Lamb Brisket and Bean Curd Stick Clay Pot

Ingredients

• Lamb brisket
• Dried bean curd sticks (fuzhu)
• Chu Hou sauce
• Fermented bean curd (white)
• Red fermented bean curd (nanru)
• Dark soy sauce
• Cooking wine
• Oyster sauce
• Water
• Rock sugar
• Scallion pieces
• Ginger slices
• Shiitake mushrooms
• Onion or shallots
• Garlic cloves
• Bay leaves
• Star anise
• Cinnamon bark
• Other sides such as water chestnuts, potatoes or radish can be added to taste

Steps

1. Preparation: soak the shiitake 2 - 3 hours ahead until soft. Soak the bean curd sticks 30 minutes ahead until soft
2. Sauce 1: mix the red fermented bean curd, Chu Hou sauce, 20 g fermented bean curd and dark soy sauce in a small bowl
3. Sauce 2: mix 20 g fermented bean curd, sugar and chili oil in a small bowl
4. Trim the stems off the soaked shiitake
5. Cut the soaked bean curd sticks into 5 cm pieces and squeeze out the water
6. Peel the onion and slice it. You can use peeled shallots instead for better flavor.
7. Cut the scallions into pieces about 5 cm long
8. Put the lamb brisket in a pot of cold water with 2 - 3 ginger slices, bring to a boil over high heat, then turn off the heat
9. Lift out the lamb and put it in a basin of cold water to cool, which makes it chewier
10. Heat the pot, add cold oil, then 4 - 5 ginger slices, onion/shallots, scallion whites and 7 - 8 garlic cloves and fry until fragrant
11. Add the cooled lamb and stir with chopsticks for about 2 - 5 minutes until golden
12. Add sauce 1 and stir-fry for about 2 minutes until evenly colored
13. Pour in water until it just covers the ingredients
14. Add the shiitake, rock sugar, bay leaves, star anise and cinnamon
15. Cover and simmer over low heat for 90 minutes
16. Uncover, add the bean curd sticks, cover and cook over medium heat for 20 minutes
17. Uncover, add sauce 2 and stir well
18. Turn off the heat; add scallion greens or cilantro before serving