I made my rounds at Erin Mills Town Centre on a decidedly wintry day, followed by a last-minute Canadian Tire run for shower mending needs.
1) Braised Beef Brisket
Extenuating circumstances led to not only personal undertaking of grocery shopping, but cooking for the household as well. The act has been a rarity as of late, for extremely limited time remains after office hours, daily routines, and the ever-grueling weight on my shoulders that is my licensing application.
Previously procured beef brisket would be prepared in true Western-Chinese fusion. After perusing the web for guiding principles, I largely adhered to the Chinese method of cooking, but incorporated a number of different ingredients.
Some recipes called for blanching the meat in advance of braising, while others marinading. Many took to use of an Instant Pot, though, seeing as I haven't yet grasped knowledge of the device sufficiently to prevent mushy elements, I opted for the stovetop. Moreover, the Quick Release scares me. And I wasn't keen on disassembling the Instant Pot afterwards for cleaning.
- Chu Hou sauce
- dark soy sauce
- light soy sauce
- rock sugar
- star anise
- cinnamon
Some paired the brisket with daikon, while other left them plain. Daikon is an almost bi-weekly component of our regular meals, thus I chose the route of mirepoix instead. Carrots, yellow onions, and celery were chopped into intentionally large pieces, as to soften gradually over the course of braising. My version did not depict a pure form of mirepoix, for the pieces veered drastically from a fine, uniform dice. Nevertheless, their application remained consistent with traditional uses of the tri-colour vegetable blend as an accompaniment to a meat-based dish.
Browning the meat was a non-negotiable step in both Instant Pot and traditional stovetop recipes. In a lightly oiled pot, the sides would be scorched until coloured, then removed and set aside. (In hindsight, I should have taken to butter for better aroma and flavour.) Next, aromatics would be sauteed in the meaty essences. After returning the meat to the pot, Shaoxing wine would be used to deglaze. In my case, I used a mixture of Shaoxing wine and umeshu brandy, hoping for sweet contributions by the latter.
The marinade would be added after, followed by the mirepoix and a handful of quartered vine tomatoes. Truthfully, not a single recipe had listed tomato as an ingredient. However, I desired the delightful tang of tomato; it is often seen in Western beef braises, complemented with bay leaf and herbs such as rosemary. Water would be used in place of stock, and foam would be skimmed from the surface where necessary (once).
i) Braising liquid
- 3 tbsp Chu Hou sauce
- 1 tbsp dark soy sauce
- 1 tbsp light soy sauce
- yellow rock sugar * unmeasured; about the size of a tennis ball
- 1-2 star anise
- 2 cinnamon sticks
- 1.2 kg beef brisket, cut into 1 in cubes
iii) Vegetables/Aromatics
- 4 small carrots, roll cut
- 4 stalks celery
- 3 vine tomatoes, quartered
- 3 small yellow onions
- 2 garlic cloves, halved
- ginger, as desired
iv) Deglaze
- Shaoxing wine
- Umeshu brandy
- Mirepoix (carrot, onion, celery) was used in place of daikon
- Tomato was added, as to reference Western styles of braising beef
- Umeshu brandy was used in addition to Shaoxing wine to boost complexity and sweetness
Frankly, I have few details to remark of this dish. Eight eggs, finely chopped celery, diced yellow onion, and about three-quarters of a round of ham were combined in a wok for maximum flavour.
Meanwhile, the Traditional Mochi Cake from Macau's infamous Koi Kei Bakery could be summarized simply: Dry.
Two acquaintances urged me to try the "Tim Tam Slam", which I'm eager to experience.
The commute via TTC was abnormally lengthy, as Line 1 delays had yet to be rectified since the previous day. Normally, four stops along the U-portion of the subway line would not require more than six minutes; this trip took at least ten. As the Thai ahgase had frustratedly declared, trespasser incidents and mechanical issues appear to overwhelm the system on a near-daily basis.
Flawless were the specimens adorning the display cases: not a single chip, streak, nor scratch was observed. These gifted pieces had been preserved with utmost care, akin to the level of appreciation towards artwork. Laying eyes on the assortment sparked recollection of the comparatively "common" ceramics at the ROM, wherein the ground floor China exhibit included bowls similar to those found in the standard East Asian household, heavily used and far from defect-free.
Later that evening, eggog and rum was leared to be passable, but not enjoyable.