This braised beef is a staple dish, and making it yourself is tastier than buying it. You can also braise tofu, dried beans, and other ingredients with it. It's easy to make and tastes great!

For athletes and those looking to get fit, beef is a frequently consumed food. Beef is richer in protein and amino acid composition than pork, which is closer to human needs, improving the body's resistance to disease and strengthening muscles, as well as nourishing the spleen and stomach, strengthening bones and muscles.

Because of the strong aroma and rich taste of braised beef, it retains the multiple benefits of nourishing the spleen and stomach, strengthening the body, and promoting health. When properly made, the beef is firm and doesn't fall apart when sliced. The color is a light brown, and the flavor is savory and fragrant, not too hard or too soft, making it a great dish for both eating and drinking.

Starting in March, I began to adjust my diet and portion sizes, increase my exercise, and formally enter a healthy slimming rhythm. I've been doing it for 25 days, and I've only lost 5 pounds, but it's a good start.

Today, I'm going to share my braised beef recipe with you. We'll also have braised tofu rolls, which are simple, effortless, and delicious. If you're interested, let's try it!

Braised Beef

Ingredients: 1000g beef tendons, scallions, ginger, star anise, cinnamon stick, dark soy sauce, beef stewing sauce, scallion ginger, light soy sauce, old soy sauce, sugar.

Recipe Instructions:

Step 1: Put the beef tendons in water for 1 hour, changing the water about 10 minutes each time to remove the blood.

Step 2: Cut the beef into pieces for easier cooking; approximately in half.

Step 3: In a pot, put the beef pieces, add water, bring to a boil, remove any foam, then take out the beef to cool.

Step 4: Prepare the seasonings; you can use whatever you have. Here are two beef stewing sauce packets, scallion slices, ginger slices, five star anise, and one cinnamon stick.

Step 5: Pour in enough water into the braising pot, heat up, add the ingredients from step 4, and then add scallion ginger or regular.

Step 6: Add a little light soy sauce and a small amount of old soy sauce; light soy sauce is helpful for enhancing flavor, and it's not too salty. Old soy sauce is mainly for coloring; just a little bit is okay. If you have a lot of dark soy sauce, you can omit it.

Step 7: Add sugar, because the soup is a lot, so add a lot of sugar.

Step 8: Add dark soy sauce (about 125g, usually available in the seasoning aisle of supermarkets, in a bag, hard when touched).

Step 9: Put the beef pieces from step 3 into the braising pot.

Step 10: Bring the water to a boil, make sure there's enough water to fully submerge the beef pieces, and leave some space, because the cooking time is long.

Step 11: Cover the pot with a lid and simmer over low heat for 2-3 hours. It’s recommended to use a braising pot because it has good heat retention and water locking properties. Cooking for 2-3 hours won't reduce a lot of soup.

Step 12: About 2 hours later, open the lid; a fragrant aroma will spread.

Use a fork to take out the beef to see if it's appetizing.

Step 13: I like to cook tofu rolls with braised beef; I'll cook them together. I prepared tofu rolls, rolled them into rolls, and tied them with cotton thread. I made two rolls; smaller rolls can be made with single tofu sheets.

Step 14: Put the tofu rolls into the braising pot, use a spoon to press the tofu rolls into the soup, try to make them fully submerged in the soup. I made three rolls, covered with a lid, and cooked with the beef for about 30 minutes.

Step 15: About half an hour later, open the lid again; the tofu rolls have turned a darker color and are cooked through, about 30 minutes is enough.

Step 16: Turn off the heat and let it stand for 20-30 minutes; the braising pot won’t be too hot after standing for a while.

Pour the soup, beef, and tofu rolls into a regular pot, cover with a lid, and let it stand overnight.

Braised beef is not suitable for long-term storage in hot soup; braising pots have good heat retention and water locking functions. Cooking for a long time will make the beef too soft. To make the beef taste better, it’s best to put it in the cooling soup for a night or more than 5 hours. This makes the braised beef firm and flavorful.

This is just my personal experience. If you have a better or more convenient method, you can do it according to your own preferences. The next morning, the braised beef is ready; two pounds of beef tendons make two small pieces; it doesn’t look like much, but it’s really delicious (aren’t I a little self-admiring?).

The braised beef is cut into strips or slices; you can eat it directly or drizzle it with a seasoning sauce; you can choose whatever you like. Yesterday morning, I cut the braised beef into strips and ate it with freshly baked whole wheat pocket bread. Today I cut it into thin slices and put it on a plate, sprinkled with chopped scallions, and drizzled with a seasoning sauce, too.

However, if you’re trying to lose weight, although braised beef can help reduce fat and build muscle, you shouldn’t eat too much at one time. Just a few slices at a time is fine. Too much will affect your weight loss goals. In the picture, the braised beef slices are just sprinkled with chopped scallions, not drizzled with seasoning sauce. Usually, my family’s seasoning sauce is made by mixing light soy sauce and oil, sometimes with minced garlic and chili oil.

Let’s show you the braised tofu rolls again; remove the cotton thread, cut them into slices, and you can eat them directly or drizzle them with seasoning sauce, just as you like.

Tofu rolls are also a source of high-quality protein, which is a good choice for slimming and losing weight. When making braised beef, make tofu rolls as well, which is a good idea.