Cantonese style braised beef with daikon radish

Cut the beef into 1 inch cubes.

Fill a pot with water, add the beef with the Chinese cooking wine, the knotted scallions, the sliced ginger and the Sichuan peppercorns, and bring to a boil over high heat.

Skim off any foam with a fine sieve, then take out the spices and aromatics and remove the beef from the water.

Mix the sauce: the zhu hou paste, hoisin sauce, peanut butter, Doubanjiang, the crushed fermented bean curd and the sugar, incorporated thoroughly. Hold the soy sauce back so it does not dilute the thick sauce.

Turn the heat to high, add about 2 tbsp of cooking oil to the clay pot and go straight in with the garlic, ginger, star anise, bay leaves, cinnamon stick, orange peel, gancao, dried galangal and dried chilies. No need to wait for a clay pot to get hot.

Stir the aromatics a couple of minutes until the surface of the garlic is slightly golden. Add the sauce and keep stirring a few minutes to activate the aroma.

Add the beef and mix until every piece is coated, scraping the bottom with a spatula so nothing sticks.

Add 4 to 5 cups of warm water, enough to cover the meat, and bring to a boil. Taste, then add the soy sauce and drizzle in dark soy sauce for colour.

Turn the heat to the lowest and simmer 2 hours, or until tender.

Forty minutes before the beef is ready, double peel the daikon radish and cut it into big chunks with the roll cutting technique.

Bring water to a boil, blanch the radish a few minutes to take out the bitterness, then drain.

Transfer the radish into the clay pot, stir gently and bring back to a simmer. Taste and adjust, about half a teaspoon of salt here, and simmer about 20 minutes.

There will be a layer of beef fat over the soup; skim it if you do not want it. Serve with white rice or noodles.