Braised beef cheeks in sarsaparilla

Name: Braised beef cheeks in sarsaparilla
Prep time: 25 min
Cook time: 5 h 50 min
Total time: 6 h 15 min
Yield: Serves 4
Ingredients: 60 ml (¼ cup) vegetable oil; 4 large beef cheeks, trimmed; 250 gm golden shallots (about 12), peeled; 2 green onions, thinly sliced; 60 ml (¼ cup) vegetable oil; 2 onions, thinly sliced; 6 garlic cloves, crushed; 10 cm piece of ginger, sliced; 1¼ litres (5 cups) sarsaparilla; 500 ml (2 cups) chicken stock; 80 ml (¾ cup) soy sauce; 50 ml balsamic vinegar; 6 star anise; 2 cinnamon sticks

Australian Gourmet Traveller recipe for braised beef cheeks in sarsaparilla by Daniel Hong from Sydney restaurant Lotus.

Jul 15, 2008 3:27am

By Dan Hong

25 mins preparation
5 hrs 50 mins cooking
Serves 4

Braised beef cheeks in sarsaparilla

Don’t be put off by the use of a soft drink as a braising liquid. The aniseed flavour in the sarsaparilla or ‘root beer’ gives this dish a real depth of flavour.

Ingredients

60 ml (¼ cup) vegetable oil
4 large beef cheeks, trimmed
250 gm golden shallots (about 12), peeled
2 green onions, thinly sliced

Braising liquor

60 ml (¼ cup) vegetable oil
2 onions, thinly sliced
6 garlic cloves, crushed
10 cm piece of ginger, sliced
1¼ litres (5 cups) sarsaparilla
500 ml (2 cups) chicken stock
80 ml (¾ cup) soy sauce
50 ml balsamic vinegar
6 star anise
2 cinnamon sticks

Method

Main

1
Preheat oven to 160C. For braising liquor, heat oil in an ovenproof saucepan, add onion, garlic and ginger and cook over high heat until caramelised (10-15 minutes). Add remaining ingredients, bring to the boil and simmer for 10 minutes over low heat to infuse flavours.
2
Heat a large frying pan over medium-high heat, add oil, season beef cheeks to taste with sea salt and sear until browned (4-5 minutes each side). Add to braising liquor, cover with baking paper and foil and braise in oven until very tender and soft to touch (4-5 hours). Cool in liquor before removing beef cheeks from the pan.
3
Pass liquor through a fine sieve into a saucepan, skim fat from the surface, bring to the boil, add shallots and cook over high heat until reduced by half and onions are tender (14-15 minutes). Return beef to liquor to warm through, garnish with green onion and serve with <a href="vietnamesestyle_red_rice.htm">red rice</a> and <a href="kohlrabi_salad.htm">kohlrabi salad</a>.

Notes

Drink Suggestion: Côtes du Rhône or an aromatic and spicy grenache blend such as Domaine de Beaurenard Côtes du Rhône. Drink suggestion by Franck Moreau