Curried Beef and Tendon with Turnip

We love the use of spice and combining of textures in this curry dish from fascinating Macau cookbook, The Adventures of Fat Rice by Abraham Conlon, Adrienne Lo, and Hugh Amano.

From the Author: "In Macau “turnip” usually means daikon, or another large radish, so technically, there’s no turnip in the original version of this dish. At Fat Rice, we mostly follow tradition, but run with the turnip thing and garnish with crunchy raw turnips, radishes, and their greens. Don’t be scared to work with the tendons—they do require long cooking, but add great texture. Try grilling the rubbed beef; it adds a great smoky dimension."

Ingredients

For the Macau Hot Curry Powder:

4 tablespoons Turmeric
5 tablespoons extra-hot ground chilli or Indian Cayenne
1 tablespoon Powder Ginger
2 tablespoons European Coriander Seed
1 tablespoon White Peppercorn
2 whole Star Anise
1 whole Cassia Stick Cinnamon
2 teaspoons Fennel Seed
3 whole Green Cardamom Pod
1 teaspoon whole Szechuan Pepper
10 whole Cloves

For the Beef and Tendon:

6 tablespoons Kosher Salt Diamond Crystal
1-1/2 pounds beef tendon (2 or 3 pieces - check with your butcher)
6 tablespoons Filipino cane vinegar**
3 Spanish onions, sliced
15 cloves garlic, sliced
1 (3-inch) piece unpeeled fresh ginger, sliced
4 tablespoons Macau Hot Curry Powder (recipe above)
4 pounds beef chuck roast
2 tablespoons peanut oil
3 quarts chicken stock
1 large daikon radish, peeled, quartered lengthwise, cut into 1-inch pieces, blanched and poached (cooked through, but still firm)

For the Garnishes:

Variety of radishes and baby turnips of varying colors and shapes, thinly sliced
Shredded green onions, white and green parts
Radish sprouts

Directions

For the Macau Hot Curry Powder: Finely grind all the spices together in a spice grinder. Store tightly covered for up to 3 months.

For the Beef and Tendon: Mix 8 cups water and 3 tablespoons of the salt in a large container until the salt dissolves. Add the tendons and soak for 12 hours. Drain, discarding the water and setting the tendons aside.

Bring a large pot of water to a boil over high heat. Blanch the tendons for 5 minutes, then drain, discarding the water. Return the tendons to the pot along with 1 tablespoon of the salt, 1 tablespoon of the cane vinegar, and a third each of the onions, garlic, and ginger. Cover with fresh water. Bring to a boil over high heat, then lower the heat to maintain a simmer and cook, covered, for 2 hours. Drain and set the tendons aside.

Preheat the oven to 375°F. Mix the remaining 2 tablespoons salt, 2 tablespoons of the cane vinegar, and 2 tablespoons of the curry powder and rub all over the chuck roast.

Heat the oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the beef and sear until golden brown on each side, about 5 minutes per side. Remove the beef from the pan and add the remaining onions, garlic, and ginger and cook until the vegetables start to caramelize, about 5 minutes. Mix the remaining 2 tablespoons curry powder with 2 tablespoons of the cane vinegar, add to the pan, and stir until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the stock and stir well. Nestle the beef and tendons back into the pot and bring to a boil.Cover the pot, transfer to the preheated oven, and braise until tender when pierced with a chopstick, about 2-1/2 hours. When done, remove from the oven and let cool for at least 3 hours, or overnight.

When cooled, remove the beef and tendons and set aside. Remove the solidified fat and ginger slices and discard. Puree the sauce with an immersion blender until smooth. Cut the beef into rough 2-inch pieces and cut the tendon crosswise into 1/4-inch slices. Return, evenly dispersed, to the pot, along with the daikon.

Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. Cook until the meat is heated through and the sauce has a nice unctuous texture, about 5 to 10 minutes. Season to taste with salt and the remaining 1 tablespoon cane vinegar, remove from the heat, and generously top with the garnishes. Serve with rice or crusty rolls.

Notes:

**Can be found at your local Asian grocery store or online.