Freezer-Batch Soy-Ginger Braised Beef with Carrots

By Sprig Originals ✓ · cooked up in Sprig

A big pot of meltingly tender chuck braised in soy, ginger, star anise and brown sugar. There's no dairy, flour or starch in the sauce, so it freezes and reheats glossy and rich instead of splitting or going watery. Make it Sunday, portion it into bags, and you have four weeknight dinners waiting over rice.

Ingredients

• 2.5 lb beef chuck, cut into 1 1/2-inch cubes
• 2 tbsp neutral oil
• 3 inch piece fresh ginger, sliced into coins
• 6 cloves garlic, smashed
• 3 whole star anise
• 1 stick cinnamon

• 1/2 cup soy sauce
• 1/3 cup packed dark brown sugar
• 1/2 cup Shaoxing wine or dry sherry
• 3 cups water
• 4 large carrots, cut into 1-inch chunks
• 4 whole scallions, cut into 2-inch lengths

Instructions

1. Pat the beef cubes very dry with paper towels. Heat the oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat and sear the beef in 2 or 3 uncrowded batches, about 4 minutes per batch, until deeply browned on two sides. Transfer to a plate.
2. Lower the heat to medium. Add the ginger coins, garlic, star anise and cinnamon stick to the pot and stir for 1 minute, until fragrant but not burnt.
3. Pour in the Shaoxing wine and scrape up every browned bit from the bottom of the pot. Add the soy sauce, brown sugar and water, then return the beef and any juices. Bring to a boil.
4. Cover, reduce to the lowest simmer, and cook for 90 minutes, stirring once or twice, until the beef gives easily when pressed with a spoon.
5. Add the carrots, re-cover and simmer 40 minutes more, then uncover and simmer 10 to 15 minutes until the sauce coats a spoon and the carrots are tender. Stir in the scallions, turn off the heat, and skim the fat from the surface with a spoon.
6. Cool the braise uncovered for 30 minutes, then refrigerate until completely cold (this makes any remaining fat easy to lift off). Divide into freezer bags or containers in 2-serving portions, making sure the sauce covers the meat, press out the air, and freeze flat for up to 3 months. Fish out the star anise and cinnamon as you portion.
7. To reheat from frozen: tip a block into a small saucepan with 2 tablespoons of water, cover, and warm over low heat for 18 to 20 minutes, breaking it up and stirring as it loosens, until steaming throughout. Thawed overnight in the fridge, it needs only 8 to 10 minutes covered over low heat, or 4 to 5 minutes in the microwave at 50% power, stirring halfway. Serve over rice.

Chef's tips

Nutrition (per serving, estimated)

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