World Flavors Cookbook

Five-Spiced Braised Beef

Name: Five-Spiced Braised Beef
Cook time: 120 min
Cuisine: Ancient World
Ingredients: beef brisket, Shaoxing rice wine, soy sauce (or ancient salt sauce), star anise, cassia bark, dried ginger, Sichuan peppercorns, fennel seeds, scallions, water

Beef slow-braised with five aromatic spices — an early form of the five-spice tradition documented in Han dynasty texts, where imperial kitchens developed complex spice blending.

Cuisine: Ancient World

Ingredients

beef brisket, Shaoxing rice wine, soy sauce (or ancient salt sauce), star anise, cassia bark, dried ginger, Sichuan peppercorns, fennel seeds, scallions, water

Instructions

Cut beef into large pieces. Blanch in boiling water 3 minutes. Drain. Combine wine, soy sauce, water, all spices, and scallions in a heavy pot. Add beef. Bring to a boil. Skim. Reduce to a very gentle simmer. Braise covered 1.5-2 hours until beef is completely tender and sauce has thickened. Slice and serve with braising liquid.