中文菜谱：

烤牛筋串

Beef tendon is a rare ingredient in American grocery market. But it is quite popular in Asian market for its unique texture. Beef tendon has very tough tissue. Maybe that is why it is underappreciated in American market. After a long simmering/ cooking time, it becomes tender, gelatinous, still a bit chewy, with a mild beefy flavor. We put it in broths, noodle soups, porridges, stir-fries, even meatballs.

It is only until very recently that I discovered it tastes excellent even grilled! Wow! I am telling everyone I know that how good it is. And I am going to show you a great way to grill beef tendon.

Ingredients：

2 large pieces of beef tendon (weighs between 1 1/2 to 2 lbs)
1 to 2 tablespoons rice cooking wine
1 large piece of ginger root, smashed
1 spice & herb bag
water for cleaning and cooking
salt to taste

Ingredients for spice & herb bag：

3 to 4 star anises
1 teaspoon Sichuan pepper corns
1 black cardamom pod, smashed
4 to 5 cloves
3 to 4 bay leaves
1 teaspoon dried ginger
a handful of dried red chili peppers, cut into pieces

Directions：

Add star anises, Sichuan peppercorns, cardamom, dried ginger, cloves, bay leaves, chili peppers to a piece of coffee filter paper. Wrap and tie it up to be a spice bag.

Rinse the beef tendon. Trim off any excessive fat if necessary.

Add beef tendon along with water, ginger, rice cooking wine, spice bag and salt to an instant pot pressure cooker. Cook with high pressure setting for 40 to 50 minutes. Beef tendon is become tender but still pretty chewy and al-dente which I like very much after 40 minutes’ cooking. If you prefer softer texture, just cook 5 to 10 minutes longer.