛腩價錢貴，除非一定非指定部位不吃，我建議用美國優質牛肋條 (Rib Fingers)，即我們說的牛坑腩，肉味濃又腍滑

8. 把食譜中香料先入小布袋，方便取走