Hang in There, Long Weekend is Just Around the Corner! In the Meantime, Here's Stewed Beef Brisket with Chinese Marinated Peeled Chilies

While waiting for the long weekend to come, here's a comforting Chinese beef brisket stew to help you get through the time waiting. But be careful, this stew also comes with a spicy kick to keep you awake before the Independence Day.

Stewed beef brisket with Chinese marinated peeled chilies 紅燒剝皮椒牛腩 -

Ingredients?

• 1.5 lbs of beef brisket
• 4 garlic cloves
• 1 medium shallot
• 8 Chinese marinated peeled chilies 
• 2 tablespoons of the marinade juice from the peeled chilies 
• 2 tablespoons of olive oil
• 4 1/2 cups of water
• 1/3 cup of soy sauce
• 1/4 cup of black bean soy sauce (stickier kind)
• Tiny pinch of black pepper
• Some cilantro
• Some fresh red chilies

How?

The Chinese marinated peeled chilies can be found at local Chinese grocery stores. However, you can always substitute with Mexican pickled jalapenos since these two carry similar spiciness with a hint of sourish taste. 

Most Chinese people like to use the pickled green chilies to make chicken soup. However, it can also add lots of flavors to stew dishes such as this recipe. The spiciness actually tones down a bit and the flavors gets to permeate into the meat after hours of cooking.

Cut the beef into large bite size pieces. Peel and slice the shallot. Peel the garlic cloves. 

Start boiling a pot of water and put the brisket into the pot. Bring to a boil and let it cook for couple minutes to draw out the dirty grayish bits. Drain the liquid and set the beef aside for later use.

Drizzle about 2 tablespoons of olive oil into a big pot, enough to evenly coat the bottom. Turn to medium high heat and add in sliced shallot, whole garlic cloves, and just a tiny pinch of black pepper for extra hint of spice. Sear till the shallot and garlic turned slightly browned.

Transfer the beef into the pot and sear for couple minutes. Pour in the soy sauce along the side so the higher heat from the pot can further bring out the soy bean aroma. Also pour in the black bean soy sauce, marinated chili juice, and water. 

Give it a quick mix and bring to a boil. Lower the heat a little and put the lid on, make sure the pot stays slightly boiling throughout the remaining cooking time. The stew is ready when almost all the liquid has been cooked down and the brisket is fork tender. 

It took about 3.5 hours for me but the time can varies depending on the quality of the beef. Some tends to stay tough and chewy and might take couple more hours to break down. In that case, add a little more liquid to prevent from burning. 

Garnish the stew with some cilantro and red chilies. Make sure to serve this dish with some steamed white or brown rice, otherwise eating the stew alone can be too salty. 

The best part is the glutinous section from the beef and the juicy marinated green chilies. The chilies aren't too spicy after hours of cooking. In addition, all the flavors and liquid from the stew have been fully absorbed by the chilies.

This dish got both the comforting and the spicy kick characteristics. Hope it'll help you get through one or two more days before the long weekend arrives!


Other Chinese stew recipes:
Taiwanese Fu Cai and Meatballs Stew 福菜肉丸
Braised Pork Shoulder with Chinese Aged Shao Hsing Rice Wine 
Taiwanese Style Stewed Pig's Feet - 滷豬腳
No Fuss Onion and Black Pepper Beef Stew