Beef Flank and Tendon Stew (燜牛筋牛腩, Man1 Ngau4 Gan1 Ngau4 Naam5)

 

This recipe was updated on 23 Sep 2014. Some instructions and ingredient quantities were changed.

Beef outside flank (also called drop flank) and beef tendon go together to make a classic Chinese stew. Beef outside flank is a thin cut of meat from the cow with silver skin, which requires long slow cooking to become tender and is available at your local Asian market. The silver skin is an integral part of the stew, so it shouldn’t be removed before cooking! This cut of meat should not be confused with the more common beef flank or flank steak, which is used for stir frying. Beef tendon is tough and requires long slow cooking, at which time it becomes soft and gelatinous, so it’s totally about mouth feel. Chee Hou sauce is the other important ingredient. Chee Hou sauce is similar in taste to hoisin sauce (which can be substituted) and has a slightly spicier taste to it.

Starting with this recipe, I’ve changed the format to include metric measurements and a list of the equipment needed to make the dish. Living in the USA all my life, I’ve always used the English measurement system, so from now on I hope the recipes are friendlier to the rest of the world.

Enjoy!

Ingredients

1½ lb.	750 g.	Beef tendon (牛筋, ngau4 gan1)
1 lb.	500 g.	Beef outside flank (also called drop flank; 牛腩, ngau4 naam5) or beef brisket
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.	Chee Hou sauce (柱候酱, cyu5 hau6 zoeng3), 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.	Daikon (白蘿蔔, baak6 lo4 baak6), cut into 1-inch (2.5 cm) pieces on the diagonal
		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 date (蜜棗, mat6 zou2)
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
¾ oz.	20 g.	Rock sugar (冰糖, bing1 tong4) – 1 piece
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
		Water or stock to cover the ingredients in the slow cooker

 

Equipment

8 qt.	7.5 L.	Pot to parboil the beef tendon and outside flank
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

Beef Outside Flank and Tendon Before Parboiling

1. Wash and remove any excess fat from the beef outside flank and tendon. Don’t remove the silver skin from the beef outside flank, as this is an integral part of the stew. Place the beef outside flank 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 outside flank and tendon under cold water removing any remaining scum from the beef. Dry the beef outside flank and tendon in a paper towel. Parboiling the beef will result in a clear sauce.
2. Cut the beef outside flank 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. Wash and cut the carrots and daikon into 1-inch (2.5 cm) pieces on the diagonal – cut the carrot and daikon on the diagonal, make a ¼ turn with the vegetable, cut again on the diagonal, and repeat.
4. Prepare the sauce in a small bowl: thoroughly mix together the tapioca starch, dark soy sauce, soy sauce, and Shaoxing rice wine. Put the spices into the soak-out cooker: crushed garlic and ginger, tangerine peel, star anise, cassia bark or cinnamon stick, and rock sugar. 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 outside flank in small batches. Brown the beef outside flank pieces with Chee Hou sauce 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 outside flank pieces are browned.
2. Reheat the wok over high heat before adding oil and then all the beef tendon. Add Chee Hou sauce 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 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.
4. Reheat the wok or pan over high heat before adding oil and then the daikon. Stir fry the daikon and then add Shaoxing rice wine or dry sherry to deglaze the wok. Add the contents of the wok to the slow cooker.
5. Put the sauce into the slow cooker and then add water or stock until the ingredients are mostly covered.
6. 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.

Notes

1. Beef outside flank (also called drop flank) should not be confused with beef flank, as they are different cuts of meat. Beef flank or flank steak is ideal for stir frying. Beef outside flank is relatively thin, with one side covered with silver skin and requires long slow cooking to make it tender, which makes it ideal for stews. The silver skin is an integral part of the stew and should not be removed. 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 outside flank, beef brisket makes a good substitute.
2. 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.
3. Chee Hou sauce is a ready-made sauce than can be purchased in Asian markets. It is very similar to hoisin sauce, which makes a good substitute if Chee Hou sauce can’t be obtained.