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Braised Short Ribs in Five-Spice Soy

Name: Braised Short Ribs in Five-Spice Soy
Prep time: 3 h 19 min
Total time: 3 h 19 min
Cuisine: Chinese-American
Ingredients: boneless beef short ribs — 1814 g; salt — 5 g; vegetable oil — 27 g; yellow onion — 110 g; garlic — 18 g; ginger — 30 g; freshly ground star anise — 300 g; cinnamon — 2 g; soybean soy sauce — 118 g; dry sherry — 59 g; light-brown sugar — 38 g; low-sodium beef broth — 473 g; scallions — 400 g; cornstarch — 10 g; spice powder — 7 g

Braised Short Ribs in Five-Spice Soy reads umami 8.8, richness 6.8 and warm spice 4.5 on Palate's 0–10 flavor X-ray — a Chinese-American main, about 3 hr 19 min. Measured from the recipe itself: ingredients and technique.

The flavor X-ray — six axes, 0–10

Umami & Savory — 9.5 / 10
Sweet & Fruity — 3.1 / 10
Sour & Bright — 1.1 / 10
Bitter & Earthy — 1.1 / 10
Rich & Fat — 7.2 / 10
Aromatic & Spice — 5.0 / 10

The measured notes (of 18)

Umami 8.8 · Richness 6.8 · Warm Spice 4.5 · Salinity 4.4 · Allium 4.1 · Sweetness 2.7 · Funk & Ferment 2.6 · Herbaceous 1.7 · Nutty 1.5 · Floral 1.3 · Fruity 1.2 · Earthy 1.0 · Bitterness 0.9 · Heat 0.9 · Sourness 0.9 · Citrus 0.8

What's in it (15)

boneless beef short ribs — 1814 g
salt — 5 g
vegetable oil — 27 g
yellow onion — 110 g
garlic — 18 g
ginger — 30 g
freshly ground star anise — 300 g
cinnamon — 2 g
soybean soy sauce — 118 g
dry sherry — 59 g
light-brown sugar — 38 g
low-sodium beef broth — 473 g
scallions — 400 g
cornstarch — 10 g
spice powder — 7 g

Time & effort: about 3 hr 19 min · effort: involved

Nutrition (per 100 g, engine-estimated): 217 kcal, 15.7 g protein, 15 g fat, 6.7 g carbs

Dietary: Contains meat — engine-derived; double-check anything allergy-critical.

How it's cooked (8 steps)

Pat the short ribs very dry with paper towels and season all over with the salt. Heat the oil in a large Dutch oven over high heat until shimmering; sear the ribs in two batches, turning occasionally, until deeply browned on all sides, 8-10 minutes per batch. Transfer ribs to a plate.
Pour off all but 2 tablespoons of fat from the pot. Add the onion, garlic, ginger, star anise, cinnamon stick, and five-spice powder; cook over medium heat, stirring often, until the onion softens and the spices smell toasty, about 3 minutes.
Pour in the soy sauce and sherry, scraping up the browned bits stuck to the bottom of the pot; let bubble 1 minute.
Stir in the brown sugar and broth. Return the short ribs and any accumulated juices to the pot, then nestle in the scallion pieces. Bring to a boil.
Cover, reduce the heat to low, and braise until the short ribs are fork-tender and the meat pulls easily from the bone, 2 1/2 to 3 hours, turning the ribs once halfway through.
Transfer the ribs to a plate and tent loosely with foil. Strain the braising liquid through a fine-mesh sieve into a saucepan, pressing on the solids before discarding them, then skim off the excess fat pooled on the surface.
Bring the strained liquid to a simmer over medium heat. Whisk in the cornstarch slurry and cook, whisking, until the sauce turns glossy and thick enough to coat the back of a spoon, 2-3 minutes.
Return the short ribs to the sauce and spoon it over to coat; taste and add more salt if needed. Plate the ribs with the sauce spooned on top, scattered with the reserved sliced scallions.

Dishes with a similar flavor shape

Black Pepper Beef Stir-Fry — Chinese-American
Pepper Steak — Chinese-American
Beef Curry With Onions — Indian
Red-Braised Pork Belly (红烧肉) — Chinese
Arroz de Pato — Portuguese

Keep reading: what umami, richness, warm spice mean in the flavor lexicon · the world's cuisines, by flavor.

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Every number above is Palate's engine-measured estimate, computed from this recipe's ingredients and techniques — not human-tasted ratings or reviews.