Herbal Clear Beef Brisket Soup (药膳清汤腩)

Wash all the herbal ingredients (Codopnosis root, Astragalus root, Chinese yam, Angelica sinensis root, Dried tangerine peel, Dried longan, Red dates, White peppercorns, Goji berries) thoroughly with clean water.

Pit the red dates. Soak the dried tangerine peel in water and then scrape off the white pith to prevent bitterness.

Toast the white peppercorns in a dry pan over low heat until fragrant. Slice the ginger.

Place the whole beef brisket in a large pot with cold water. Bring to a rolling boil over high heat to blanch the beef. Immediately remove the beef and rinse it thoroughly with warm water to prevent the meat from toughening.

Return the rinsed beef to the clean pot. Add 4-5 liters of fresh water. Add Codopnosis root, Astragalus root, Chinese yam, Dried tangerine peel, Dried longan, White peppercorns, and sliced ginger. Bring to a boil over high heat.

Once boiling, reduce the heat to a very low simmer (精神小火) and maintain a gentle boil. Skim off any foam or excess oil that rises to the surface. Cover the pot with the lid slightly ajar to allow steam to escape. Stew for 1 hour.

While the beef is stewing, prepare the radish. Peel the radish, removing two layers of skin for a better texture. Cut the radish into large chunks to prevent them from becoming too soft during cooking.

Blanch the radish chunks in boiling water for 1 minute, then remove them. This step helps to remove any bitterness from the radish.

After the first hour of stewing, add the Angelica sinensis root, pitted red dates, and blanched radish to the pot. Continue to stew for another 1 hour.

Prepare the spicy dipping sauce: Heat peanut oil in a small pan. Add minced garlic and fry until slightly browned. Add chili oil and XO sauce, then stir well to combine. (Alternatively, prepare a non-spicy dipping sauce by mixing 3g cilantro, 5g minced garlic, 2g sugar, 20g light soy sauce, and 5g peanut or sesame oil).

Finally, add the goji berries to the soup. Season with fish sauce and salt to taste. Stir and adjust the seasoning as needed. Goji berries are added last to prevent them from becoming sour if cooked for too long.

Remove the beef brisket from the soup and slice it into desired pieces. Serve the hot soup with sliced beef, radish, and optional noodles (rice noodles, flat noodles, or bamboo shoot noodles). Serve with the prepared dipping sauce.