Cantonese Clear Beef Brisket Soup
Radish
A crystal-clear, deeply rich Cantonese beef brisket and white radish soup, simmered with aromatic spices, dried seafood umami, and tender tendon-rich cuts.
Clear beef brisket soup with radish is a classic Cantonese comfort dish beloved for its deceptively simple appearance and exceptionally rich, clean flavor profile. Inspired by traditional Hong Kong beef offal shops, this recipe relies on careful blanching, a fragrant toasted spice bag, and long slow simmering to render the beef tender and the radish meltingly soft.
Ingredients
- 2.5 lbs beef brisket with tendon
- 1 large white radish
- 1 piece fresh ginger
- 3 stalks scallions
- 1 small cup cooking wine
- 1 tbsp white peppercorns
- 1 small handful dried shrimp
- as needed dried spices
- 2 pieces rock sugar
- 2 tbsp fish sauce
- to garnish fresh cilantro
Instructions
- 1Slice Ginger and Scallions
Slice fresh ginger into pieces and cut scallions on a wooden cutting board to prepare the aromatics for blanching the beef brisket.
Tip: Prepare the aromatics beforehand so they are ready to go into the pot as soon as the water heats up. - 2Blanch the Beef Brisket
Place the raw beef brisket pieces into a pan of cold water along with the sliced ginger and scallions. Add a small cup of wine and bring to a boil, then cook on medium heat for 10 minutes to remove impurities.
Tip: Always start with cold water when blanching meat to effectively draw out blood and impurities for a cleaner broth. - 3Toast white peppercorns
Place the white peppercorns into a dry frying pan over low heat. Use chopsticks to stir and toast them gently until fragrant.
Tip: Toast on low heat so the peppercorns release their aroma without burning. - 4Toast Spices
Toast white peppercorns and other dried spices on low heat in a frying pan until fragrant.
Tip: Keep the heat low so the spices release their essential oils without burning. - 5Clean the Spice Bag
Put all the toasted spices and dried shrimp into a spice bag, seal it tightly, and pour boiling water over it in a bowl to soak for 1 minute for cleaning.
Tip: Soaking the spice bag in boiling water helps remove dust and softens the spices before they go into the main broth. - 6Transfer brisket to hot water
After blanching, move the beef brisket pieces directly into a pot filled with hot water. Ensure the water is hot before adding the meat to maintain texture.
Tip: Always transfer blanched meat into hot water rather than cold to prevent the meat fibers from tightening up.
