Star Anise Braised Short Ribs
Beef short ribs slow-braised in a star anise tea reduction with soy, ginger, and orange peel — a warming, fork-tender dish inspired by East Asian red-braising.
This recipe borrows star anise tea as the aromatic backbone of a classic red-braise, the technique behind dishes like Chinese hong shao rou and Vietnamese kho. Steeping the pods directly in the braising liquid extracts their sweet, warm licorice notes into every fiber of the meat over several hours.
Searing the short ribs first builds a deep brown crust that balances the tea's sweetness with savory caramelization. Then the star anise tea, combined with soy sauce, rice wine, and ginger, becomes the braising liquid that slowly tenderizes the tough connective tissue into silky, fall-off-the-bone meat.
A few strips of orange peel added partway through brighten the dish and echo the citrus-forward way star anise is traditionally used in mulled drinks. Don't skip this step — it keeps the richness from feeling one-note.
Serve over steamed rice or wide noodles with the reduced braising liquid spooned generously on top. The leftover sauce, fragrant with star anise, is arguably the best part of the dish, so make extra rice just to soak it up.
Ingredients
- 2.5 kg bone-in beef short ribs
- 2 cups strong-brewed star anise tea (4 whole pods steeped 8 minutes in 2 cups water)
- 1/2 cup soy sauce
- 1/4 cup shaoxing rice wine (or dry sherry)
- 3 tbsp brown sugar
- 1 thumb fresh ginger, sliced
- 4 cloves garlic, smashed
- 2 whole star anise pods (for braising, in addition to the tea)
- 2 strips orange peel
- 2 tbsp neutral oil
- 2 scallions, sliced, for garnish
- Steamed rice, for serving
How to make it
- 1Pat short ribs dry and season with salt. Heat oil in a heavy pot or Dutch oven over high heat and sear ribs on all sides until deeply browned, about 8 minutes total. Remove and set aside.
- 2In the same pot, add garlic and ginger and stir for 30 seconds until fragrant. Pour in the brewed star anise tea, soy sauce, rice wine, and brown sugar, scraping up any browned bits.
- 3Return the ribs to the pot, add the extra star anise pods and orange peel. Liquid should come about two-thirds up the ribs; top with water if needed.
- 4Bring to a simmer, cover, and braise on low heat (or in a 150°C / 300°F oven) for 2.5–3 hours, until the meat is fork-tender.
- 5Remove ribs and skim excess fat from the sauce. Simmer the sauce uncovered for 10–15 minutes to reduce and thicken.
- 6Return ribs to the pot to coat in the reduced sauce. Serve over rice, spooning extra sauce on top, and garnish with sliced scallions.
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