UPDATE: I am convinced that the Chinese restaurants use beef finger meat for their brisket dishes. They call it brisket on the menu but having tried brisket in this dish, it is not quite the same. Don’t get me wrong… it is still delicious but brisket is less fatty than finger meat and, therefore, not as tender. I guess calling it brisket is better than finger meat on a menu.
Finger meat is the meat in between the beef ribs and is a less expensive cut of meat. It is also fattier than brisket. Beef short ribs would be a great substitute, if you want to splurge.
Originally published 2025 January 25 on website. Original recipe in Daily Special cookbook.
This Chinese homestyle stew is comfort food at its best: tender beef, perfectly cooked daikon in a richly flavoured sauce served over hot rice. Blanching the daikon to remove any bitterness will allow the sweetness of the daikon to shine and soak up the flavours of the delicious sauce.
Makes 5-6 servings
Ingredients
1 daikon, peeled and cut into 2 inch pieces
2½-3 pounds beef brisket, beef finger meat, or boneless short rib, cut into 1½-2 inch pieces
1 jumbo or 2 regular sized carrot(s), cut into 1½ inch sized pieces (optional)
1 cinnamon stick
2 star anise
1 tablespoon rock sugar or brown sugar
1 ounce (2 inch knob) fresh ginger, sliced
5 cloves garlic, minced
4-6 cups water (Stovetop method only)
2 tablespoons cornstarch
2 tablespoons cool water
2 stalks green onion, 2 inch pieces
For the Sauce
¼ cup ShaoHsing wine
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon dark soy sauce
1 tablespoon oyster sauce
2 tablespoons Chu Hou paste
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of water to boil. Add daikon and blanch for 5 minutes. Remove and set aside.
- Empty the pot and fill it with fresh water. Bring it to a boil. Add the meat to the boiling water and boil them for 5 minutes. This method, called parboiling, releases impurities yielding a better tasting dish. Drain the meat and rinse thoroughly with fresh water to remove any impurities. Set aside.
- In a small bowl, combine the sauce ingredients. Set aside.
Electric Pressure Cooker
- Place beef, cinnamon stick, star anise, rock sugar, ginger, garlic, carrots, daikon, and sauce in the inner cooking pot of an electric pressure cooker.
- Close and lock the lid, making sure the steam knob is on Sealing/Locked. Pressure cook on high for 35 minutes.
- Once the pressure cooking is done, quick release the pressure.
- Skim off and discard some of the fat that has floated to the top, if desired.
- Press Sauté to simmer the sauce. In a small bowl, dissolve cornstarch in water and stir the slurry into the sauce. Heat through until the sauce thickens.
- Add the green onion and heat through until wilted.
- Serve with rice.
Stovetop
- In a large stock pot, add beef, cinnamon stick, star anise, rock sugar, ginger, garlic, carrots, daikon, and sauce.
- Add 4-6 cups water, enough to just cover the ingredients.
- On high heat, bring the pot to a boil. Turn the heat down to low, cover and let simmer for 1½-2 hours until the meat is tender.
- Add the daikon and carrots during the last 30-45 minutes of cooking.
- Skim off and discard some of the fat that has floated to the top, if desired.
- In a small bowl, dissolve cornstarch in water and stir the slurry into the sauce. Heat through until the sauce thickens.
- Add the green onion and heat through until wilted.
Chu Hou Beef and Daikon Stew
Ingredients
- 1 daikon peeled and cut into 2 inch pieces
- 2½-3 pounds beef brisket, beef finger meat, or boneless short rib cut into 1½-2 inch pieces
- 1 jumbo or 2 regular sized carrots cut into 1½ inch sized pieces (optional)
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 2 star anise
- 1 tablespoon rock sugar or brown sugar
- 1 ounce (2 inch knob) fresh ginger, sliced
- 5 cloves garlic minced
- 4-6 cups water Stovetop method only
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- 2 tablespoons cool water
- 2 stalks green onion 2 inch pieces
For the Sauce
- ¼ cup ShaoHsing wine
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon dark soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon oyster sauce
- 2 tablespoons Chu Hou paste
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of water to boil. Add daikon and blanch for 5 minutes. Remove and set aside.
- Empty the pot and fill it with fresh water. Bring it to a boil. Add the meat to the boiling water and boil them for 5 minutes. This method, called parboiling, releases impurities yielding a better tasting dish. Drain the meat and rinse thoroughly with fresh water to remove any impurities. Set aside.
- In a small bowl, combine the sauce ingredients. Set aside.
Electric Pressure Cooker
- Place beef, cinnamon stick, star anise, rock sugar, ginger, garlic, carrots, daikon, and sauce in the inner cooking pot of an electric pressure cooker.
- Close and lock the lid, making sure the steam knob is on Sealing/Locked. Pressure cook on high for 35 minutes.
- Once the pressure cooking is done, quick release the pressure.
- Skim off and discard some of the fat that has floated to the top, if desired.
- Remove all the meat and the vegetables, leaving the sauce in the pot.
- Press Sauté to simmer the sauce. In a small bowl, dissolve cornstarch in water and stir the slurry into the sauce. Heat through until the sauce thickens.
- Add the green onion and heat through until wilted.
- Serve with rice.
Stovetop
- In a large pot or Dutch Oven, add beef, ShaoHsing wine, soy sauce, dark soy sauce, oyster sauce, Chu Hou paste, cinnamon stick, star anise, rock sugar, ginger, and garlic.
- Add 4-6 cups water, enough to just cover the ingredients.
- On high heat, bring the pot to a boil. Turn the heat down to low, cover and let simmer for 1½-2 hours until the meat is tender.
- Add the daikon and carrots during the last 30-45 minutes of cooking.
- Skim off and discard some of the fat that has floated to the top, if desired.
- In a small bowl, dissolve cornstarch in water and stir the slurry into the sauce. Heat through until the sauce thickens.
- Add the green onion and heat through until wilted.