Braised Beef Brisket with Tomatoes (Homestyle hearty dish · sweet, sour and tender)

I. Ingredient Preparation

1. Main Ingredients

• Beef brisket: 500 grams. Choose beef brisket with tendons (for a tenderer texture). Cut it into 3 cm cubes, soak in clean water for 30 minutes, changing the water 3 times halfway to remove blood. Pat dry with kitchen paper.
• Tomatoes: 4 pieces (about 500 grams). Select fully ripe ones with bright red color. Score a cross on the top, blanch in boiling water for 10 seconds, then peel off the skin. Dice 1 tomato (for making tomato sauce) and cut 3 tomatoes into large chunks (for stewing).

2. Auxiliary Ingredients

• Ginger: 15 grams, cut into thick slices;
• Garlic: 5 cloves, smashed;
• Scallions: 10 grams (separate the white and green parts);
• Star anise: 1 piece;
• Cinnamon stick: 1 small section (about 3 cm);
• Bay leaf: 1 piece (optional, for enhancing aroma).

3. Seasonings

• Cooking wine: 2 tablespoons;
• Light soy sauce: 2 tablespoons;
• Tomato paste: 2 tablespoons (for enhancing color and sourness, optional. If not available, use 1 extra tomato instead);
• White sugar: 1 tablespoon (to balance the sourness of tomatoes);
• Salt: 1 pinch (about 0.5 gram, for final seasoning);
• Cooking oil: 2 tablespoons;
• Clean water: sufficient amount (to cover the beef brisket).

II. Tool Preparation

• Clay pot (preferred, as it has good heat retention and makes the braised meat more tender) or pressure cooker, wok;
• Boiling pot (for blanching), slotted spoon;
• Kitchen knife, cutting board;
• Soup ladle, kitchen paper.

III. Cooking Method

1. Blanching the Beef Brisket

• Add a sufficient amount of clean water to the boiling pot, put in the beef brisket cubes, 1 tablespoon of cooking wine, and 3 slices of ginger. Bring to a boil over high heat, then skim off the surface foam (be sure to skim off all the foam, otherwise it will cause a fishy taste). Continue boiling for 2 minutes, then take out the beef brisket, rinse it with warm water, and drain thoroughly.

2. Stir-frying the Tomato Sauce

• Heat the wok until slightly hot, pour in 2 tablespoons of cooking oil. Add the white parts of the scallions, the remaining ginger slices, smashed garlic, star anise, cinnamon stick, and bay leaf. Stir-fry for 30 seconds until fragrant.
• Add the diced tomato, stir-fry over high heat for 2 minutes until the tomato turns into a puree. Add 2 tablespoons of tomato paste (if using), and continue stir-frying for 1 minute until red oil comes out.

3. Braising the Beef Brisket

• Put the blanched beef brisket into the wok and stir-fry for 2 minutes, making sure each piece of beef is coated with the tomato puree.
• Add 1 tablespoon of cooking wine and 2 tablespoons of light soy sauce, stir well, then pour in enough warm water (2 cm above the beef brisket). Bring to a boil over high heat.
• Transfer all the ingredients to a clay pot, turn to low heat, cover with a lid, and simmer slowly for 1.5-2 hours (or use a pressure cooker: after the pressure builds up, cook for 25 minutes, then open the lid after the pressure is released naturally) until the beef brisket can be easily pierced with a chopstick.

4. Seasoning and Thickening the Sauce

• Add the cut large tomato chunks and 1 tablespoon of white sugar, continue stewing for 20 minutes until the tomato chunks become soft and the sauce thickens.
• Add 1 pinch of salt for seasoning (adjust according to personal taste). Remove the lid, turn to medium heat, and simmer for 5 minutes to thicken the sauce further. Turn off the heat and sprinkle with the green parts of the scallions.

IV. Description of the Finished Dish

Braised Beef Brisket with Tomatoes has an attractive orange-red color. The beef brisket pieces are tender but not tough, and each bite is full of meaty flavor, with the tendons being soft and chewy. The tomatoes melt into the sauce, and the sweet and sour sauce penetrates every piece of beef, with no fishy taste—only the fresh aroma of tomatoes and the rich flavor of beef. The sauce is thick and can be served with rice or poured over noodles, making it an excellent dish to warm up in autumn and winter.

V. Suitable Crowds

• Families having a gathering, people who need to warm up their stomachs in autumn and winter;
• The elderly and children (the braised beef brisket is tender, easy to chew and digest, and the sweet and sour tomatoes stimulate appetite);
• People who like rich flavors and enjoy spicy food (can add 1 small chili pepper to enhance the taste).

VI. Safety and Precautions

• Cut the beef brisket into uniform-sized cubes to prevent some pieces from being undercooked while others are overcooked during stewing;
• Skim off all the foam when blanching, otherwise it will affect the taste and aroma;
• When stewing in a clay pot, use low heat to avoid the sauce from burning dry (you can add warm water halfway if needed, do not add cold water);
• Refrigerate any leftover dish for no more than 3 days. When reheating, use a clay pot and heat over low heat for a better taste.