Tiger’s Beef Shin 老虎哥的滷牛腱

低溫真空烹調的美好之處就是許多不討喜或難煮的部位都可以重獲新生. 雖說許多西方料理敬而遠之的部位在中菜裡是稀鬆平常的珍饈, 但我還是要來一探經典中菜經過低溫真空烹調的成果. 第一個要探索的就是 “滷”

之前已經常聽愛美麗吹噓老虎哥的滷牛腱. 我知道老虎哥曾經做過舞者打過籃球, 創過業還很容易跟麵店老闆變成好朋友. 我本來以為他拿手的老兵料理是這樣來的, 後來才知道原來老虎媽自己就是牛肉麵店的老闆. 有家學淵源的滷牛腱就成了這一次的主題：大同電鍋對上高科技電湯匙 (許多人在聽完低溫真空烹調的解釋後都會恍然大悟地替circulator下一個這樣的結論)

One beautiful thing about sous vide is that even cheap cuts are granted new life. And Chinese are, without doubt, one of the best in the world who know how to take full advantage of offals. I then march on to find out how some classic Taiwanese/Chinese recipes would behave in sous vide.

So I consulted Tiger. I know that Tiger’s been a dancer, an entrepreneur, even a basketball player. I also know that it’s extremely easy for him to become buddies with owners of noodle shops that he frequents. I thought maybe that’s why he’s so good at this type of cuisine. What I did not know was, Tiger’s mother runs a successful beef noodle shop. Mystery solved; it runs in the family.

I had heard Emily bragging about Tiger’s beef shin recipe for quite some time, and they were kind enough to invite me for a beef shin cook-off. Not exactly a cook-off actually since Tiger’s doing all the cooking; all I had to do is seal the pre-cooked beef in a vacuum bag and drop it in my sous vide bath. So it’s Tatung rice cooker/steamer vs sous vide.

For those who didn’t grow up with Tatung, here’s a brief introduction. Tatung is more than just a rice cooker; thousands of moms also serve beautiful stews, soups, steamed fish or spareribs out of it. It is also one things that a lot of Taiwanese students pack when they are about to set out for overseas studies. Well, it’s almost a culinary term for many in Taiwan.

準備/ Prepare

• 2 條牛腱 / 2 beef shins
• 8-10瓣的大蒜, 去皮稍微用刀背拍過備用 / 8-10 cloves of garlic. Remove the skin and beat roughly with the back of a knife.
• 3 支蔥, 切段 / 3 spring onions, cut into 5 cm
• 薑少許 (約20g), 去皮切段備用 / around 20g of ginger, peeled.
• 2 顆新鮮番茄切塊備用 / 2 fresh tomatoes, cut into wedges
• 米酒 250 cc / 250 cc of cooking rice wine
• 醬油 500 cc / 500 cc of fine soy sauce
• 冰糖一大匙 / 1 tablespoon rock sugar
• 雞粉三大匙 / 3 tablespoons chicken powder
• 滷包或是紅茶包一個 / 1 “chinese spice mix in a pouch” (you could often find it in Asian supermarkets. or feel free to substitute with one black tea bag.

1. 將約三公升的水煮開. 在煮水的同時用叉子在牛腱上戳洞, 如此在燉煮的時候會比較入味.
2. 水滾之後將牛腱下鍋煮約5-7分鐘, 然後濾除表面的雜質.
3. 把蔥薑蒜和番茄下鍋一起煮.
4. 等滾了之後再加入米酒, 醬油, 糖和滷包.
5. 轉中火煮20分鐘後加入雞粉調味. 再煮20分鐘完成
6. 大同電鍋版：將牛腱連湯汁放入大同電鍋中煮兩個半小時.
7. 低溫烹調版：等溫度降到室溫以後放入冰箱隔夜冷卻. 冷卻之後封入真空袋, 用70度煮4個小時. 從水浴中拿起之後, 放入冰水中降溫, 然後在冰箱裡放12個小時以上, 讓醬汁繼續浸漬入味.

1. Boil a pot of water (around 3 liters). While waiting, poke the beef shins with a fork to produce some holes. These holes will help sauce to penetrate the meat during cooking.
2. After the water comes to a boil, add the beef shins. Let it cook for a good 5-7 minutes then skim the broth.
3. Add all the garlic, ginger, spring onions and tomatoes in.
4. After the mixture comes to a boil again, add in the rice wine, soy sauce, sugar and the spice mix.
5. Turn the heat down to medium and cook for 20 minutes. Then season with chicken powder, medium heat for another 20 minutes.
6. For the traditional method, the beef shin is moved into Tatung for 2.5 hours.
7. For sous vide: wait until the pot is cool enough to be moved into the fridge, then chill it overnight before sealing the beef shins along with the broth in a vacuum bag. 70°C for 4 hours. Afterwards, chill the bag in an ice bath, then into the fridge for at least 12 hours so the meat could be marinated in the broth.

傳統方法燉煮的牛腱因為肉質會變得很軟, 所以容易一切就碎. 老虎哥的祕方是將煮好的牛腱放到冷凍庫裡凍到表面變硬以後再切. 而低溫烹調因為可以讓肉質軟嫩的同時又保持肉質地的完整, 所以可以輕鬆切片.

The beef shins cooked with traditional method are meltingly soft which makes it very difficult to slice (the meat’d crumble as you go). Tiger offered a tip here: freeze the beef shin until the surface is hardened. Then slice the beef. Sous vide beef shins? Not at all. The meat is pink, tender tasty and very easy to slice.

上方的是大同電鍋版的滷牛腱, 下方的則是低溫烹調版. 大同電鍋滷出來的牛腱有的是經典的醬油色, 而質地則是非常的軟爛 (尤其加熱之後). 低溫烹調出來的牛腱讓大家嚷著是一種沒有過的口感：肉質粉紅柔軟卻保有咬勁. 而經過高溫燉煮後縮水的膠質在低溫烹調裡被保留了下來– 脆脆的口感會令人上癮！

Let’s compare the results! The picture on the top is a Tatung version, and the lower one is sous vide. The traditional version has a classic soy-sauce color lots people are crazy about. The meat is melt-in-your-mouth kind of soft, especially after being reheated. The sous vide version– a brand new experience！ The meat is pink, tender but with texture (not mushy). What I love the most is the crunchy gelatin that is usually sacrificed in high-heat braising/stewing.

哪一種比較好吃？ 其實見仁見智. 牛肉肉質硬的部位通常需要長時間的燉煮來軟化肉質, 但是有人認為肉在過程中會失去口感甚至變得乾澀. 低溫烹調當初被發明的起源之一就是為了要充分利用這類的部位並且創造出不同的口感. 雖說傳統版有懷舊的味道, 我常在打開啤酒的同時卻會偷偷地想念軟中帶脆的低溫烹調版….

Which one is better? Well, it really depends on what kind of result you are looking for. Sous vide is great in handling tough cuts; after all, sous vide was partially invented to handle tough cuts. Tough cuts require long cooking time to break down the tissue. However, juice and texture are compromised in the process. The traditional version is nostalgic, but I always secretly crave the tender yet crunchy piece of beef every time I pop open a bottle of beer….

Kimchi Chicken Pasta Sauce 泡菜雞胸義大利麵醬

看英國美女主廚Nigella Lawson做菜很有趣– 輕鬆優雅地簡直不可思議. 她有一集 “蕩婦義大利麵” 尤其讓我印象深刻. 鏡頭裡, 她下床後還穿著睡衣就抱著義大利麵, 酸豆, 罐頭番茄, 鯷魚與香料到廚房, 轉眼間她就又抱著整鍋做好的麵回到床上了……..  

這道義大利的經典食譜取了如此有意思的名字, 似乎是在取笑那些只用罐頭做菜, 而不上市場採買新鮮食材的人. 但是我必須要說單靠新鮮食材是做不出這道菜的味道的. 就像泡菜和新鮮大白菜就是不一樣. 河馬從韓國回來的時候帶給我一包還在發酵中的泡菜, 袋子鼓得似乎隨時就要炸開一樣！一打開, 泡菜的香味馬上滿溢空氣中….. 我卻莫名地聞到酸豆與番茄的綜合. 拿出櫃子裡常備的罐頭番茄與義大利麵, 或許學學Nigella Lawson抱著義大利麵在床上吃也不錯！

There’s just something about Nigella Lawson; the way she cooks I guess. Very easy breezy, dreamy almost. And there’s one episode of hers that particularly sticks: The Slut’s Pasta (her take on Pasta alla Puttanesca). Nigella pretty much just rolls off bed, goes to the kitchen, cooks and then brings that entire pan of pasta back to bed. Liberating!

I always try to keep can tomatoes and bags of pasta at home; they are to me better than instant noodles and definitely more sane than pre-made pasta sauce trapped in a jar.

When Lucas came back from Korea he brought back some pouches full of Korean magic: kimchi so fresh that the fermentation was still going on in the bag… as soon as  I  cut open the foil (otherwise the bag might just explode any minute), the tangy kimchi smell quickly bursts out of the bag and into my nasal. I smell caper, tomato and chili for some reason. I reckon it’s a perfect day to be Nigella Lawson.

準備/Prepare

• 1 罐番茄罐頭(整顆或切丁的都可以)/ 1 can of whole or chopped tomatoes
• 1/4 顆韓國泡菜切塊備用 / quarter of whole kimchi, roughly chopped.
• 2片雞胸肉(去皮去骨) / 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 2顆你喜歡的新鮮番茄, 切塊 / 2 fresh tomatoes of your choice, cut into wedges
• 2瓣大蒜, 切碎/ 2 cloves of garlic, finely minced
• 8大匙泡菜汁 / 8 tablespoons kimchi juice
• 2片薑 / 2 slices of ginger
• 1小匙乾羅勒 / 1 teaspoon dry basil

1. 將大約500 cc 的水加熱後加入薑片和新鮮番茄來製作番茄清湯.
2. 在平底鍋內加入約兩大匙的橄欖油 (當然也可以使用你習慣的植物油, 不過請避免使用花生油) , 油熱了以後加入切碎的大蒜爆香
3. 大蒜爆到呈現金黃以後加入切塊的泡菜拌炒約3分鐘. 這時候可以加入一些黑胡椒增加香氣. 然後再加入罐頭番茄和乾羅勒, 充分拌炒.
4. 用中火將醬汁煮到微微冒泡以後, 加入番茄清湯 (薑片要移除, 新鮮番茄也一起倒入）再繼續用中火煮20-30分鐘, 或直到醬汁變濃稠為止. 最後再以一點胡椒和鹽調味. 泡菜已經具有足夠的鹹度, 所以鹽不用加太多
5. 醬汁稍微冷卻後放入冰箱隔夜, 以確保徹底降溫
6. 雞胸肉清洗後徹底擦乾
7. 將雞胸肉與醬汁一起裝入真空袋裡後密封, 以64度煮45分鐘
8. 依照包裝袋上的指示煮義大利麵 (每一個廠牌需要的時間都不大一樣). 燙麵用的水要充足, 也別忘記加入大量的鹽.
9. 在平底鍋裡放入些許的橄欖油, 然後加入濾乾的義大利麵和醬汁充分拌炒3分鐘左右. 如果太乾的話可以加入一些燙義大利麵的水. 雞肉放在一邊備用, 不要加入鍋子裡一起炒.
10. 上桌前將雞胸肉切片, 與義大利麵一起擺盤就完成了！

1. Put one cup or around 500 c.c. of water on to boil, then add the ginger slices and fresh tomatoes to make a light tomato broth.
2. Heat up about 2 tablespoons of olive oil (or your preferred vegetable oil, but no peanut oil please) in a pan, then add the minced garlic. Cook until garlic is lightly browned.
3. Add the roughly chopped kimchi and some black pepper to taste. Stir fry for about 3 minutes, then add the basil and can tomatoes in. Mix well and bring the sauce to a simmer.
4. Take out the ginger slices and pour in the tomato broth (along with the fresh tomatoes).
5. Cook the sauce over medium heat for around 20-30 minutes, or until it’s reduced down to a good consistency. Season the sauce with just a pinch of salt and some black pepper. (Kimchi already adds enough saltiness to the dish)
6. Cool the sauce in fridge overnight
7. Clean the chicken breasts and dry them thoroughly
8. Put the sauce and chicken breast in a vacuum bag, 64 degree celsius, 45 minutes
9. Boil a big pot of water, salt it generously, then cook spaghetti according to the instructions on the packet.
10. Mix spaghetti and the sauce in a pan (not the chicken) over some olive oil. Add some pasta water if needed. Stir fry for 2-3 minutes.
11. Slice the chicken breast, plate the pasta, then combine the two.

這個醬汁除了可以搭配義大利麵以外, 跟年糕, 義大利餃, 甚至是水餃都很合. 如果醬汁煮好後沒有要馬上使用, 請依照以下步驟降溫儲存：

1. 將袋子從水浴裡拿出來以後靜置在室溫約15-20分鐘
2. 然後再將袋子放入冰水(一半冰一半水)中徹底降溫之後就可以收到冰箱裡了
3. 雞胸肉的加熱方法: 烤箱預熱到華氏300度或攝氏150度, 將雞胸肉用烤盤紙包好以後烤10分鐘就可以了.

This sauce goes very well not just with pasta, but also with korean/chinese rice cakes, raviolis or even Chinese dumplings. If you are not using the sauce right away, follow the steps below:

1. Take the bag out of the water bath, leave it in room temperature for 15-20 minutes.

2. Cool the bag thoroughly in an ice bath (half water, half ice).

3. Store in refrigerator

4. To reheat the chicken breast: wrap it in parchment paper, then into a 300°F/150°C          oven for 10 minutes. Let it rest for a few minutes before slicing it.

用真空低溫烹調煮出來的雞胸肉柔嫩又多汁, 任何過高的溫度都會輕易地破壞雞肉的口感. 所以加熱的時候要注意不要用過高的溫度, 也不建議把雞胸肉加到義大利麵裡一起炒.

Chicken breasts cooked sous vide are tender and juicy, and extra heat could easily spoil that happiness. So when you reheat the chicken, do not apply high heat. I don’t particularly recommend that you stir-fry the chicken with the pasta, either. You know why… the heat again.

雖然我始終沒有鼓起勇氣抱著整鍋的義大利麵到床上吃, 但是有一天當我又累又挫折地回到家又發現冰箱裡的這包醬汁時, 心情竟然雀躍了起來. 十五分鐘就可以做出一道拯救自己的晚餐～

One day I came home all frustrated and exhausted and saw this bag of pasta sauce in the fridge. Fifteen minutes later, as I cuddled my bowl of kimchi chicken pasta with the company of TV (I have to admit that I really am not liberal enough to eat a pot of pasta in bed….. TV it is then)…. happy day….