This simple and aromatic instant pot Braised Beef and Ginger Wine dish is of my home cooking Chinese braising dishes. Besides, the popular home confinement dish called Chicken and Ginger Wine has inspired this dish. Similarly, braising ingredients include meat, light and dark soy sauce, rock sugar, five spice powder, spices, rice wine and water/meat broth. Then, bringing everything to a rolling boil at high heat in a wok or pot. Turning the heat to low and simmer for an extended period until the meat is soft and tender.
For my gluten free instant pot Braised Beef and Ginger Wine recipe, main ingredients are gravy beef, garlic and ginger. Hence cooked in a flavourful sauce made with coconut aminos, blackstrap molasses, and dry sherry. Afterwards, the resulting dish has a sweet and nutty flavour of dry sherry, zesty and earthy flavour of ginger and pungent spices. This Braised Beef and Ginger Wine recipe is not only gluten free but also soy free, low carb, dairy free, egg free, nut free, corn free, refined sugar free, and allergy friendly. For paleo diet, serve this dish with cauliflower rice instead.
Check out my other beef recipes: Instant Pot Cantonese Braised Beef, Braised Beef with Shiitake Mushrooms and Black Fungus and Beef with Chinese Water Chestnuts Stew.
What is Braising?
Braised dishes like casseroles or stews, is a cooking technique for slow cooking. Nonetheless, it includes cooking for one hour or more to soften cheaper and tougher cuts of meat. Similarly, popular cuts used for braising are gravy beef (beef shin), chuck steak, beef brisket and flank steak (skirt steak). In addition, with the use of modern technology, slow cooking and pressure cooking are a form of braising. Moreover, you can use stove top cooking, slow cooker, instant pot or pressure cooker for braising dishes. Then you will be assured of melt-in-the-mouth meat and wonderful intensity of flavour each time.
Gravy Beef
Gravy beef, known as shin or leg, is one of the most common best cuts of beef for braising. Moreover, we consider gravy beef as an economical cut of meat that has intense flavour. It is a tough cut of meat from the shanks of the cow and has lean muscle, little fat and ample connective tissue. While Its tough texture makes it a very suitable cut for braising. Also we can purchase gravy beef on or off the bone. Likewise, the bone-in cut is the familiar and favourite osso-bucco (cut across the bone). Whereas its bone marrow adds an amazing depth and flavour to the sauce.
Alternatively, boneless shin is best suited for moist braising to soften the tough meat. As a result, it is a well-coated and gooey meat that thickens and enriched the sauce for a deep flavour dish. Making gravy beef the perfect cut for this Instant Pot Braised Beef and Ginger Wine.
Nutritional Values and Health Benefits of Beef
Beef is a superb source of everyday protein staple on our dinner plates. It is a highly versatile and nutrient dense food as well. Lean Beef is a great source of protein with low saturated fat. And an excellent source of vitamins and minerals. Including vitamin B12, vitamin B6, vitamin B3 (Niacin), choline, folate (vitamin B9), zinc and phosphorus. Beef is an abundant source of omega 3 alpha-linolenic acid (ALA). And a good source of vitamin B5 (pantothenic acid), Vitamin B 2 (riboflavin), iron, iodine, magnesium, potassium and copper. Beef has some amount of Vitamin B1 (thiamine), vitamin D, vitamin E and vitamin B7 (biotin) and selenium.
Health benefits of beef include:
- Help build muscle mass and repair tissues; prevention of iron deficiency anaemia;
- Boosts the body’s immune system; promote healthy central nervous system;
- Support healthy skin, hair and nails;
- Aids in fertility and reproduction; and
- Help decrease bad cholesterol (low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol).
Instant Pot Braised Beef and Ginger Wine
Ingredients
- 5 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 4 garlic cloves peeled and finely minced
- 2 inches ginger peeled and thinly sliced
- 1.5 kg gravy beef trimmed and cut into roughly 2 inch pieces
- 2 star anise medium
- 6 cloves
- 1 cup water
- 3 bunches bok choy washed and cut into halves
- Steamed rice to serve For paleo diet, serve with cauliflower rice
For the Sauce:
- ¼ cup blackstrap molasses
- ¼ cup coconut aminos
- 1 cup medium dry sherry
- 1 tablespoon potato starch mixed with ¼ cup water
- 2 teaspoons salt
- ¼ teaspoons ground white pepper
For the Garnish:
- 3 sprigs coriander (cilantro) including stems, roughly cut into 1 to 2 cm lengthwise
- 2 spring onion (scallions) thinly sliced lengthwise
Instructions
Method 1: Using an Instant Pot – Pressure Cooker function
- Mix and combine all the ingredients for the sauce together in a bowl.
- Add in 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil and all the other ingredients plus the sauce prepared in step 1. Stir and mix well.
- Cover the instant pot and lock lid. Using the pressure cooker function, set cook time for 25 minutes.
- Let the instant pot rest for another 10 minutes, carefully release pressure. Unlock lid.
- Garnish with coriander (cilantro) and spring onion (scallions) and serve with steamed rice. For paleo diet, serve with cauliflower rice.
Method 2: Using a Pot on Stove Top
- Mix and combine all the ingredients for the sauce together in a bowl.
- Heat up the pot with 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil and stir-fry the garlic and ginger on low heat until lightly golden.
- Then add in all the beef pieces, star anise and cloves and stir-fry for 5 minutes on high to medium heat.
- Add the sauce prepared earlier and stir-fry for another 5 minutes. Add water and cover with lid and bring to the boil and simmer the beef for 1 ½ hours on low heat or until beef is soft.
- Garnish with coriander (cilantro) and spring onion (scallions) and serve with steamed rice. For paleo diet, serve with cauliflower rice.
For cooking the bok choy:
- Heat up a pot half filled with water and bring to a boil. Turn the heat to low and briefly blanch the bok choy together with 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil for 1 minute or until the bok choy turns bright green in colour.
- Place the cooked bok choy on a serving plate.