Ingredients
- Braise
- 825g beef short ribs (bone-in)
- 2 tsp ginger paste
- 5 garlic cloves, finely minced
- 5 spring onions (whites for cooking, greens for garnish)
- 2 star anise
- 1 tsp Sichuan peppercorns
- 2 tbsp doubanjiang (Lee Kum Kee Toban Djan)
- 3 tbsp light soy sauce
- 1 tbsp dark soy sauce (for colour)
- 2 tbsp Chinkiang black vinegar
- ½ tsp white pepper
- 1 tsp sugar
- 250ml water
- 2 tbsp neutral oil
- Finish
- 1 tbsp cornflour (mixed with 2 tbsp water)
- 1 tbsp sesame oil
- 150g dried knife-cut noodles (per person)
- To serve
- 1 tbsp Lao Gan Ma chilli crisp
Serves 2
Method
- Blanch the short ribs — Place in pressure cooker, cover with cold water, bring to boil on sauté mode. Boil 2–3 minutes, drain, rinse beef, discard water, wipe pot clean.
- Sear the short ribs — Pat dry. Set pressure cooker to sauté mode, add neutral oil, sear short ribs on all sides until well browned. Remove and set aside.
- Build the flavour base — In the same pot, fry ginger paste, garlic, and white parts of spring onions for 1 minute. Add doubanjiang, fry 30 seconds until oil goes red. Add star anise and Sichuan peppercorns.
- Pressure cook — Return short ribs to pot. Add light soy, dark soy, black vinegar, white pepper, sugar, and water. Lock lid, cook on high pressure for 45–50 minutes. Natural release 10 minutes, then quick release.
- Reduce the sauce — Remove lid, fish out bones and star anise. Shred or chunk the meat. Set to sauté mode, let braising liquid reduce by about half. Stir in cornflour slurry, cook another minute until glossy and thick enough to coat the back of a spoon.
- Cook the noodles — While sauce reduces, cook knife-cut noodles in boiling water per packet directions (slightly under for chew). Drain well — no excess water.
- Toss and serve — Add drained noodles to the pot with beef and sauce. Add sesame oil, toss until coated. Serve topped with sliced spring onion greens and a generous spoonful of chilli crisp.