Cherry & Dennis Helper Habitat

Cantonese Lamb Brisket and Bean Curd Sheet Pot

Name: Cantonese Lamb Brisket and Bean Curd Sheet Pot
Total time: 2 h 15 min
Yield: 4 servings
Ingredients: 800 g, cut into 5 cm pieces lamb brisket; 120 g dried bean curd sticks; 200 g, peeled water chestnuts; 30 g, sliced ginger; 3 cloves, smashed garlic; 2, cut into lengths spring onions; 1 tbsp cooking oil; 2 cubes plus 1 tbsp brine red fermented bean curd; 2 tbsp chu hou paste; 1 tbsp light soy sauce; 2 tbsp Shaoxing wine; 1 tsp sugar; 1.5 litres water (600 ml for blanching, 900 ml for braising)

枝竹羊腩煲

Cantonese Lamb Brisket and Bean Curd Sheet Pot — finished dish

Total time: 135 min
Difficulty: Medium
Servings: 4 servings

Recipe overview

Cantonese Lamb Brisket and Bean Curd Sheet Pot uses a practical home-kitchen method with clear portions, heat control and safe doneness checks.

Ingredients

Main ingredients

800 g, cut into 5 cm pieces lamb brisket
120 g dried bean curd sticks
200 g, peeled water chestnuts
30 g, sliced ginger
3 cloves, smashed garlic
2, cut into lengths spring onions

Braising sauce

1 tbsp cooking oil
2 cubes plus 1 tbsp brine red fermented bean curd
2 tbsp chu hou paste
1 tbsp light soy sauce
2 tbsp Shaoxing wine
1 tsp sugar
1.5 litres water (600 ml for blanching, 900 ml for braising)

Cantonese Lamb Brisket and Bean Curd Sheet Pot — ingredients

Tools

cutting board
chef's knife
large bowl
small bowl
colander
heavy pot with lid
clean clay pot
wooden spoon
food thermometer

Steps

Step 1

Soak the bean curd sticks

Soak the dried bean curd sticks in room-temperature water for 30 minutes until bendable; drain and cut into 8 cm lengths.

Step 2

Blanch the lamb

Boil 600 ml water in the pot, blanch the lamb brisket for 3 minutes, then drain and rinse away the foam.

Step 3

Prepare the aromatics

Peel the water chestnuts, slice the ginger, smash the garlic and cut the spring onions into 5 cm lengths; keep separate.

Step 4

Mix the braising sauce

Mash the fermented bean curd with its brine in a small bowl; mix in chu hou paste, light soy, Shaoxing wine and sugar.

Step 5

Brown the lamb

Heat the oil in a heavy pot over medium heat; stir-fry the lamb for 5 minutes until dry on the surface and lightly browned.

Step 6

Fry ginger and garlic

Add the ginger and garlic and stir-fry for 1 minute until fragrant without browning the garlic.

Step 7

Fry the sauce

Add the fermented-bean-curd mixture and cook over medium-low heat for 1 minute, coating every lamb piece.

Step 8

Begin braising

Pour in 900 ml water and scrape the pot base; bring to a boil, reduce to low heat, cover and braise for 60 minutes.

Step 9

Add water chestnuts

Stir in the water chestnuts, cover and braise for 15 minutes, until a chopstick enters the lamb easily.

Step 10

Add bean curd sticks

Lay the bean curd sticks into the sauce, cover and simmer for 10 minutes without vigorous stirring.

Step 11

Reduce and check

Uncover, add the spring onions and cook over medium heat for 5 minutes until slightly thickened; use the food thermometer to confirm the lamb centre reaches at least 75°C and is fully cooked and tender.

Step 12

Transfer to the clay pot

Turn off the heat, rest for 5 minutes, then transfer the lamb, water chestnuts, bean curd sticks and sauce to a clean clay pot.

Common mistakes

Adding wet ingredients lowers the cooking temperature or causes splatter.
Failing to measure seasoning first causes over-salting or omissions.
Excessive heat burns the outside before the centre is cooked.
Judging only by colour misses the thickest part or required texture.

Tips

Set out ingredients by purpose, keep raw lamb brisket and bean curd sheets separate, and use time, appearance and temperature together to confirm completion.