Ox cheeks are an undervalued cut of meat—you can cook them for a long time without them falling apart, they taste fantastic and have a great sticky texture (Serves 4)
Ingredients
100ml (3½fl oz) vegetable oil
600g ox cheek
750ml (24fl oz) chicken stock
3 tablespoons oyster sauce
100ml (3½fl oz) light soy sauce
100ml (3½fl oz) sweet soy sauce
150ml (6fl oz) black vinegar
3 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped
1 red onion, peeled and sliced
2 small red chillies, chopped
12 star anise
100g (3½oz) oyster mushrooms
1 pinch hot mint leaves
1 pinch coriander leaves
½ large red chilli, seeded and sliced
Method
- Pre-heat oven to 180°C (350°F/Gas Mark 4)
- Heat the oil in a frypan, cook the ox cheeks until just sealed, then transfer them to a baking
dish or saucepan.
- Add the stock, oyster sauce, both types of soy sauce and the black vinegar.
- Cover with foil and cook in oven for 3½ hours. Remove the ox cheeks from the saucepan
or dish and cover to keep warm. Add the garlic, onions, chillies and star anise to the liquid and
simmer on stovetop for 30minutes, then strain.
- Cool slightly and skim off excess fat from the liquid, making sure it hasn’t reduced too
much (you should have around 600ml or 20 fl oz). If it has reduced too much, top up with a
little water or chicken stock.
- Return the ox cheeks to the liquid, add mushrooms and simmer until hot. Transfer the
cheeks to a serving bowl, spoon the liquid over the top and garnish with the hot mint,
coriander and sliced red chillies.
