Chinese Braised Short Ribs

~This dish is essentially a riff off of a Korean dish, kalbi jjim. I love the tenderness of the meat, but do not care for the intense level of sweetness. While I added Chinese flavors of shiitake, oyster sauce, and soy sauce, it is not a traditional Chinese dish either, as Chinese do not braise short ribs. Hondashi is incorporated to give an extra boost of umami. I like to add tofu or bean curd skin, for a change in texture as well. Not authentically Chinese, not exactly Korean, and definitely not Japanese- it best illustrates my style of cooking: I borrow ideas of what I enjoy and make it my own. This braise could be served as a main dish alongside steamed rice in a Chinese dinner, or ladle over a noodle soup similar to Chinese brisket noodles.

Special Equipment:

   6qt stock pot

   skimmer

Ingredients:

4-5lbs short ribs- cut into thirds

10-12 dried shiitake mushrooms- rehydrated, stemmed

1 pkg tofu puffs or fried tofu or rehydrated bean curd skin sticks

1 small onion- grated

½ garlic bulb- finely minced

14.5oz can chicken broth

2 can water

2 tbsp hondashi

2 tbsp sugar

1 tbsp oyster sauce

¾ cup light soy sauce

2 tbsp flour or tapioca starch

1 tsp vegetable oil

Directions:

1. Take one shiitake and finely mince. Set aside.
2. Warm stockpot on medium high heat. Spread oil across surface. Sear each piece of short rib on both sides. Each piece should be about ½” apart. Do a few at a time, making sure not to crowd surface as that would cause meat to steam rather than sear. As each piece is finished searing, set aside in a large bowl.
3. Pour out excess oil from pot until about 3 tbsp remain. Oil will be very hot so it would be best to pour the rest into a separate bowl and wait for it to cool off.
4. Return pot to stove and reduce heat to medium low. Add garlic, onion, and minced shiitake. Mix and let cook for 1min.
5. Add flour and sugar. Mix thoroughly while flour cooks.
6. Add chicken broth and mix while scraping fond from bottom of pot. This will help to build flavor. Add oyster sauce, soy sauce, and hondashi. Using the same can, add 2 cans of water.
7. Add shiitake and seared short ribs back into stockpot. Cover and reduce heat to low. Braise for 1hr.
8. Skim surface for excess oil. Cover again and keep braising for 30min.
9. Skim surface for more excess oil. Remove about half of short ribs and set aside in a medium bowl.
10. Add tofu and submerge underneath sauce as much as possible. Add short ribs back into pot and set on top of tofu to help submerge. Cover and braise for another 30min.
11. Skim excess oil. Taste and adjust seasonings if necessary.