P
Chinese · Sichuan Province
Sichuan Braised Beef Tendon with Chili Oil (Liang Ban Niu Jin)
Liang ban niu jin — cold-dressed beef tendon — is a Sichuan cold starter that showcases the transformative power of slow braising followed by chilling and dressing. Tendon is braised in master stock with aromatic spices for 3+ hours until gelatinous and yielding, chilled until firm, then sliced thin and dressed with chili oil, vinegar, sesame paste, soy, and fresh aromatics.
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I
The Market List
The benchmark for each ingredient, and who stocks it near you. Tap a stockist to go straight to the product.
800 g
beef tendon
whole pieces, trimmed of excess fat
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
For the master stock
2 litres
water
Your own market
3
star anise
Your own market
1
cinnamon stick
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
2
bay leaves
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
1 tsp
Sichuan peppercorns
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
3
dried red chillies
whole
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
3 tbsp
soy sauce
2 tbsp
Shaoxing rice wine
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
1
2
spring onion stalks
bruised
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
For the dressing
3 tbsp
Sichuan chili oil
with sediment
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
1 tbsp
Chinkiang black vinegar
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
1 tbsp
sesame paste
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
1 tbsp
soy sauce
2 cloves
garlic
minced to a paste
Your own market
2
spring onions
finely sliced on the bias
Your own market
To garnish
1 small bunch
coriander (cilantro)
roughly torn
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
1 tsp
sesame seeds
toasted
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
Each tap is counted, so the stockist sees the demand Provenance sends them.
II
The Method
1
Place the beef tendon in a pot of cold water. Bring to the boil and blanch for 5 minutes. Drain and rinse under cold running water. The surface should be clean and grey, with no blood foam remaining.
2
Return the tendon to the pot with all master stock ingredients. Bring to the boil, then reduce to a low simmer. Braise, covered, for a minimum of 3 hours, turning the tendon once at the midpoint. This is where the dish lives or dies: the tendon must be gelatinous and yielding throughout — press a piece with a chopstick; it should give without resistance and feel uniformly soft. Any chewiness means it requires more time.
From the canon — Lu shui — master stock or "brine" — is the Chinese preparation of a spiced, soy-based liquid used repeatedly for braising proteins over years, each addition … Master Stock (Lu Shui): The Living Broth →
3
Remove the tendon from the stock and allow it to cool briefly. Transfer to a container, submerge in enough strained braising liquid to cover, and refrigerate overnight. The tendon is ready when it has firmed completely and holds a clean edge when pressed — it will feel dense and cold throughout.
4
Lift the tendon from the chilled stock. Using a sharp knife, slice it across the grain into pieces 2–3 mm thick. The slices should be translucent and hold their shape cleanly on the board. Reserve the braising stock for a subsequent braise or soup base.
5
Combine the chili oil (with its sediment), Chinkiang vinegar, sesame paste, soy sauce, and minced garlic in a bowl. Mix until the sesame paste is fully incorporated into the other liquids — the dressing should be cohesive, glossy, and brick-red.
From the canon — Chinkiang vinegar (镇江醋, Zhenjiang hei cu, Zhenjiang black vinegar) is China's most celebrated vinegar — a dark, complex, aged rice vinegar produced in Zhenji… Chinkiang Vinegar (镇江醋 Zhenjiang Hei Cu) — The Black Vinegar of Jiangsu →
6
Arrange the cold tendon slices on a serving plate. Spoon the room-temperature dressing evenly over the surface. Scatter the sliced spring onions, torn coriander, and sesame seeds over the top. The dish is dressed and ready to serve when the aroma of chili oil and garlic rises immediately from the plate.
III
Quality Hierarchy
01
Reserve — Tendon from a single dry-aged beef source, braised in a long-established master stock re-enriched over multiple uses; house-made chili oil from a named Sichuan varietal; aged Chinkiang vinegar.
02
Estate — Butcher-sourced fresh tendon; master stock built from scratch with whole dried spices; a high-quality commercial chili oil with visible sediment; Chinkiang vinegar of reliable provenance.
03
Market — Fresh tendon from a Chinese or Asian butcher; standard dried aromatic spices; widely available chili oil; standard Chinkiang vinegar from any Asian grocer.
04
House — Frozen tendon, fully thawed before use; pre-mixed five-spice in place of whole spices; chili flakes in neutral oil substituted for chili oil; rice vinegar in place of Chinkiang.
IV
Sensory Tests
◇Touch. A chopstick pressed into the braised tendon meets no resistance; the piece gives uniformly with no rubbery core.
◇Touch. After overnight chilling, the tendon is firm and cold throughout and holds a clean edge under the knife.
◇Sight. Slices cut at 2–3 mm are translucent and maintain their shape on the board without collapsing.
◇Smell. Chili oil and garlic rise immediately from the dressed plate, signalling the dressing is at room temperature and active.
◇Where it lives or dies. The tendon must be braised until gelatinous and yielding throughout — any residual chewiness renders the dish unservable in this format.
Pillar V
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The dishes this one teaches you, across the cuisines — on every recipe.
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VI
What to Pour
A lightly oxidative, off-dry Chenin Blanc or a cold Shaoxing rice wine served neat; both have the acidity and faint sweetness to bracket the chili heat and vinegar. A cold Tsingtao-style lager is the conventional table pairing and cuts the sesame richness cleanly.
The whole pairingPillar VII
Origin and lineage are part of membership.
Where the dish comes from and how it came to be — on every recipe.
Enter · from $49 a year
Sourced through Provenance