Tomatoes are truly versatile—they shine whether as the main ingredient or a supporting player. Today I’m sharing a braised dish made with tomatoes: Tomato Potato Braised Beef. The sauce is rich, the beef is tender and falls apart, and the potatoes soak up all the essence of tomatoes and beef—just thinking about it makes my mouth water. This dish is absolutely fantastic over rice!
Steps for Tomato Potato Braised Beef:
1、Prepare the ingredients. Soak the beef in water beforehand to draw out the blood. Cut the beef, tomatoes, and onion into chunks. Peel the potatoes and cut them into chunks as well.
2、Place the beef in a pot with cold water. Add Sichuan peppercorns, a few slices of ginger, and 1 tablespoon of yellow wine (or Shaoxing wine). Blanch, then remove and rinse the beef thoroughly.
3、Heat some oil in a pan over low heat. Stir-fry star anise, bay leaves, cinnamon stick, and ginger slices until fragrant.
4、Add the beef and stir-fry for 2 minutes until the beef changes color.
5、Add 2 tablespoons of light soy sauce (or premium soy sauce) for seasoning.
6、Add 1 tablespoon of dark soy sauce for color. (You can skip it if you prefer, it won’t affect the overall flavor.)
7、Add 2 tablespoons of rice wine (or cooking wine / yellow wine) to remove any gamey smell.
8、After the beef is well coated and colored, add half of the tomato chunks (save the other half for later).
9、Stir-fry until the tomatoes release their juices and their flavor infuses into the beef.
10、Pour in enough boiling water to cover the ingredients (using boiling water shortens the cooking time). Cover, bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce to medium-low and simmer for 40 minutes.
11、When the time is up, add the remaining tomatoes, the potato chunks, and the onion chunks.
12、Stir well, then add 2 tablespoons of salt (adjust to your taste) and 10 grams of rock sugar. Continue to cook for another 10 minutes until the potatoes are tender and well flavored.
13、Once the sauce is rich and thick, your tomato braised beef is ready! Serve and enjoy.
Tips:
1、If you like a spicy kick, you can add some Pixian doubanjiang (broad bean paste) or garlic chili sauce. Adjust the salt according to your preference.
2、Don’t reduce the sauce too much—leave some extra gravy. It’s amazing for mixing into rice or noodles!