Chinese Beef Stew Meat Recipe: Soy-Braised with Daikon

This Chinese-style soy-braised beef turns beef stew meat into a deeply savory, tender dish with daikon, ginger, garlic, and warm spices. It is served with rice or noodles, and its long, gentle simmer gives tougher beef time to soften while the sauce gathers flavor.

Ingredients

2 lb beef stew meat, cut into roughly 1½-inch pieces (900 g)
1 lb daikon radish, peeled and cut into 1½-inch chunks (450 g)
1 tablespoon neutral oil, such as canola or peanut oil (15 ml)
2 inches fresh ginger, sliced into coins (about 50 g)
5 garlic cloves, lightly crushed and peeled (about 15 g)
3 scallions, cut into 2-inch lengths (about 45 g), plus 1 scallion thinly sliced for serving (about 15 g)
1 tablespoon doubanjiang, Chinese fermented chili-bean paste (about 18 g; optional)
⅓ cup light soy sauce (80 ml)
1 tablespoon dark soy sauce (15 ml)
⅓ cup Shaoxing wine (80 ml)
1 tablespoon rock sugar or regular sugar (about 12 g)
2 whole star anise pods
1 small cinnamon stick or cassia bark, about 2 inches (5 cm)
1 dried bay leaf
4 cups water, plus more as needed to keep the beef mostly covered (950 ml)
½ teaspoon fine salt, or to taste (about 3 g; add only after tasting)
¼ teaspoon freshly ground white or black pepper (about 0.5 g)

Instructions

Prepare the beef and vegetables. Pat the beef dry with paper towels; dry surfaces brown more readily than wet ones. Trim away large, hard pieces of exterior fat, but leave some marbling for flavor. Peel the daikon and cut it into chunks similar in size to the beef. Slice the ginger, crush the garlic, and cut the scallions into lengths. If the beef pieces are especially large, cut them down so they cook at a similar rate.
Brown the beef in batches. Heat the oil in a heavy Dutch oven or other large, lidded pot over medium-high heat. When the oil shimmers, add enough beef to cover the bottom without crowding it. Brown the pieces on two or three sides, turning as needed, for about 4 minutes per batch. Transfer them to a plate and brown the remaining beef. The meat does not need to be cooked through at this stage. If the pot looks dry between batches, add a small splash of oil.
Build the braising base. Lower the heat to medium. Add the ginger, garlic, and scallion lengths; stir for about 1 minute, until fragrant but not browned. If using doubanjiang, stir it in for 30 seconds. Add the light soy sauce, dark soy sauce, Shaoxing wine, sugar, star anise, cinnamon, and bay leaf. Scrape the browned bits from the bottom of the pot so they dissolve into the sauce. Shaoxing wine is a Chinese rice wine; if it is hard to find, dry sherry is a practical substitute, although it gives the braise a slightly different aroma. For a no-alcohol version, use an equal amount of water or unsalted beef broth instead.
Simmer the beef until nearly tender. Return the beef and any juices on the plate to the pot. Pour in 4 cups (950 ml) water; the liquid should come most of the way up the beef, but the pieces do not need to be completely submerged. Bring it just to a boil, then lower the heat until the liquid maintains a gentle simmer. Cover the pot, leaving the lid slightly ajar, and cook for 1 hour 35 minutes. Check occasionally that the liquid is barely bubbling, not boiling hard, and turn the beef once or twice. Add a little hot water if the liquid level drops substantially.
Check tenderness and add the daikon. After the first simmer, pierce a large piece of beef with a fork. It should be softening but may still need more time. Add the daikon, nestling it into the liquid, and cover the pot again. Simmer gently for 25 minutes, or until the daikon is tender when pierced and the beef yields easily to a fork. For food safety, check a thick piece with a food thermometer: USDA FSIS gives 145°F (63°C) with a 3-minute rest as the safe minimum for whole cuts of beef; this braised beef is cooked well beyond that point to become tender.
Season and serve. Lift out the star anise, cinnamon, and bay leaf. Taste the sauce before adding salt, since both soy sauces and doubanjiang can be salty. Stir in the pepper and add salt a little at a time if needed. If you prefer a stronger sauce, uncover the pot and simmer for 5 to 10 minutes, stirring gently so the daikon stays intact. Spoon the beef, daikon, and sauce into a serving bowl and scatter the sliced scallion on top.

Tips

Keep the simmer gentle. A hard boil can make the meat fibers tighten and can break the daikon apart. Aim for occasional small bubbles around the edge of the pot. If your stove runs hot even on low, shift the pot slightly off the burner or use a heat diffuser.
Give the beef enough time. Beef stew meat can come from different parts of the animal, so tenderness varies. If it is still chewy when the daikon is ready, remove the daikon with a slotted spoon and keep simmering the beef in 15-minute increments. Return the daikon to warm through before serving.
Know the sauces. Doubanjiang is a salty, fermented chili and broad-bean paste commonly used in Chinese cooking. It is available in many Asian grocery stores; chili-garlic sauce can stand in, but it is usually less fermented and may taste sharper or sweeter. Dark soy sauce mainly deepens color and adds a mellow, slightly sweet note. If you do not have it, replace it with light soy sauce, knowing the finished sauce will be lighter in color.
Adjust the seasoning at the end. Salt levels differ among soy sauces, so taste the braising liquid before adding the listed salt. If the sauce becomes too salty, add a little hot water and serve it with plain rice. Avoid adding extra sugar to mask a salty sauce; dilution is more reliable.

Serving Suggestions

Serve the beef and daikon hot over steamed jasmine rice or another plain long-grain rice, spooning enough sauce over the grains to season them without drowning them. Steamed rice noodles, wheat noodles, or simply cooked noodles also work well; toss them with a little sauce just before serving. Add a green vegetable such as bok choy, Chinese broccoli, or briefly stir-fried cabbage to balance the richness. A bowl of sliced cucumber dressed with rice vinegar makes a crisp contrast, while extra scallions add freshness. Because the braising liquid is flavorful, keep side dishes simply seasoned rather than adding several salty sauces.

Variations

Make it milder: Leave out the doubanjiang. The result will still be savory and aromatic, but less spicy and a little less complex. Diners who want heat can add chili oil at the table instead of increasing the spice in the whole pot.

Use a different vegetable: Replace some or all of the daikon with peeled carrots, cut into large pieces. Add carrots for the final 35 to 40 minutes, checking them so they become tender without turning mushy. Potato chunks can also be used, but they release starch and make the sauce thicker and less clear; add them for about the final 30 minutes.

Make the sauce more aromatic: Add one strip of dried mandarin peel or a few slices of fresh orange peel with the whole spices, then remove it before serving. This gives the sauce a citrus fragrance. Do not add a large amount, since too much peel can make the braise bitter.

Use a pressure cooker: For a faster version, follow the appliance manual for its beef-braising setting and use enough liquid to meet its minimum requirement. Pressure-cooker times vary by model and by the size of the meat pieces, so check tenderness before adding the daikon; cook the daikon separately under pressure for a short time or simmer it in the finished sauce until tender. Do not fill a pressure cooker beyond its marked limit.

Storage and Reheating

Let leftovers stop steaming heavily, then refrigerate them in a covered, shallow container within 2 hours of cooking. Keep the beef, daikon, and sauce together; the sauce helps prevent the meat from drying out. Refrigerated leftovers keep for 3 to 4 days. The flavors often become more blended overnight, though the daikon may soften further during storage.

For longer storage, freeze portions in airtight, freezer-safe containers for up to 3 months for best quality. Leave a little room for expansion and label each container with the date. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator rather than on the counter. Reheat only the portion you plan to eat, in a covered saucepan over medium-low heat with a splash of water if the sauce has thickened. Stir gently and heat until steaming throughout; USDA FSIS recommends reheating leftovers to 165°F (74°C), checked with a food thermometer. A microwave also works: cover the bowl, stir partway through, and check the center temperature before serving.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I make this with beef stew meat straight from the freezer?
Thaw it completely in the refrigerator first, then pat it dry before browning. Frozen or partly frozen pieces release water into the pot and are difficult to brown evenly. For a quick thaw, keep the beef sealed in a leakproof bag and submerge it in cold water, changing the water every 30 minutes; cook it promptly once thawed.

Why is my beef still tough after simmering?
It may simply need more time. Stew meat is made up of pieces from different cuts, and connective tissue softens gradually during gentle cooking. Keep the pot at a low simmer and continue cooking in 15-minute intervals until a fork slides in easily. A vigorous boil is not a shortcut and can make the texture less pleasant.

Can I cook the braise a day ahead?
Yes. Cool and refrigerate it promptly, following the storage guidance above, then reheat it gently the next day to 165°F (74°C). If a layer of solidified fat forms on top, lift off some of it while cold before reheating. The sauce may thicken in the refrigerator, so add a splash of water as it warms.

What can I use instead of daikon?
Large carrot pieces are the simplest substitute and bring more sweetness, so taste the sauce before adding sugar or salt. Turnip can work too, with a slightly earthier flavor. Add either vegetable late enough that it becomes tender without falling apart; the exact timing depends on the size of the pieces.

Is this dish very spicy?
Not necessarily. The star anise and cinnamon are aromatic rather than hot, and the optional doubanjiang is the main source of chili heat. Use a smaller amount or omit it for a mild braise. If you leave it out, the fermented depth will be reduced, but the soy, ginger, garlic, and spices still make a full-flavored sauce.

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Safety notes: safe minimum internal temperatures from USDA FSIS; raw and undercooked fish guidance from the U.S. FDA. Food safety notes

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