Chui Lee Luk’s beef short-rib with red fermented bean curd

METHOD

1. Marinate the beef ribs. Start this recipe the day before you intend to cook it. Crush up the bean curd into a smooth paste and gradually mix in the five spice, shaoxing wine and scallion/garlic juice and sesame oil. Mix the short ribs with this and let marinate covered in the refrigerator overnight.
2. Cooking the beef ribs. Bring 2 litres of light chicken stock to the boil with 4 cloves of smashed garlic, 1.5cm knob of ginger, smashed, 1 coriander root and some scallion trimmings. Simmer until fragrant and then place the beef ribs in the pot and simmer for 2 hours until a skewer goes clean through without much resistance. Cool in the stock and when ready to cook, take out of the stock and thinly slice the meat against the grain.
3. Sift together the flours, five spice powder and salt. When ready to cook, dredge the slices of beef in the flour. Have a large pot ready filled with 1.5 litres neutral flavoured oil heated to 180ºC. Deep fry until ribs for about 5 minutes until crisp. The beef slices will be dark brown in colour. Remove from the oil and let drain on an oven rack.
4. Make the sauce. Whisk together the rice vinegar, tomato paste, light and dark soy sauces. Pour into a saucepan and bring to the boil. Make a slurry with the wheat starch by adding a couple of tablespoons of cold water and whisk into the simmering sauce in the saucepan. Let simmer for a couple of minutes to cook the starch, the sauce will thicken to a coating consistency. Add the sesame oil. Set aside.
5. Prepare the garnish. Peel the garlic and dice finely (brunoise), blanch in boiling water for a couple of seconds and refresh in cold water, repeat 2 times. Deep fry in oil heated to 160ºC until light golden, drain immediately and let cool. Finely slice the scallions and then finely chop the red chillies and ginger separately. Combine all these aromatic garnishes in a bowl and mix together.
6. To serve the ribs. Cook the ribs as close to serving time as possible. Pile on a platter, drizzle warmed sauce over this and sprinkle generously with the garnish.