「Tomato Potato Beef Stew」

Ingredients and amounts

• 500-700g beef (or beef brisket)
• 1 scallion, 4 slices ginger, cooking wine (to taste)
• 3g Sichuan peppercorns
• 1.5 star anise
• 2 bay leaves
• 15ml oil (reduce to 10ml if using brisket)
• Sugar or rock sugar (to taste)
• Light soy sauce (preferably千禾酿造), dark soy sauce (to taste)
• 2g black pepper (or white pepper)
• 2-3 potatoes, peeled and cut into 5cm chunks
• 2-3 medium tomatoes (fist-sized), blanched, peeled, cored, and cut into 3cm pieces
• 1 onion (slightly larger than a fist), diced into 0.5-1cm pieces
• 4g chopped scallion, remaining scallion cut into 5-8cm sections

Step-by-step method

1. 1

   Step 1

   Soak the beef in cold water for 30 minutes to remove blood, or blanch in cold water until the surface turns white, skimming off any foam.

2. 2

   Step 2

   Place the beef in a pressure cooker, cover with cold water, add scallion sections, ginger slices, and 20g cooking wine. Pressure cook for 20 minutes after reaching pressure.

3. 3

   Step 3

   Remove the beef, cut into 5cm chunks, discard the ginger, and reserve the cooking liquid.

4. 4

   Step 4

   Heat oil over medium heat. Add Sichuan peppercorns, star anise, and bay leaves. Once fragrant, remove and discard them before they burn.

5. 5

   Step 5

   Add the beef, scallion sections, and ginger. Stir-fry until fragrant. If it starts to stick, add 10ml of the reserved cooking liquid.

6. 6

   Step 6

   Add 15ml light soy sauce, 15ml cooking wine, black pepper, 5-10g tomato paste or one canned tomato, and the diced onion. Stir-fry until the onion is translucent.

7. 7

   Step 7

   (Optional) Add a pinch of salt to help the onion release water and prevent sticking. Do not add too much; season later.

8. 8

   Step 8

   Add the tomatoes and cook until they soften and break down. Pour in the reserved cooking liquid.

9. 9

   Step 9

   Bring to a boil over medium heat, then reduce to low heat and simmer.

10. 10

    Step 10

    30-40 minutes before serving, add the potato chunks and season to taste with sugar and salt.

11. 11

    Step 11

    Cook until the beef is tender enough to be pierced easily with a chopstick. Serve.