Step 1

Cut meats and tendon into 3.5 cm or 1.5” pieces. Set aside

Step 2

Pour 2 L water into a pot. Add cut tendons. Bring to a boil. Cook at low-medium heat for 1 hour

Step 3

Prepare ginger, shallots and garlic. Set aside

Step 4

Combine 3 tbsp Chu Hou sauce, 2 cubes fermented bean curd, 1 tbsp oyster sauce, 1 tbsp light soy sauce, 2 tsp dark soy sauce and 1 tsp sugar in a bowl. Set aside

Step 5

Prepare 1 cinnamon stick, 6 bay leaves and 20 g of rock sugar and set aside

Step 6

In a spice bag, add 4 star anise, 2 tsp fennel seeds and 2 tsp black peppercorn and set aside I used a tea bag and it worked well

Step 7

After 1 hour, add the rest of the meats to the water and cook for another 15 minutes

Step 8

Remove meats and tendon from the pot and set aside. Do not discard water

Step 9

In a wok or pot, add 2 tbsp oil. Fry ginger and shallots for 20 seconds on medium-high heat. Add garlic and fry until aromatic

Step 10

Add all the meats and tendon into the wok. Stir-fry for 1 minute

Step 11

Add sauce mixture to the wok and stir-fry for 1 minute

Step 12

Add the saved water until most of the meat is covered. Discard any remaining water I don’t cover all the meat with water since I’m braising at low temperature. I don’t anticipate too much evaporation and too much water will dilute the sauce. Mixing it every 15 minutes will prevent the meat from drying

Step 13

Add all the ingredients in step 5 and the spice bag to the wok

Step 14

When the liquid begins to boil, turn the heat down to low and cook for 1 hour. Mix with a spatula every 15 minutes for even cooking

Step 15

Peel and roll cut the white radish to approx the same size as the meat or slightly larger. Set aside Roll cut is cutting a vegetable at an angle and rolling it 90 degrees after every cut. This allows for faster cooking time and regardless of the size of the white radish, you can cut them to a fairly uniformed size

Step 16

After 30 minutes of braising the meat, add the white radish, mix well. Continue braising for another 30 minutes and mixing every 15 minutes

Step 17

Chop green onions and set aside

Step 18

When time is up, check the meat for tenderness. If the meat is still tough, you may braise it for another 15-30 minutes

Step 19

Taste test to make any adjustments if necessary

Step 20

Fish out the spice bag, cinnamon and bay leaves

Step 21

If there is too much water, you can turn the heat to high and allow for some evaporation to thicken the sauce. This may be the case if you didn’t add any tendons. Tendons are high in collagen that help the sauce thicken. You may also choose to make a slurry from corn starch and water to thicken the sauce

Step 22

Serve with rice or noodles. Sprinkle with chopped green onions