Rich Braised Beef

During my childhood, beef was rarely consumed by the Chinese-Americans in Chicago: in those days it was relatively expensive, and in any case the Chinese ‘red meat’ is pork, compared with which beef has a strong flavour, too strong for most Chinese. However, cheaper cuts, such as oxtail, shin, or brisket, were both affordable and very popular among the Chinese. Not only was the price right, but, more important, these cuts could be infused with the spices that ‘naturalized’ the beef and made