Beef Shank and Tendon Stew (燜牛筋牛腱, Man1 Ngau4 Gan1 Ngau4 Gin3)

Beef shank and beef tendon go together to make a classic Chinese stew. This dish is very similar to the Beef Flank and Tendon Stew (燜牛筋牛腩, Man¹ Ngau⁴ Gan¹ Ngau⁴ Naam⁵) recipe. Chee Hou sauce is an important ingredient to making this dish. Chee Hou sauce is a prepared sauce and is similar in taste to hoisin sauce (which can be substituted if you can’t find it at your local Asian market) and has a slightly spicier taste to it.

Boneless beef shank is usually prepared and served as a cold dish appetizer at Chinese banquets, in a very similar preparation as for this stew dish. This cut of meat is usually not available at your local market, but can be found in Asian markets. If you can’t find beef shank, beef outside flank makes a good substitute. Beef tendon is another part of the cow available at Asian markets either whole or already cut into pieces. It’s a texture ingredient that produces a great mouth feel when eaten. Uncooked, it’s tough and hard to cut, cooked long and slow, and it becomes soft. There’s really no substitute for this ingredient, so if you can’t find it, it can be omitted, but the stew won’t be the same.

Enjoy!

Ingredients

1½ lb.	750 g.	Beef tendon (牛筋, ngau4 gan1)
1½ lb.	750 g.	Boneless beef shank (牛腱, ngau4 gin3)
½ in.	15 mm.	Knob of ginger (薑, goeng1), lightly crushed
1 clove	1 clove	Garlic (蒜, syun3), lightly crushed
		Water to parboil the beef tendon and outside flank
4 Tbs.	60 ml.	Koon Chun Sauce Factory Brand Chee Hou Sauce (柱候酱, cyu5 hau6 zoeng3) or equivalent, divided use
4 Tbs.	60 ml.	Shaoxing rice wine (紹興酒, siu6 hing1 zau2) or dry sherry, divided use
1 lb.	500 g.	Carrots (紅蘿蔔, hung4 lo4 baak6), cut into 1-inch (2.5 cm) pieces on the diagonal
1 lb.	500 g.	Lotus root (蓮藕, lin4 ngau5), cut into ½-inch (15 mm) pieces
12	12	Dried Shiitake mushrooms (冬菇, dung1 gu1), rehydrated
2	2	Dried bean curd sticks (腐竹, fu6 zuk1), rehydrated and cut into 1-inch (2.5 cm.) pieces
		Oil for cooking

Sauce Ingredients

2 cloves	2 cloves	Garlic (蒜, syun3), lightly crushed
2 slices	2 slices	Ginger (薑, goeng1), lightly crushed
1	1	Dried tangerine peel (陳皮, can4 pei4)
2 whole	2 whole	Star anise (八角, baat3 gok3)
1 stick	1 stick	Cassia bark (桂皮, gwai3 pei4) or cinnamon
3 Tbs.	45 ml.	Tapioca starch (木薯澱粉, muk6 syu4 din6 fan2)
2 Tbs.	30 ml.	Dark soy sauce (老抽, lou5 cau1)
2 Tbs.	30 ml.	Soy sauce (豉油, si6 jau4)
½ cup	125 ml.	Shaoxing rice wine (紹興酒, siu6 hing1 zau2) or dry sherry
		Shiitake mushroom rehydration liquid, water, or stock to cover the ingredients in the slow cooker

Equipment

8 qt.	7.5 L.	Pot to parboil the beef tendon and shank
14 in.	35.5 cm.	Wok or pan
3.5 in.	9 cm.	Soak-out cooker to hold the spices in the slow cooker
6.5 qt.	6 L.	Slow cooker (crock pot) to cook the stew
		Chinese cleaver

Preparation Instructions

Koon Chun Sauce Factory Brand
Chee Hou Sauce (柱候酱, cyu5 hau6 zoeng3)

1. Wash and remove any excess fat from the beef shank and tendon. Place the beef shank and tendon, and crushed ginger and garlic into a pot and cover with cold water. Bring the contents of the pot to a boil over high heat uncovered for 3-4 minutes. Turn off the heat and discard the water, garlic, and ginger from the pot. Wash the beef shank and tendon under cold water removing any remaining scum from the beef. Dry the beef shank and tendon in a paper towel. Parboiling the beef will result in a clear sauce.
2. Cut the beef shank and tendon into 2-inch (5 cm.) pieces. The beef tendon can be hard to cut, so a sharp heavy knife (like a Chinese cleaver) is a necessary tool.
3. Pour boiling water over the dried Shiitake mushrooms in a heat proof bowl and rehydrate the mushrooms for at least one hour. Remove the Shiitake mushrooms from the rehydration liquid, remove the stems, and cut them into ½-inch (15 mm.) pieces. Reserve the rehydration liquid for later use in the cooking process.
4. Pour boiling water over the dried bean curd sticks in a heat proof bowl and rehydrate the sticks for at least one hour. Remove the bean curd sticks from the rehydration liquid and cut them into 1-inch (2.5 cm.) pieces. Discard the rehydration liquid.
5. Wash and cut the carrots into 1-inch (2.5 cm) pieces on the diagonal – cut the carrot on the diagonal, make a ¼ turn with the vegetable, cut again on the diagonal, and repeat.
6. Wash and cut the lotus root into ½-inch (15 mm) pieces. When buying lotus root, buy whole lotus roots that are not broken exposing the inner holes of the root. Once the inner holes of the lotus root are exposed oxygen, the holes oxidize (blacken) and become unappetizing.
7. Prepare the sauce in a small bowl: thoroughly mix together the tapioca starch, dark soy sauce, soy sauce, and Shaoxing rice wine. Put the contents into the slow cooker.
8. Put the spices into the soak-out cooker: crushed garlic and ginger, tangerine peel, star anise, and cassia bark or cinnamon stick. Place the soak-out cooker into the bottom of the slow cooker.

Cooking Instructions

1. Heat a wok or pan over high heat before adding oil and then the beef shank in small batches. Brown the beef shank pieces with Koon Chun Sauce Factory Brand Chee Hou Sauce, or equivalent, and when the beef is browned deglaze the wok with Shaoxing rice wine or dry sherry. Put the browned beef outside flank pieces and any remaining liquid into the slow cooker. Repeat this step until all the beef shank pieces are browned.
2. Reheat the wok over high heat before adding oil and then all the beef tendon. Add Koon Chun Sauce Factory Brand Chee Hou Sauce, or equivalent, and stir fry together with the beef tendon. Deglaze the wok with Shaoxing rice wine or dry sherry. Place the beef tendon and any remaining liquid into the slow cooker.
3. Reheat the wok or pan over high heat before adding oil and then the Shiitake mushrooms. Stir fry the mushrooms and then add the contents of the wok to the slow cooker.
4. Reheat the wok or pan over high heat before adding oil and then the bean curd sticks. Stir fry the bean curd and then add the contents of the wok to the slow cooker.
5. Reheat the wok or pan over high heat before adding oil and then the carrots. Stir fry the carrots until browned and add Shaoxing rice wine or dry sherry to deglaze the wok. Add the contents of the wok to the slow cooker.
6. Reheat the wok or pan over high heat before adding oil and then the lotus root. Stir fry the lotus root until browned and add Shaoxing rice wine or dry sherry to deglaze the wok. Add the contents of the wok to the slow cooker.
7. Put the sauce into the slow cooker and then add the Shiitake mushroom rehydration liquid, water, or stock until the ingredients are mostly covered.
8. Cover the slow cooker and cook the contents on the low setting for up to 8 hours. At the end of the cooking time, remove and discard the contents of the soak-out cooker, remove any excess fat from the top of the stew, and then transfer the contents to a serving bowl. Serve with steamed rice or noodles.