Asian Flavor Beef Short Ribs

    Today's flavor treat is Asian flavor beef short ribs served with white rice and peas and the whole garlic cloves from the cooking sauce. The sauce from the short ribs is sieved into a small sauce pan, heated, thickened and served over the short ribs to provide the complex sweet, sour and spicy flavor.
     We didn't notice before we started that we had used up all of our ginger root on a previous dish; but next time we make this, we will include a half inch or so of the grated root added at the beginning. In any event, the cooking sauce makes a delicious sauce for the short ribs and the cooked garlic is even better than roasted garlic.

Serves:           2
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time:   3 hours and 30 minutes, 30 minutes active

INGREDIENTS:
2 pounds of bone-in beef short ribs
2 tablespoons of sesame oil
2 cups of beef stock
1 cup of rice vinegar
½ cup of tamari sauce
1 head of garlic with cloves separated, skinned and left whole
some fresh bay leaves; I use 4 to 6
some sea salt
some granulated garlic
1 tablespoon of whole black peppercorns, placed in a tea ball
1 teaspoon sriraca pepper sauce
2 tablespoons Asian plum sauce
2T cornstarch

PREPARATION:
1. Mix the liquids, pepper and plum sauce and set aside at room temperature while you brown the short ribs.
2. Pat any moisture from the short ribs, season with salt and granulated garlic and brown on both sides in a 3 ½ quart Dutch oven the remove and set aside.
3. Let the Dutch oven cool a little, then pour in about one third of the liquids and scrape the bottom bits loose with a wood or plastic spoon. Add the rest of the liquid, the garlic, bay leaves, peppercorn tea ball and the short ribs.
4. Bring to a light boil then reduce to a medium simmer and cook for two hours covered, checking occasionally for liquid level, stirring and turning the ribs. Open the lid a little and cook for another hour so some of the liquid can boil off.
5. Remove the short ribs and garlic, remove the bones from the ribs and reserve the meat and garlic in a warm oven about 175 to 200*F while you prepare the sauce and whatever side dish you will serve.
6. Strain about 1 cup of the pan liquids into a small sauce pan. Remove as much oil as you can from the surface and mix half with 2 tablespoons cornstarch. Return the cornstarch mixture to the saucepan and heat while stirring until it thickens. Remove from heat and prepare to serve.

SERVING:
1. Serve with your side dish on warm plates. The short ribs look best covered in the thick, rich, savory sauce that you have prepared; and the sauce can be used to augment the flavor of most side dishes. But be careful not to overwhelm any delicate vegetables like peas.

2. The cooked garlic cloves will have the consistency of roasted garlic with even better flavor, and can be spread on pieces of a baguette, Italian or French bread. However they are delicious just eaten with the meal.

Bon appetit,
Tom and Anita