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Glossy Chinese beef short ribs in a light bowl on a straw placemat with red chilli and coriander garnish, shot at a slight angle.

Chinese Braised Beef Short Ribs

Make these Chinese stovetop braised beef short ribs tonight - sticky, glossy, and impossible to stop eating. Even better the next day!
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Course: Side Dish
Cuisine: Chinese
Keyword: braised, ribs
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Servings: 4 generously
Calories: 593kcal
Author: Azlin Bloor

Ingredients

Dry Spices

Sauces

  • 1 Tbsp light soy sauce
  • 1 Tbsp dark soy sauce
  • 5 Tbsp hoi sin sauce
  • 2 Tbsp tomato ketchup
  • 1 Tbsp Shaoxing wine OR ½ tsp clear vinegar

To Finish/Serve

Instructions

Prep Work

  • Rub the salt all over the ribs (not in video) and set aside while you get everything else ready.
    1.5 kg beef short ribs, ⅛ tsp salt
  • Peel and finely chop the onion and garlic.
    1 large onion, 5 garlic cloves
  • Peel and cut the ginger into long, thin strips as you see in the video.
    7.5 cm ginger
  • Mix all the sauce ingredients in a small bowl. This will make your cooking easier.
    1 Tbsp light soy sauce, 1 Tbsp dark soy sauce, 5 Tbsp hoi sin sauce, 2 Tbsp tomato ketchup, 1 Tbsp Shaoxing wine

Let's get Cooking

  • In a large wok on medium-high heat, brown your beef ribs for 2 - 3 minutes each side. It's best to do this in 2 batches, as you don't want the ribs to simmer in their liquid.
    I don't bother with oil here as the ribs have plenty of fat to help the browning and I'm using a non stick wok. If necessary, you could add 2 Tbsp of oil for each batch. Flip the ribs over halfway.
    Take them out onto a plate and set aside.
  • Pour in the oil and lower the heat to medium and fry the whole spices and dried red chillies for 30 seconds.
    2 Tbsp vegetable or peanut oil, 2 star anise, 1 cinnamon stick, 2 dried red chillies
  • Tip in the chopped onion and fry for 1 minute.
  • Now add the garlic and ginger and fry for another minute.
  • Next we stir in the 5-spice powder for 30 seconds.
    1 Tbsp Chinese 5 spice
  • Then, in go the ribs, stir to coat the ribs with the spices and aromatics.
  • Add the sauces and stir to coat again.
  • Now pour in the beef stock, stir well and bring to a simmer. Lower the heat right down, cover and cook for 2 - 3 hours. Check at the 2-hour mark. If the meat isn't melting soft and tender, go for 3 hours. Also, check at least 3 ribs. In my experience, they don't always cook uniformly. Add a little water if it's getting too dry.
    750 ml beef stock
  • When your beef is all cooked, you should have a thick, glossy sauce/gravy. Check seasoning and add salt if necessary. Stir in a little ground white pepper - a pinch or to be specific, about ⅛ teaspoon.
    If you want more sauce, you can add a little water to it. But be sure to check the seasoning and adjust accordingly.
    white pepper
  • Dish up and top with the sliced red chillies and chopped coriander leaves. Serve as suggested in the article above.
    red chillies, fresh coriander leaves

Notes

Serving: I've given it as 4. This will also depend on how much meat your ribs have. If they are very meaty, the recipe will even feen 5-6 people. Especially, bearing in mind that you will have other side dishes to go with it.

Nutrition

Calories: 593kcal | Carbohydrates: 21g | Protein: 59g | Fat: 29g | Saturated Fat: 12g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 13g | Cholesterol: 162mg | Sodium: 1539mg | Potassium: 1509mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 10g | Vitamin A: 51IU | Vitamin C: 5mg | Calcium: 86mg | Iron: 8mg
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