Slow Cooker Beef Short Rib and Soybean Stew (燉毛豆仁牛小排, Dan6 Mou4 Dau6 Jan4 Ngau4 Siu2 Paai4)

This recipe uses beef short ribs cut that are not flanken cut, where the ribs are cut thinly across all the bones leaving the connective meat intact for dishes such as Los Angeles Style Korean Barbeque Beef Short Ribs - L.A. Galbi (L.A. 갈비), but the English cut where each individual rib is separated and then cut into pieces. Chinese stew spices - star anise, cassia bark or cinnamon sticks, ginger, garlic, and dried tangerine peel – are used together with soy bean peas to make this dish. Soy bean peas are edamame, which is commonly used as an appetizer in Japanese restaurants. You can buy them frozen, already peeled (i.e. peas only), at your local Asian market. Notice that rock sugar or dried dates, which are commonly used in Chinese stews, are not used in this dish. The ingredients are browned before being placed in the slow cooker, but if you’re in a hurry, this step can be omitted.

Enjoy!

Ingredients

4 lb.	2 kg.	Beef short ribs (牛小排, ngau4 siu2 paai4), already cut into 2-inch (5 cm.) pieces
1 Tbs.	15 ml.	Baking soda (蘇打粉, sou1 daa2 fan2)
1 in.	2.5 cm.	Knob of ginger (薑, goeng1), crushed in a garlic press
6 cloves	6 cloves	Garlic (蒜, syun3), crushed in a garlic press
½ cup	125 ml.	Soy sauce (豉油, si6 jau4)
2 Tbs.	30 ml.	Hoisin sauce (海鮮醬, hoi2 sin1 zoeng3)
½ cup	125 ml.	Shaoxing rice wine (紹興酒, siu6 hing1 zau2) or dry sherry
½ tsp.	2.5 ml.	Ground white pepper (白胡椒, baak6 wu4 ziu1)
1 Tbs.	15 ml.	Sesame oil (麻油, maa4 jau4)
3 Tbs.	45 ml.	Tapioca Starch (木薯澱粉, muk6 syu4 din6 fan2)
1	1	Onion (洋蔥, joeng4 cung1), halved and cut into 1-inch (2.5 cm.) pieces
1 lb.	500 g.	Carrots (紅蘿蔔, hung4 lo4 baak6), cut on the diagonal to ¾-inch (2 cm.) pieces
1 lb.	500 g.	One package frozen soy bean peas (毛豆仁, mou4 dau6 jan4)
8 oz.	227 g.	One package bean curd knots (百頁結, baak3 jip6 git3)
		Stock or water to cover the beef short ribs in the slow cooker
		Oil for cooking

Soak-Out Cooker 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 sticks

Equipment

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
		Fat separator

Instructions

Soy Bean Peas (毛豆仁, mou4 dau6 jan4)

1. Purchase already cut, or have your butcher cut, beef short ribs into 2-inch (5 cm.) pieces. This cut is not the flanken cut, where the ribs are cut thinly across all the bones leaving the connective meat intact for dishes such as Los Angeles Style Korean Barbeque Beef Short Ribs - L.A. Galbi (L.A. 갈비), but the English cut where each individual ribs are separated and then cut into pieces. Remove any excess fat from the ribs before wetting with water and then adding the baking soda to the beef. Allow the beef to tenderize for 15 minutes, and then wash the baking soda from the meat. The baking soda can be omitted but results in the tender meat experienced in restaurant dishes.
2. Marinate the beef in a covered container for at least one hour or overnight in the refrigerator with the ginger and garlic crushed in a garlic press, corn starch, soy sauce, hoisin sauce, Shaoxing wine or dry sherry, ground white pepper, and sesame oil. If marinating the beef overnight, take it out of the refrigerator before placing the entire contents into the slow cooker. Remove the beef short ribs, leaving the marinating liquid in the slow cooker. Remove as much liquid from the beef short ribs as possible (a paper towel works well) to facilitate browning the beef later in a wok.
3. Add the tapioca starch to the slow cooker and mix thoroughly with the marinade. The tapioca starch will thicken the sauce even when cooked for the long time needed in a slow cooker.
4. Lightly crush the garlic and ginger before putting them into the soak-out cooker with the dried tangerine peel, star anise, and cassia bark or cinnamon sticks. Close and lock the soak out cooker, and place it into the slow cooker.
5. If using dried bean curd knots, pour boiling water over the bean curd in a heat proof bowl and rehydrate for at least one hour. Remove the bean curd knots from the rehydration liquid and discard the liquid. If using fresh bean curd knots, open the package and remove any liquid.
6. Wash and cut the carrots into ¾-inch (2 cm.) pieces.
7. Remove the tough outer onion skin and cut in half. Cut each onion half into 1-inch (2.5 cm.) pieces.
8. Heat a wok or pan over high heat before adding oil and then the beef. Brown all sides of the beef short ribs in batches, so be sure to reheat the wok over high heat before adding more oil. Deglaze the wok with Shaoxing wine or dry sherry, and transfer the browned beef to the slow cooker.
9. Brown the onion, bean curd knots, and carrots individually before adding each ingredient to the slow cooker in that order. Deglaze the pan with Shaoxing wine or dry sherry after browning the last vegetable (carrots), adding the liquid to the slow cooker.
10. The liquid in the slow cooker should just cover all the ingredients. If this is not the case, add stock or water to the slow cooker.
11. Place the frozen soy bean peas into the slow cooker. Cover the slow cooker and cook on low for up to 8 hours.
12. After cooking is complete, the contents of the slow cooker should be transferred to the serving plate. Remove the soak out cooker and discard the contents. Defat the liquid in a fat separator and pour the liquid over the beef short ribs in the serving plate. Serve with steamed rice.