Chilled beef shank and tendon with leeks and chili oil
A spicy "salad" of thinly sliced beef shank and tendons with chili oil
Equipment
- Mortar and Pestle
Ingredients
Simmered beef shank and tendon
- 150 grams beef tendon (if omitting tendon, use 150 grams additional beef shank)
- 350 grams boneless beef shank (shin) or brisket
- 2 inch chunk of ginger, smashed with the side of a knife
- 2 scallions, lightly crushed with the side of a knife
- 1 Tbsp kosher salt
- 1 Tbsp Shaoxing wine (optional)
- 12 cups water
Dressing
- 1/2 tsp Sichuan peppercorn (lightly toasted if possible)
- 10 grams garlic (3 cloves)
- 10 grams peeled ginger
- 5 grams red Thai bird chili (3 chilies)
- 1.5 tsp salt
- 2 tsp sugar
- 1/2 tsp MSG (optional but recommended)
- 3 tsp Chinkiang vinegar
- 4 Tbsp Sichuan chili oil, with some sediment (store-bought or home-made, recipe linked above)
Final assembly
- 75 grams leek bottoms (white part)
- reserved simmered beef shank and tendon
- reserved dressing
Instructions
Simmered beef shank and tendon
- Place the beef shank, tendon, ginger, scallion, salt, Shaoxing wine, and water into a pot and bring to an active simmer.
- Once the water starts to simmer a bit of scum may form on top, skim it off with a spoon or ladle. Cover the pot and maintain at an active simmer
- After approximately 1 hour, the shank will be finished cooking. The shank should still be quite firm and just starting to soften slightly. Do not allow the shank to cook until fully soft and tender. Remove the shank from the pot and place it in a bowl of cool water. Allow the tendon to keep cooking at an active simmer for 2-3 more hours, covered.
- After the beef shank has been in the bowl of cool water for 10 minutes, add plenty of ice to the bowl and allow the shank to cool in the ice water for 20 minutes. Remove the shank from the ice water and place it in the refrigerator until ready to use.
- The beef tendon should be done after about 2-3 hours of additional cooking time (3 to 4 hours of total cooking time). Unlike the beef shank, the tendon should be very soft and gelatinous when it is done. It will firm up considerably when cooled.
- Cool the beef tendon by submerging it directly into a bowl of ice water until totally firm, about 30-40 minutes. Both the shank and tendon can be cooked ahead of time and stored in the refrigerator, covered, for up to 3 days.
Dressing
- Grind the Sichuan peppercorn in a mortar and pestle and set aside
- Pound the salt, garlic, ginger, and Thai bird chili in the mortar and pestle to form a paste.
- Combine the paste, Sichuan peppercorn, sugar, MSG, vinegar, and chili oil in a small bowl. Stir to combine and set aside
Final assembly
- Slice the leek very thinly on a diagonal. Rinse the sliced leeks with cold water and dry with a kitchen towel or salad spinner. Place in a mixing bowl.
- Slice the chilled beef shank thinly (1/8th inch) and add to the mixing bowl with the leeks.
- Discard any soft fat attached to the chilled tendon and slice the tendon a bit thinner than the shank. Add the sliced tendon to the mixing bowl with the leeks and shanks. (if the tendon is too hard to cut when it is very cold, place it in the microwave and heat in 5-second bursts to soften it slightly)
- Add the dressing to the mixing bowl and toss everything to combine. Adjust seasoning if desired. Serve
