Cantonese Instant Pot Braised Beef

When I was a kid, Cantonese Beef Stew would randomly appear on the dinner table. At Chinatown restaurants, it was often served bubbling in a clay pot, but at home, it was typically served in a large pot and ladled out. The rice topped with a thin gravy and morsels of meat and radish that melt in your tongue like gelatin?

Definitely something to warm you up on a cold night. My Instant Pot pressure cooker version of braised beef with radish is a time saver.

INGREDIENTS:

• 3 to 3 ½ lbs of beef rough flank (cut into 2 1/2-inch pieces)
• 2 pounds of peeled daikon radish (cut into 1-½ inch pieces)
• 7 slices of ginger
• 5 cloves
• 3 bay leaves
• 3 pieces of star anise
• 2 scallions (cut into 1-inch pieces)
• 1 cup of Shaoxing wine
• ¼ cup of chicken stock or water
• 3 tablespoons of light soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil
• 1 tablespoon of dark soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon of oyster sauce
• 1 tablespoon of sugar
• Salt

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Put the meat in the pan and fill the water to the brim with cold water. Boil for 1 minute to sterilize the beef.
2. Transfer the meat to a colander with a slotted spoon and run under cold water. Put aside for the time being.
3. Two tablespoons of vegetable oil should be heated in the Instant Pot using the saute function. After two or three minutes, add the ginger slices and heat until they are fragrant and beginning to brown at the edges.
4. Stir in the meat that has been blanched, Shaoxing wine, light soy sauce, dark soy sauce, oyster sauce, three star anise, five cloves, three bay leaves, and one tablespoon of sugar.
5. Turn on the Instant Pot for 45 minutes with the meat/stew inside, then release any remaining pressure by opening the valve to venting. The float valve atop an Instant Pot will rise in response to pressure.
6. Do not force the Instant Pot’s pressure release valve until it has finished releasing pressure naturally. Radish pieces should be added to the Instant Pot as soon as it is safe to do so. Add the beef and stir to mix.
7. Seal the Instant Pot by replacing the cover and returning the valve to the sealed position before setting it to manual high pressure for another 10 minutes. When you’re finished, use Quick Pressure Release to let the pressure out again.
8. When it’s safe to do so, you can open the kettle. Using the Saute function, bring the stew to a low simmer. Add a slurry made from cornstarch, chicken stock, or water to the stew, and whisk to thicken. Cook for 2 minutes at a simmer, then add salt to taste and scallions.
9. Serve with rice.