Madras Curry Paste Beef Banana Shank and Tendon Stew (马德拉斯咖喱醬燜牛筋牛腱, Maa5 Dak1 Laai1 Si1 Gaa3 Lei1 Zoeng3 Man1 Ngau4 Gan1 Ngau4 Gin3)

While this recipe would seem to be more appropriate during the winter, it is still tasty when cooked during the summer, especially when you use a slow cooker (i.e. crockpot) to make the dish. Fresh lotus root is probably not in season during the summer, since I couldn’t find it at any of my local Asian markets. So pre-cut frozen lotus root makes a good substitute when fresh is not available (and then even the frozen lotus root slices can sometimes be hard to find). If lotus root cannot be found, daikon makes a good substitute.

Beef banana shank and beef tendon go together to make a classic Chinese stew. This dish is very similar to the Beef Shank and Tendon Stew (燜牛筋牛腱, Man¹ Ngau⁴ Gan¹ Ngau⁴ Gin³) recipe. The difference between the recipes being, of course, the addition of Madras Curry Paste to the dish. Madras Curry Paste can be purchased at your local Asian market, or you can make your own by mixing Madras Curry Powder with a neutral oil to make a slurry. Chee Hou sauce is also 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 banana 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 banana 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 banana shank (牛腱, ngau4 gin3)
½ in.	15 mm.	Knob of ginger (薑, goeng1), lightly crushed
2	2	Whole garlic cloves (蒜, syun3), lightly crushed
4 Tbs.	60 ml.	Shaoxing rice wine (紹興酒, siu6 hing1 zau2) or dry sherry
		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 whole Shiitake mushrooms (冬菇, dung1 gu1), rehydrated
		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)
4 whole	4 whole	Star anise (八角, baat3 gok3)
1 Tbs.	15 ml.	Cloves (香料, hoeng1 liu6)
2 Tbs.	30 ml.	Fennel (茴, wui4)
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)
3 Tbs.	45 ml.	Trong Food International, Pyramid brand Madras Curry Paste (马德拉斯咖喱醬, maa5 dak1 laai1 si1 gaa3 lei1  zoeng3) or equivalent
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

Trong Food International,
Pyramid Brand Madras Curry Paste
(马德拉斯咖喱醬,
maa5 dak1 laai1 si1 gaa3 lei1  zoeng3)

1. Wash and remove any excess fat from the beef banana shank and tendon. Place the beef banana shank and tendon, crushed ginger and garlic, and Shaoxing wine or dry sherry into a pot and cover with cold water. Bring the contents of the pot to a boil over high heat covered, and then reduce the heat to low and simmer for 3-4 minutes. Turn off the heat, uncover, and discard the liquid, garlic, and ginger from the pot. Wash the beef banana shank and tendon under cold water removing any remaining scum from the beef. Dry the beef banana shank and tendon in a paper towel. Parboiling the beef will result in a clear sauce.
2. Cut the beef banana 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. The steps above can be done one day before cooking the dish. Store the cut beef banana shank and tendon in a covered container in the refrigerator overnight. Take the beef out of the refrigerator at least one hour before cooking.
4. Pour boiling water over the dried whole Shiitake mushrooms in a heat proof bowl and rehydrate the mushrooms for at least one hour. Remove the Shiitake mushrooms from the rehydration liquid and remove the stems. Reserve the rehydration liquid for later use in the cooking process.
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. If fresh lotus root is not available at your local Asian market, pre-cut frozen can be substituted.
7. Prepare the sauce in a small bowl: thoroughly mix together the tapioca starch, Trong Food International, Pyramid brand Madras Curry Paste or equivalent, dark soy sauce, soy sauce, and Shaoxing rice wine or dry sherry. Put the contents into the slow cooker.
8. Put the spices into the soak-out cooker: crushed garlic and ginger, tangerine peel, star anise, cloves, fennel, and cassia bark or cinnamon stick. Place the soak-out cooker into the bottom of the slow cooker.

Cooking Instructions

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

1. Heat a wok or pan over high heat before adding oil and then the beef banana shank in small batches. Brown the beef banana shank pieces before adding 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 banana shank pieces are browned and place into the slow cooker.
2. Reheat the wok over high heat before adding oil and then all the beef tendon. Brown the beef tendon before adding 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 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 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.
5. 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.
6. Put the sauce into the slow cooker and then add the Shiitake mushroom rehydration liquid, water, or stock until the beef ingredients are covered. Shake the slow cooker container to mix the liquid with the tapioca starch slurry.
7. 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.