Taiwanese Beef Rolls with Five-Spice Braised Shank

⏱ 210 min · Serves 4

Flaky scallion pancakes wrapped around melting five-spice braised beef shank, sweet bean sauce, crunchy cucumber and a fistful of coriander. It's the ultimate Taiwanese night-market snack — a weekend project that eats like street food royalty.

Per serving: 785 kcal · 52.0g protein · 68.0g carbs · 34.0g fat

Ingredients

• 800g beef shank (whole muscle, sinew intact)
• 2 tbsp vegetable oil
• 4 spring onions, cut into lengths
• 5cm piece ginger, sliced
• 4 garlic cloves, smashed
• 2 star anise
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 1 tsp Sichuan peppercorns
• 1 tsp five-spice powder
• 2 dried red chillies
• 120ml light soy sauce
• 2 tbsp dark soy sauce
• 2 tbsp Shaoxing wine
• 1 tbsp rock sugar (or brown sugar)
• 900ml water
• For the scallion pancakes:
• 300g plain flour
• 190ml boiling water
• 3 tbsp toasted sesame oil
• 2 tbsp plain flour (for the roux paste)
• 1 tsp fine salt
• 6 spring onions, finely sliced
• 3 tbsp neutral oil, for frying
• To assemble:
• 4 tbsp tianmianjiang (sweet bean sauce) or hoisin
• 1 tsp chilli oil (optional)
• 1 cucumber, cut into batons
• 1 large handful coriander sprigs
• 2 spring onions, shredded

Method

1. Heat the vegetable oil in a heavy pot and brown the beef shank all over, 6–8 minutes. Remove.
2. Add spring onion lengths, ginger, garlic, star anise, cinnamon, Sichuan peppercorns, five-spice and chillies; fry 1 minute until fragrant.
3. Return the beef with both soy sauces, Shaoxing wine, sugar and water. Bring to a boil, then cover and simmer very gently for 2–2.5 hours, turning occasionally, until a skewer slides in easily.
4. Cool the beef in its braise, then chill at least 1 hour (or overnight) so it slices cleanly. Reduce 200ml of the strained braise to a glossy syrup.
5. Meanwhile, make the dough: mix the 300g flour and salt, pour in the boiling water and stir to a shaggy mass. Knead 5 minutes until smooth, cover and rest 30 minutes.
6. Stir the sesame oil with the 2 tbsp flour to make a loose paste. Divide dough into 4. Roll each very thin, brush with the paste, scatter with spring onions, roll into a rope, coil into a snail, then flatten and roll out to a 20cm round.
7. Fry each pancake in a little oil over medium heat, 2–3 minutes per side, until blistered and golden. Keep warm.
8. Slice the chilled beef thinly across the grain and warm it briefly in the reduced braise.
9. Spread each pancake with sweet bean sauce and a little chilli oil. Lay beef down the centre, add cucumber, coriander and shredded spring onion.
10. Roll up tightly, cut into 4–5 pieces on a slight angle and serve immediately with extra sauce.