This Versatile Taiwanese Braising Liquid Makes Pretty Much Everything Taste Great

Usually, I can smell it before I see it: the sweet, savory fragrance of a braise that draws me in like a comforting memory of home. I follow the scent to find a cauldron with its sides crusted over; within it is dark brown broth with chunks of pork belly, whole beef shanks, and sometimes, a vegetarian cornucopia of eggs, bean curd, kelp, and daikon radish. The fragrant liquid in question is a master braise (lǔ wèi 滷味), a cornerstone of Taiwanese cuisine. It is what powers our beef noodle soups and our braised minced pork belly over rice. The meats in the braise are simmered in a rich blend of spices and soy sauce for several hours until tender and packed with flavor.

One of the key tenets of Taiwanese cuisine is to stretch ingredients as much as possible—an ethos of resourcefulness shaped by food scarcity and economic frugality. About a century ago, many households began keeping a master braise simmering continuously. This flavorful stock of soy sauce, star anise, cinnamon, tangerine peels, and sugar was—and still is—used repeatedly to impart deep layered flavor to each dish it's used for, and the braising liquid itself becomes more flavorful with each use. 

At minimum, a master braise should have soy sauce, water, and sugar. Rice wine adds a mild earthiness. Fresh ginger and dried spices, such as star anise, peppercorns, and cardamom pods are entirely optional, but heighten the flavor of the braise and give it a warm complexity. Vegetables, such as daikon, tomatoes, and carrots, bring in extra depth and sweetness.

Some restaurants still keep their eternal cauldrons bubbling in an electric steamer that’s always plugged in. Today, most home cooks freeze the leftover braising liquid to extend its lifespan. They’ll use a few cups to enrich future batches, then refreeze it, continuing the cycle much like maintaining a sourdough starter.

For a Deeply Flavored Braise, Use Both Soy Sauce and Soy Paste

The most complex braises use at least two kinds of soy sauce: a regular soy sauce and soy paste. In Taiwan, the default brand is Kimlan, a naturally brewed soy sauce with a noticeable hit of licorice. If you can’t find Kimlan, Kikkoman is a great alternative. These are both neutral soy sauces with just the right levels of salinity for a braise. 

Since soy sauce is the core flavor in a braise, using multiple brands or styles creates a richer, more layered profile—which is why most people use more than one sauce to make their braises. In Taiwan, soy paste—a thicker, darker, and more viscous variant of soy sauce—is often used for this purpose. Oyster sauce also works well; it imparts a sweet, briny note. You could even use a completely different type of soy sauce all together, like one made from black soybeans, which imparts a funky depth of flavor.

The Best Ratio of Soy Sauce to Water

The most difficult part of making a master braise is getting the soy sauce to water ratio just right. Too much water, and the braise will be bland. Too much soy sauce, and you risk your braise becoming too salty. What makes it even trickier is that the best ratio to use will depend on what you’re braising. Kelp, for example, is much more absorbent than proteins like beef shank, and fattier cuts of meat like pork belly require less liquid to coax out flavor because the rendered fat enriches the braise. Over the years, I’ve found that braising liquids containing about 13 to 20% soy sauce—which includes soy paste or oyster sauce—produce the most delicious braise.

What Can I Braise?

A master braise is incredibly versatile. The ingredients in my recipe below—beef shanks, egg, kelp, and bean curd—are a great starting point because they’re easy to work with and produce a deeply flavorful braise. Beef shanks enrich the braising liquid, turning it into a savory broth with good body. Kombu (a type of kelp) adds brininess and retains a pleasant crunch even after it’s been braised. Bean curd, which is often referred to as extra-firm tofu, soaks up the liquid beautifully, and the eggs take on a pleasant coffee-colored stain.

You can also use the liquid to poach other meats and vegetables of your choice. Pork belly is another classic ingredient, but it usually gets its own dedicated pot because of all the fat it releases during the cooking process. While proteins like pork, chicken, and beef work well, it's best to avoid fish and game meats if you plan to reuse the braising liquid, because they can impart an off flavor to future dishes.

You can opt for thick mushrooms such as king oyster or lion’s mane, or crunchy vegetables such as daikon radish, broccoli florets, or baby corn. Just make sure you keep an eye on timing for all of these ingredients: The vegetables can’t be simmered for too long, as they’ll become soggy and disintegrate.

Also, make sure you’re not overcrowding your pot. Add the ingredients in batches, and stagger them so that they’re not all simmering in there together.

How to Reuse the Braising Liquid

The braising liquid can be reused indefinitely, and with each subsequent braise, the flavors will get increasingly intense. To reuse, strain the liquid from a sieve into a food-safe storage container, discard the spices, and refrigerate the liquid for up to a week or freeze it in a tightly sealed container. (Foods can be safely frozen indefinitely, but flavor can suffer over time, so you should ideally use your frozen braising liquid within three months.) If you’re running low on the liquid, top it off with more water. I like to keep a frozen block of leftover braising liquid in the freezer at all times. To use it, I just defrost it and, if I have a fresh batch on the stove, I will marry the two.

How to Serve the Braised Foods

Traditionally, these braised ingredients are served as cold appetizers—something to hold the table over while the main meal is being prepped. I, however, am perfectly content enjoying the braise as a meal on its own with rice or even incorporating the individual elements into other dishes. 

I often cut up the beef shanks and eat them with dry sesame noodles and chili crisp, and serve the braised kelp, tofu, and egg on top of egg fried rice drizzled with diluted sweet soy paste. There’s really no right or wrong way to eat it; think of it as a living, dynamic asset to your home kitchen. It’s easily adaptable, and best of all: It gets better the more you use it.

In a large bowl, cover dried kombu with water, and soak until pliable, about 30 minutes. Lift kombu out of the bowl; reserve liquid for another use. (See notes below for suggestions on using the reserved liquid.) If rehydrated kombu pieces are more than 12 inches (30 cm) long, cut each in half cross-wise. Lay kombu pieces on cutting board, roll each piece tightly, and pierce a toothpick through each roll to secure; set aside.

In a large pot, combine beef shanks with enough water to cover. Bring water to a boil over high heat, then reduce heat to medium and simmer until the beef lightens in color, about 5 minutes. Using a colander, drain beef shanks, and rinse beef under cool running water to rid meat of any scum. Set aside.

Using a toothpick, cake tester, or skewer, poke multiple holes all the way through each strip of tofu. (There’s no such thing as too many holes, but aim for about 10 per strip. The holes will help the bean curd absorb the braising liquid.)

In a large pot, bring 10 cups (2.4L) water to a rolling boil over high heat. Add the soy sauce, soy paste or oyster sauce, rice wine, sugar, garlic, scallions, ginger, star anise, cinnamon, and tangerine peels, followed by the beef.

Cover and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and gently simmer, turning the beef occasionally to ensure it’s exposed to the braising liquid on all sides, until beef is tender and a knife can easily pierce the meat with little to no resistance, 2 to 3 hours. Remove from heat.

Using tongs, carefully place beef shank in a large food-safe container. Add enough braising liquid to keep the beef submerged; leave remaining braising liquid in the pot. (You may have to cut the beef shank in half and store it in two separate containers.) Let cool to room temperature, about 40 minutes, then cover and refrigerate.

Add rehydrated kelp and bean curd to the pot with the remaining braising liquid. Cover and slowly simmer over low heat until the kelp is tender but still chewy, about 30 minutes. Using tongs, carefully remove kelp and place in a medium food-safe container; set aside. Let cool, about 40 minutes, then refrigerate. 

Remove braising liquid from heat and add eggs. Let braising liquid cool, uncovered, to room temperature, 1 to 2 hours, then remove eggs and tofufrom the pot and set aside on plate. Using a fine-mesh sieve, strain braising liquid into a large, clean bowl. Discard solids; reserve the liquid.

Remove kelp from refrigerator and uncover container. Lightly dress kelp with 1/4 cup braising liquid. (The kelp should only be lightly dressed with the braising liquid; it might disintegrate if soaked in it for too long.) In a separate medium container, combine the bean curd and eggs, and top with enough braising liquid to cover completely.

Refrigerate beef shanks, kelp, bean curd, and eggs until fully chilled, about 2 hours. Refrigerate or freeze excess braising liquid in an airtight container.

To Serve: Thinly slice beef shank against the grain into 1/4-inch slices. Remove the toothpicks from the kelp, and cut kelp cross-wise into strips that are 1-inch (2 1/2-cm) thick. Slice the bean curd into 1/2-inch (1-cm) thick pieces. Halve eggs. Arrange ingredients neatly on a serving platter. Spoon a bit of the braising liquid all over, then drizzle with sesame oil to taste. Garnish with cilantro.

Special Equipment

Large pot, tongs, fine-mesh sieve, food-safe containers, toothpicks

Notes

This dish is typically served at room temperature or cold. Leftover kombu soaking liquid can be used as stock for soups.

Make-Ahead and Storage

Once strained and cooled, the braising liquid can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 1 week or frozen for 3 months.