From the city of Xi’an, roujiamo literally translates to “meat sandwich” and is sometimes referred to as a “Chinese hamburger”. Composed of a crisp, sturdy bun and meltingly tender spiced meat, it’s one of the best street foods to be found in this area. While the buns are traditionally cooked in a charcoal oven, the modified cooking technique in this recipe yields an excellent result. Cook the buns right before serving as they do not keep well.
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Braised Beef Roujiamo
- Prep Time: 1 hour
- Cook Time: 40 minutes standing time + 3 hours 8 minutes cooking time
- Total Time: 3 hours 8 minutes
- Yield: Makes 10 buns 1x
Ingredients
Filling
2½ lb (1.3 kg) Beef Centre Cut Shank, 1½-inch (4 cm) thick pieces
2 slices (¼ inch/0.5 cm thick) gingerroot (unpeeled)
¼ tsp (1 mL) EACH whole Sichuan peppercorns, fennel seeds and cumin seeds
2 whole dried chili peppers (er jin tiao chili), stems removed
3-inch (8 cm) cinnamon stick
3 EACH bay leaves and whole star anise
1 Chinese black cardamom pod (tsao-ko)
10 whole cloves
3 dried licorice root slices
Half whole nutmeg
1 tbsp (15 mL) peanut oil
¼ cup (60 mL) granulated sugar
¼ cup (60 mL) EACH light soy sauce and Shaoxing wine
1 tbsp (15 mL) dark soy sauce
1 large green onion, Welsh onion, or small leek (see Tip*), trimmed
1 tsp (5 mL) salt
Buns
4 cups (1 L) all-purpose flour
1¾ tsp (9 mL) active dry yeast
¾ tsp (4 mL) baking powder
¼ tsp (1 mL) salt
Peanut oil
1 cup (250 mL) water, at room temperature (approx.)
To Serve (optional)
Cucumber slices
Fresh cilantro sprigs
Mild green chili pepper slices, such as tiger skin, cubanelle, Anaheim or banana
Instructions
- Filling: Score around the perimeter of each shank 5 or 6 times with a sharp knife, just barely cutting into the meat (this prevents the meat from curling). Place the beef in a large pot and add water to cover by about 3 inches (8 cm). Bring to a boil over high heat; reduce heat and boil for 5 minutes, skimming off any scum that rises to the top.
- Drain beef and rinse well under cold, running water. Cut meat from the bone in 1 or 2 pieces, reserving bones. Set meat and bones aside. Clean the pot.
- Enclose gingerroot, Sichuan peppercorns, fennel seeds, cumin seeds, chilies, cinnamon stick, bay leaves, star anise, black cardamom, cloves, licorice root and nutmeg in a cheesecloth bundle, a tea filter bag or spice infuser. Set aside.
- Set a sieve that fits well over the pot, an oven mitt and 1 cup (250 mL) of water beside the stove.
- Combine oil and sugar in the clean pot. Cook over medium-high heat, stirring, for about 3 to 5 minutes, until caramelized to a deep golden brown. Immediately remove pot from the heat, place the sieve over pot and put oven mitt on your pouring hand. Stand back and carefully pour water through the sieve into the caramel (it will sputter and boil furiously).
- When the sputtering subsides, return the pot to medium-high heat and add light soy sauce, Shaoxing wine, dark soy sauce, large green onion and salt. Add reserved meat and bones and spice bundle. Add just enough water to cover the meat; bring to a boil. Partially cover with a lid, reduce heat and simmer for 1 hour. Start making the Buns (see below). Cook meat for an additional 1½ hours, checking occasionally and replenishing the water as necessary to keep the meat covered in liquid and skimming periodically, until meat is fork-tender.
- Buns: Meanwhile, combine flour, yeast, baking powder and salt in a large bowl; stir well (to use a stand mixer, see Tip**). Add 2 tbsp (30 mL) oil and 1 cup (250 mL) room temperature water. Mix with hands to form a rough, shaggy dough. Cover and let rest for 10 minutes. Knead dough in the bowl, adding more water, ½ tsp (2 mL) at a time, if necessary, until all the flour is incorporated (the dough will be very stiff). Transfer to work surface or keep in the bowl and knead for about 5 minutes, without adding flour, until dough is smooth. Roll into a ball. Return, if necessary, or leave the dough in the bowl, cover with a damp cloth and let rest in a warm place for 40 minutes to 1 hour or until doubled in bulk.
- Filling: Remove large green onion and spice bundle from pot using tongs; discard. Transfer bones to a bowl using tongs; trim off any meat clinging to bones. Return any meat back to the pot; discard bones. Keep filling warm. (To make Filling ahead, let the beef mixture cool and refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 3 days. Reheat over medium heat, stirring, until bubbling hot before serving.)
- Buns: Punch dough down and divide into 10 equal balls (about 2½ oz/75 g each). Set a small bowl of oil at your work area. Roll out 1 ball on a clean surface into an 8-inch (20 cm) long log, then flatten to an oval strip. Place on a baking sheet and cover with a damp towel. Repeat with remaining dough balls, one at a time, placing on the baking sheet in the order you rolled them. Starting with the strip rolled first, return to clean surface and roll lengthwise with a rolling pin (see Tips*** and ****) to a thin, 12-inch (30 cm) long strip. Dip your index finger in oil and swipe oil lengthwise down the centre of strip. Fold the strip in half lengthwise to enclose oil, then roll up like a cinnamon bun. Tuck the end under the bun; place on work surface and press with the palm of your hand to flatten. Return to baking sheet pan and cover with damp towel. Repeat with remaining buns in order and return to the baking sheet, arranging in the same order.
- Place a large, cast-iron skillet in preheated 500ºF oven while rolling buns. Set a spray bottle of water near the stove.
- Return 1 bun to work surface; press down again with your palm, then roll with rolling pin, starting in the centre and out toward the edges, into a 5-inch (12 cm) circle. If you have the space, roll out as many buns as you can manage on your work surface, rolling in order.
- Remove the skillet from the oven (leave oven on) and place on stovetop over high heat; heat for 1 minute, then reduce heat to medium.
- Just before cooking, spray both sides of buns lightly with water. Place in the pan (fit in as many buns as you can in the pan without them touching) and cook on each side for 30 seconds. Transfer pan to the oven and bake buns for 2 minutes. Transfer buns to a wire rack to cool. Repeat with remaining buns, rolling out in batches and heating pan on stovetop between each batch.
- To serve, cut the buns open along the edge, about halfway around, with the tip of a small knife to create a pocket (like a pita). Remove meat from liquid using a slotted spoon; place on a cutting board (reserve liquid). Chop meat coarsely and stuff into the buns. Add a spoonful of the cooking liquid and cucumber, cilantro and chiles, as desired; serve immediately. (Alternatively, chop the cucumber, cilantro and chiles with the meat before stuffing into buns. Both ways are equally delicious.)
Notes
Tip* The “large green onions”, also called large scallions, look similar to a regular green onion or a small leek but are thicker and have a larger portion of white to green; Welsh onions are also called bunching onions or Japanese onions and have hollow leaves and a small white portion. Both are available at Asian grocery stores; small leeks can be used, as well.
** To make dough in a stand mixer: Combine flour, yeast, baking powder and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook. Add 2 tbsp (30 mL) oil and 1 cup (250 mL) room temperature water and mix on speed 1 to form a rough, shaggy dough. Cover and let rest for 10 minutes. Return to speed 1 and knead, adding more water, ½ tsp (2 mL) at a time, if necessary, until all the flour is incorporated (the dough will be very stiff). Knead on speed 1 for 3 to 4 minutes, until dough is smooth. Remove bowl from the mixer and roll dough into a ball. Leave dough in the bowl, cover with a damp cloth and let rest in a warm place for 40 minutes to 1 hour or until doubled in bulk.
Tip*** To roll the buns, a short, dowel-style rolling pin is traditionally used. This small tool can be manipulated with one hand while you turn the dough circle with the other and you can quickly change the direction you’re rolling. They can be purchased at Asian grocery stores and online. A regular rolling pin will work, too.
Tip**** The dough is quite elastic when rolling the thin strips so it helps to let them rest intermittently while you roll. Start rolling a few strips (in order) and switch from one to another to let the elastic relax on one while you roll the next two or three, then return to the first; this makes it easier to roll the strips thinly.
Any extra cooking liquid can be refrigerated or frozen in an airtight container and used to add a burst of flavour to soup.
