Preparation
15 minutes
Cooking
1 hour
Difficulty
Easy
On those rainy days, with the chilly weather, having a hot pot right at home is just wonderful, isn’t it? Understanding that, TasteVN will share with you the recipe for a hot pot that is super amazing! Let’s get started in the kitchen to make the mixed beef hot pot that everyone loves!
Ingredients for Mixed Beef Hot Pot Serves 4 people
Beef brisket 600 gr Beef tendon 400 gr Beef belly 400 gr Beef balls 200 gr White radish 200 gr (2 pieces) Taro 150 gr (1 piece) Onion 2 pieces Ginger 30 gr (1 piece) Lemongrass 6 stalks Jujube 30 gr (7 fruits) Goji berries 10 gr (2 teaspoons) Cardamom 2 gr (2 pods) Coriander seeds 2 gr Star anise 3 gr (3 flowers) Cinnamon 3 gr (3 sticks) Black soy sauce 1.5 tablespoons White wine 100 ml Fish sauce 1 tablespoon Rock sugar 3 tablespoons Cooking oil 100 ml Fried tofu skin 5 sheets (crispy) Common seasoning a little (Seasoning powder/ Salt/ MSG)
How to choose fresh ingredients
How to choose fresh beef
- Fresh beef will have a bright red color, with white streaks interspersed, and the fat will be a bright yellow.
- Additionally, when touched, it should feel firm and have good elasticity like rubber, not soft and mushy. At the same time, the meat fibers should appear tender, small, and not too fine.
- Conversely, avoid buying beef that has turned pale green or dark red, with dark yellow fat, or has unusual white spots or tiny dots on the surface.
- Especially, if the meat feels mushy and slimy, and emits a strong foul odor, it indicates that the meat has been stored for too long and should not be consumed as it can affect health.
How to choose good beef tendons
- It is advisable to buy beef tendons that are observed to have a pinkish white color and simultaneously have a faint strong smell, as this is a sign of fresh, new beef tendons.
- In particular, avoid buying beef tendons that have turned pale white, green, or are leaking yellow fluid, as these tendons have been treated with chemicals, which can affect health.
- Additionally, avoid choosing beef tendons that have a strange smell or no smell at all. A foul smell indicates that they are old and have been stored for too long. Conversely, having no smell is due to being treated with chemicals.
How to choose good taro
- Good taro is a tuber that is medium to large in size. The flesh inside will be creamy white interspersed with fibers; conversely, if you see a pale color, it indicates that the taro is not good.
- Moreover, taro with a lot of starch is one that has many eyes on the body. Additionally, the skin should be rough, divided into horizontal lines, with many roots and dirt still clinging to the skin.
- Avoid buying taro that has too few or no eyes, and very smooth skin as these are signs that the taro may be fibrous and have a bland taste, making it unappetizing.
How to choose fresh and delicious white radish
- Sweet, meaty white radishes should have an elongated shape; those with a thick tail often have a very bland taste.
- It is best to buy radishes with intact stems and roots, as these are freshly harvested radishes.
- Additionally, fresh and delicious radishes should have smooth skin, be free from scratches, feel firm to the touch, and not be dented or overly soft.
- Avoid buying radishes with smooth skin but wilted or rotten stems, as these are radishes that have been injected with chemicals for longer preservation.
Tools Needed
Pressure cooker, bowl, pan, plate, chopsticks,…
How to Make Mixed Beef Hot Pot
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Prepare the Beef
First, take the beef brisket and tie one end with string, then continue to tightly roll it in a circle until all the meat is used, finally tie it again to secure the meat.
Next, place the entire beef brisket, beef tendons, beef shank, 1/2 crushed ginger, 100ml of white wine, and 2 teaspoons of salt into the bowl, use your hands to rub the meat for 3 – 5 minutes, then rinse several times with clean water and let it drain.
Ways to Eliminate the Smell of Beef
Method 1: Use roasted crushed ginger to rub over the meat and then rinse it clean.
Method 2: Alternatively, using wine is also very effective by soaking the meat in wine for 15 minutes.
Method 3: Additionally, you can use lemon juice or vinegar to soak the beef for a few minutes.
Method 4: It would be a mistake to overlook using salt to rub over the meat for 5 minutes to eliminate the fishy smell immediately.
See details: How to eliminate the smell of beef
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Roast the spices
Place a pan on the stove with 1 onion and 1/2 ginger cut in half, then roast both sides evenly for 3 – 5 minutes on low heat, until a fragrant aroma is released, then turn off the heat and transfer to a plate.
Next, using the same pan, add 2g of cardamom, 2g of coriander seeds, 3 sticks of cinnamon, and 3 star anise, and roast on low heat for 3 minutes, until you can smell the aroma, then turn off the heat and place them in a mesh bag with a drawstring!
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Simmer the beef broth
Take a pressure cooker and add beef brisket, beef tendons, beef shank, 1 peeled daikon radish cut into pieces, 1 onion, and 1/2 ginger that has been roasted, the spice mesh bag, 2 teaspoons of salt, 3 teaspoons of seasoning, 1 tablespoon of rock sugar, 6 stalks of lemongrass, and 3 liters of water, then cook on the simmer setting for 40 minutes, until the beef is tender.
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Prepare the remaining ingredients
Next, take a bowl and add 2 teaspoons of goji berries, 30g of jujube, and 100ml of water, then soak for about 30 minutes.
For the taro, use a knife to peel it, cut it into bite-sized pieces, and soak it in diluted saltwater for 10 minutes, then rinse it clean with water and let it drain.
Next, place a pan on the stove with 100ml of cooking oil over medium heat. Once the oil is hot, add the cut taro and fry both sides for 5 – 7 minutes, then turn off the heat and transfer it to a plate.
How to peel taro without getting itchy- Method 1: It is advisable to use dry hands to peel the taro and soak it in diluted saltwater right after peeling to remove the irritating and slimy substances from the taro.
- Method 2: You can wear gloves while peeling taro to prevent the irritating substance from sticking to your skin. However, this method may be inconvenient during the preparation process.
- Method 3: Additionally, you can briefly boil the taro first, then let it cool down before peeling it to avoid itchiness.
See details: How to peel taro without getting itchy
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Complete the hotpot broth
Once the beef is simmered, remove all the beef, then add the hotpot broth, the spice bag, 6 stalks of lemongrass, and 1 liter of water into another pot.
After that, place that pot on the stove with 2 tablespoons of rock sugar, 2 teaspoons of monosodium glutamate, 2 teaspoons of salt, 1 tablespoon of fish sauce, and 1.5 tablespoons of dark soy sauce, and cook over medium heat for 10 – 15 minutes.
When the broth starts boiling again, add the remaining peeled and cleaned white radish cut into pieces along with all the goji berries and red dates that have been soaked in, and cook for another 10 minutes, then season to taste and turn off the heat.
Tip: To keep the beef tender and have a nice white color, you should soak it in cold water for 5 – 7 minutes after removing it before cutting! -
Final Product
The mixed beef hotpot is completed in the blink of an eye, right? Surely its deliciousness is not inferior to that of any restaurant out there!
When enjoying, you just need to add the remaining onion cut into wedges, taro, beef balls along with the broth you just cooked, and you can enjoy it right away!
The broth is sweet and rich, very impressive; the beef is both chewy and tender, which is truly captivating. Additionally, the creamy taro combined with other ingredients makes the beef hotpot even more special.
So, the article above has just introduced everyone to the recipe for a delicious mixed beef hot pot that adds a fresh twist to your weekend. Don’t hesitate to show off your cooking skills and give it a try!