This meal is a favorite of my sons. I have made it for them since they were young and Liam now makes his own version for him and his wife, Ellie.
The ingredients required are:
1.5kg of braising steak.
800ml of chicken stock.
2 inch piece of fresh peeled and smashed
250ml of runny honey.
6 garlic cloves, peeled and smashed.
2 white onions, thinly sliced.
10 chestnut mushrooms, quartered.
60ml of dark soy
50ml Shaoxing cooking wine.
Method:
Pre-heat the oven to 180/350 or gas mark 4
Make up your stock. I must admit I use a branded name stock cube, who has the inclination to make their own other than professional chefs?
Cut the braising steak into large pieces and toss through some seasoned plain flour. This will enable us to thicken the sauce later.
In a pestle and mortar add the garlic and ginger with a pinch of sea salt for abrasion. Now pound them together until you get a paste. Adding a tablespoon of oil will assist in getting to the paste stage.
In an oven-proof dish heat some vegetable oil over medium heat. Once hot then add the onion and stir it through. Not looking for colour, just to soften slightly.
Once happy we add the floured braising steak and allow it to pick up some colour.
Now we add the stock and the honey. If we add the honey and garlic earlier it will burn and become bitter.
Add the dark soy, garlic, ginger and Shaoxing cooking wine.
Ensure all the meat is covered. Season with white pepper. No need for salt as the stock and the soy add this already.
Take some greaseproof paper and create a cartouch, to do this fold the paper as if making a fan or paper plane. Hold the tip over the middle of the pan and mark where the edge of the pan is. Then add an inch and cut. This will create a circle of paper which we place over the contents of the pan. This will allow the stock mixture to reduce slightly but keep the heat in to cook the food.
Now we place in the oven for 1hr and 15 minutes.
When you have 10 minutes left, remove the dish and stir in the freshly cut mushroom.
Once the 1hr and 15 is completed then remove the dish from the oven and check the consistency of the sauce and that the meat is falling apart. If not then simply put it back in, pour a glass of wine, and wait !!
If required then check again after a further 15 minutes. If happy that the meat is now cooked to falling apart and the sauce has thickened then remove from the oven but cover with the lid. If the meat is perfect but the sauce is runny then add 3 tablespoons of water mixed with cornstarch. The water must be cold to avoid lumps. Once added then quickly stir the cornflour into the hot liquid and watch it thicken. We want a thick sauce, the consistency of say a ragu sauce.
At this time I bring a separate large pan of salted water to the boil and add fresh tagliatelle. Dried is ok but for this dish I prefer fresh. As you can see in the photograph, this dish is also very nice served with noodles.
Once this is cooked then drain and add to the braised steak mixture and stir it all through so the pasta is completely coated in the lovely sauce we have created.
This is perfect on its own or maybe with either a sliced baguette or a crusty ciabatta loaf. No need for parmesan of any kind of herbage, simply serve, enjoy, and then re-make again soon.