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Scallion Pancake with Braised Beef Shank

Course Dinner, Lunch
Cuisine Asian, Asian/American Fusion, Chinese, Korean, Thai, Vietnamese
Keyword Braised Beef Shanks, Scallion Cake, Street Food
Author David of Sunset & Sewanee

Equipment

  • food processor
  • pressure cooker (optional) Dutch oven with a tight-fitting lid, or other heavy pot with a tight-fitting lid.
  • chef knife
  • cutting board
  • mixing bowls
  • measuring cups and spoons
  • flat-top grill or large plancha
  • saute pan or saucier for cooking scallion cake

Ingredients

Braised Beef

  • 2-2½ lbs beef shank, trimmed of excess fat substitutes for shank can be beef chuck, round, short rib, cheek, or oxtail
  • ⅓ cup flour, all-purpose for dredging shank
  • salt
  • black pepper
  • 2 stalks of celery, roughly chopped
  • 2 whole onion, peeled and cored, roughly chopped
  • 10 large cloves of garlic, peeled and minced
  • 1 tbsp tomato paste, preferably Mutti brand Muir Glen, Trader Joe's, Cento are good substitutes
  • 1 750ml red wine, good quality
  • 4 cups beef stock, good quality
  • 1 sprig of rosemary, fresh
  • 2 whole bay leaf

Thai Spicy Mayonnaise, Quick Version

  • ½ cup mayonnaise, preferably Kewpie brand or good quality
  • 2 tbsp Thai sweet chili sauce, preferably Gramas or Mae Ploy

Quick Pickled Vegetables

  • 1 whole carrot, peeled, cut in half, julienned
  • ½ whole radish, daikon cut into thin planks and then julienned
  • ½ whole English cucumber, sliced thin into rounds or half-moons
  • 2 whole red chilies, Fresno/Thai thinly sliced To make less spicy, remove the seeds and pith.

Pickling Solution

  • 1½ cups water, hot
  • ¾ cup vinegar, rice, or distilled
  • ½ cup sugar white, granulated
  • 4 tsp salt

Garnish

  • 1 tsp cilantro, cleaned and chopped fine
  • 1 tsp parsley, cleaned and chopped fine
  • 3 dashes Maggi, seasoning

Crusty Cheese Topper

  • 8 oz cheese curds, pulsed into small crumb
  • 1 tbsp oil, vegetable

Scallion Pancakes (recipe coming soon) or Store Bought

Braised Beef Cheeks (Use the ingredients from this recipe, then use the technique shown in the Guinness Draught Braised Short Ribs)

Instructions

Pickled Vegetables

  • In a medium-sized pot, add water, vinegar, sugar, and salt. Cook the mixture until the sugar and salt have dissolved and remove from the heat and allow to cool.
  • Peel the carrots and radish and cut the vegetables into a workable size of 3 inches. Next, carefully slice the carrot and radish into thin planks. Next, cut those planks into thin strips.
  • Cut the Fresno or Thai chilies into rounds. Removed the seeds if you wish to reduce the heat (optional). Similarly, Cut the English cucumber into thin rounds.

Sweet Thai Chili Mayonnaise

  • Measure out the mayonnaise. Add the sweet Thai Chili sauce and mix thoroughly to combine. Reserve

Grilled Cheese Curds

  • Heat a flat grill or non-stick pan over medium heat.
  • Using a food processor, grind the cheese curds into a medium meal consistency.
  • Add a tablespoon of oil and a small amount of the ground cheese curds and cook until a golden brown edge forms on the cheese. Using a metal or non-stick spatula, flip the cheese over to cook the opposite side briefly.

Assembly

  • Fry the scallion cake and season with ground Chinese 5 spice or Szechwan and a pinch of salt.
  • Add 2-3 tsp of the Thai mayonnaise and spread over the scallion cake. Take a small handful of the pickled vegetables and place them in the center of the seasoned scallion cake.
  • Using a set of tongs, add some of the braised beef shanks along with some of its sauce. Top with chopped cilantro, parsley, and 3 dashes of Maggi seasoning. Reserve.
  • Follow the instructions for melting the cheese curds and then place immediately on top and serve.