Sichuan red-braised mutton (or beef) with daikon

Red-braising is one of the oldest cooking techniques in the world. Originally thought to have originated in Shanghai, red braising is a slow-cooking technique that combines red chilli bean paste, Sichuan peppers, and soy sauce. The resulting stew has deep flavours, is very pungent and has a beautiful deep red colour. The slow cooking concentrates the flavour and allows it to integrate slowly, resulting in an excellent stew.

This stew is no exception. Slowly simmered for almost 2 1/2 hours, the stew is a beautiful colour, the meat is fork tender, and the flavours are deep and satisfying. I used mutton because beef is not readily available in India, and I thought the stew was excellent with the intensely flavoured meat. The tender daikon radish adds a contrasting softness and nuance to the broth. This is a stew that I can have in abundance, lip-burning, palate-numbing, but oh so good!

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For more recipes from this cookbook, click here.

Ingredients:

2 lb boneless mutton or beef

6 cups of water

2 tablespoons oil

Chinese cooking wine or Mirin

3 tablespoons oil

1 tablespoon ginger paste

1 Chinese black cardamom or 3 large Indian cardamom

2 tablespoons Sichuan peppercorns

1 segment of star anise

4 tablespoons chilli bean paste (available on Amazon)

5 cups water or chicken stock

Salt, to taste

1 teaspoon dark soy sauce

4-5 scallion whites, kept in 2-3 inch lengths

1 medium daikon radish (mooli) peeled and cut into bite sized pieces

Cilantro to garnish

Heat the 6 cups of water in a small pot till boiling vigorously. Add the meat and keep on high flame till the liquid boils vigorously again. Turn off. Scoop off the scum and wash the meat out in cold water. This step essentially gets rid of the blood of the meat, which preserves the red colour of the stew.

Cool the meat and allow it to dry for 10 minutes. Heat the oil in a wide frying pan over high heat and add half of the meat. Sauté on high heat till all sides of the meat are browned. You want to seal the meat properly to hold the juices. Do not overcrowd the meat, as it will start to stew and will not fry and brown properly. When all the meat is fried, combine it in the frying pan; it does not matter at this stage if it is crowded, and add the wine. Cook till the wine evaporates completely. Remove and set aside to cool. Be sure to collect all the juices, if any.

Add the 3 tablespoons of oil to a pot and add the ginger, black cardamom, Sichuan peppercorns, star anise, and chilli bean paste. Sauté on medium heat until the paste has fried, the oil is a deep red colour, and it smells very aromatic. Add the stock and bring to a boil. Add the meat and bring to a simmer. Add the soy sauce, scallions, and salt (remember that the soy and chilli sauce already contain a lot of salt). Simmer gently for 1.5 hours. Test the meat to ensure it is very tender; if not, simmer for an additional 30 minutes.

When the meat is tender, add the daikon and simmer for 10 minutes. Take off the heat. At this stage, you can take out the scallions and whole spices, but I leave them in.

To serve, heat the stew till boiling, and serve in a deep bowl topped with the cilantro garnish.