How to make a delicious soy braised radish (and beef) stew
Dish Name: One pot delicious soy braised white radish and carrots (optional beef) stew
Nature: Slightly cool because of the white radish (which is a cooling ingredient)
Taste: Savory and sweet
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It was literally, “I feel like stewed radish”. I had it in Hong Kong a week back and it’s been top of mind. I had all the dry ingredients in my pantry, including the soup base (which is quite simply soy sauce and a combination of other pantry basics). So I ran over to T&T across the street and bought 1 white radish and 2 carrots. I had onions and garlic in the fridge and that was it! I also removed a pack of steak from the freezer to defrost and kind of winged the whole day, improvising to serve the dish with noodles for lunch and then as a beef stew for dinner with rice. It was that simple. 1 dish – the whole day!
The key is the sauce, which is simple and easy to make. Nothing fancy. Basic Chinese ingredients that you have in your pantry anyways! Full recipe below.
What’s involved?
Prep time: 30 mins
Cook time: at least 60 mins
Total time: 90 mins
Serves: 6 servings
Ingredients
Ingredients:
- 1 whole fresh onion, quartered
- 1 whole fresh white radish
- 2 whole medium-sized carrots
- 1 bulb of garlic, diced
Sauce:
- 3 tablespoons of oyster sauce
- 5 tablespoons of sweet soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons of cooking wine
- 2 teaspoons of sesame oil
- 1 large chunk of rock sugar (about the size of a golf ball)
- 1 star anise
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 5 dried red dates
- 5 cups of cold water
Equipment you’ll need
I use this STAUB cast iron pot for most of my one-pot wonders. It is amazing to fry first and then just add everything else in!
My fave silicon heat resistant ladle. It’s got a huge volume, easy to clean, and perfect for stews and soups!
Cooking Instructions
- Quarter onions and in your one-pot cast iron pot, add a bit of oil and caramelize the onions on low medium heat, ensuring it doesn’t burn
- When the onions are caramelized, add in diced garlic and fry for 5 minutes until sauteed and browned
- Peel and dice carrots and white radish into large bite-sized pieces
- Add in the carrots and pan fry in pot for 5 minutes, stirring as you cook
- Add in 5 cups of water
- Bring that to a full high boil
- Add in your white radish and mix it around, ensuring that the sauce fully covers all the radish and carrots
- Now, create your sauce. Add in the soy sauce, cooking wine, sesame oil, oyster sauce, star anise, cinnamon bark, and dried red dates. Mix until the sauce is fully blended.
- Cover and let that come to a full boil.
- Once that boils, reduce heat to medium and let that simmer for 60 minutes.
- Serve when ready, or when the radish and carrots are soft enough to your liking!
- Garnish with optional green onions.
Optionally, you can:
- Make any type of noodles and use this as a sauce base for a lo-mein styled meal
- Pan-fry beef chunks and add to your stew for a delicious beef stew served on rice!
Here’s where you can buy some of the ingredients:
I’ve purchased dried red dates from amazon and found that they were surprisingly affordable and good quality!
This is the exact rock sugar that I use in all my stews, soups, and Chinese sweet desserts. My mom uses it, my mother-in-law uses it. It’s like the staple rock sugar in our pantry!
I am a big fan of McCormick brands for most of their western spices. Don’t be afraid to buy a bigger volume of cinnamon sticks. You can use them in teas and stews alike!
This sesame oil is also a staple in my kitchen! I have used this trusted Japanese brand since forever! Love it!
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