红烧土豆牛肉 Braised Beef and Potato

This is a wonderfully flavored beef stew/stir-fry. It tastes like chinese flavored potroast over rice. The beef is so tender and stir-frying it in melted sugar really enhances it's flavor for a really robust beef flavor.
Every time we had this at a restaurant, even at the same restaurant, it was different. Some have a red chili baste (add 1 Tbsp. minced Pixian DouBanJiang (broad bean chili paste) when the garlic, onion and ginger and added) and some were really buttery (add 2 Tbsp. or more of butter) but all are good, it just depends on what mood you are in.

Ingredients:
500 grams stewing beef
1 large potato, sliced at angles or cut into english style chips
1/3 cup chinese cooking wine
2 star anise
pinch of sichuan peppercorns
pinch of cumin seeds
pinch of cloves
1/2 onion, cut into chunks
1 mild green chili, cut into chunks
2 cloves garlic, crushed and minced
1 inch ginger, minced
2 Tbsp. sugar
2 Tbsp. soy sauce
1 Tbsp. chinese cooking wine

Put meat in cold water and then bring to a boil and boil 15 minutes. Drain and rinse. This first boiling really makes a difference. It gets rid of all the impurites that come out of the meat. They are drained and rinse of before putting the beef in new water. Put the beef in a large pot, cover with water and bring to a boil. Add star anise, cloves, sichuan peppercorns, cumin and 1/3 cup cooking wine. Simmer for about 2 hours or until beef is tender. Remove beef, cut into chunks and reserve liquid.
Meanwhile, prepare the other ingredients. Cut all ingredients on angles turning the vegetables as you cut and changing the angle of your knife, for example cutting straight up and down and then turn the vegetable and make your next cut on a slant. This method makes every piece a different sizes and shapes which makes it fun to eat with a different mouth feel on every bite. It is really quite nice.

I demonstrate below on a potato what I mean.

Even the beef can be cut in different sizes and shapes using the same method.

Heat 1/4 cup of oil and add onion, green chili, garlic, ginger and sugar. Once sugar is melted add beef and potatoes. Once edges of potatoes turn transparent add soy sauce, salt and then 2 cups reserved beef soup. Boil until potatoes are cooked through. If your broth does not thicken up on it's own you can add about 1/2 tsp. starch mix into 1 tbsp. water.

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