Cantonese Stewed Beef & Pork Tendon Noodles 广式牛腩猪筋干拉面

I'm a true blue Cantonese that grew up playing and eating in Chinatown. The Cantonese Stewed Beef & Tendon Noodles 广式牛腩牛筋面 was one of my childhood dishes that I truly enjoyed. However, I realise that this dish has fast become a rare sight in hawker centres/coffee shops nowadays. I certainly hope it's not a vanishing dish in our generation. Slightly deviated from tradition, this' my rendition of this dish using my favourite wholegrain La Mien (noodles) and I also used pork tendons instead of beef tendons. This Cantonese Stewed Beef & Pork Tendon Noodles 广式牛腩猪筋干拉面 was really oh my~~....so delicious! Beef's tender and the tendons were just great!

Main Ingredients (enough for 3 to 4 pax) :

• About 1 kg beef chuck or briskets (cut to chunky cubes of about 1.5 inch)
• 500 gm pork tendons (you may use beef tendons, but that would require different cooking duration as pork tendons)
• 3 to 4 carrots (chopped to about 1-inch thickness)
• 5 garlic cloves (crushed)
• 5 ginger slices
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 4 star anise
• 2 orange peel (available at Chinese medicinal halls)
• 3 to 4 bay leaves
• cooking oil (for browning and aromatics)
• 2 to 3 packets noodles (I used Prima Wholegrain La Mien)
• a handful of green vegetables (blanch before use)
• salt and sugar (to adjust to taste before serve)
• shallot oil (to be used before serve)
• chopped spring onions (garnishing)
• sambal chili (to taste)(optional)

Seasonings :

• 2 tbsp Hoisin sauce (or to taste)
• 2 tbsp Chu Hou sauce (or to taste)
• 1 tbsp oyster sauce (or to taste) 
• 1 pc chicken stock cube (or to taste)
• 1 pc beef stock cube (or to taste)
• 2 to 3 tbsp rock sugar (or to taste)
• 1/2 cup Hua Diao cooking wine (or to taste)
• 1 tbsp sesame oil
• 1 to 2 cup water (enough to cover all meats and tendons in the pressure cooker/pot)

(tsp = teaspoon; tbsp = tablespoon)    

Method : 

1. Blanch beef cubes and tendons in a pot to remove scums. After that, rinse and clean in running water. Set aside.
2. Heat cooking oil in a pan, add ginger then garlic and sauté till aromatic. 
3. Fold in beef cubes and sauté till brown on all sides. Remove from pan and set aside.
4. Fold in tendons and sauté till light golden colour. Remove from pan and set aside. 
5. Transfer cooking oil and aromatics from pan to a stove top pressure cooker pot, Top up a little cooking oil (if necessary). 
6. Heat cooking oil in pot. Toss in cinnamon stick, bay leaves, orange peels and star anise.  Sauté for about a minute. 
7. Fold in beef cubes and all sauce seasonings. 
8. Cover lid and allow pressure cook for 1.5 to 2 hours (or till beef are fork tender) at low heat. Start checking meat texture once in a while after 1 hour of cooking time, top up more water if necessary).  
9. Fold in carrots towards last 15 minutes of cooking time.
10. When you're satisfied with the beef tenderness, taste test and adjust with salt & sugar if necessary. Fold in tendons and allow to simmer for 10 minutes till flavourful. Do not need to cover lid. Pork tendons should be tender and a little chewy to be ready. 
11. Meanwhile, blanch wholemeal La Mien as per box instruction. Drain and toss with a little shallot oil. 
12. Blanch a handful of green vegetables.
13. Dish out by arranging cooked La Mien, vegetables, stewed beef, carrots, tendons and sambal chili in bowls. Scoop beef stew gravy generously over the noodles and ingredients. Garnish with chopped spring onions and drizzle with a little shallot oil before serve.
14. Serve whilst hot.

Note : 

*Do note that if you're cooking beef tendons instead of pork tendons, much longer cooking time is required. You may fold in beef tendons together with beef cubes at the beginning of pressure cooking. Do adjust cooking time accordingly.

* You may still cook without pressure cooker, just lengthen the cook time till beef and tendons are to your desired texture.