Five Spice and Soy Braised Beef Shank (卤牛肉)

Ingredients:

• 2 kg Beef Shank - About 3 pieces
• 1 cup Light Soy Sauce (生抽)
• 1/2 cup Sweet Bean Sauce (甜面酱)
• 1 big piece or 1.5 Tsp Fermented Bean Curd (豆腐乳)
• 4 big slices of ginger - About an inch-sized
• 1/4 of medium sized onion
• Salt to taste
• Spices:
• 1 Tsp Sichuan Peppercorn
• 3 pieces of Star Anise
• 1 Cinnamon Stick
• 3 Dried Chili
• 4  Bay Leaves
• 1 Black Cardamom or 1 Nutmeg
• 1 tsp Fennel Seeds

• Optional: 
• If you want to braise Tofu and Eggs after braising beef then prepare these as well.  The juice after braising beef could be reused for braising Tofu and Egg
• 1 cube of Tofu
• 6-8 eggs

Preparation:

1. Put beef shank in a big bowl, fill the water to cover them and soak for about 3 hours.  This is to remove blood from beef shank
2. After 3 hours, drain water and thoroughly clean and wash beef shank.  Put them back into the bowl.  Add 1 cup of light soy sauce.  Cover it with plastic wrap and refrigerate it overnight.  This is to marinade beef for the flavor.
3. Right before cooking, gather all aforementioned spices in a small bowl.
4. Slice ginger and set aside.
5. Cut the onion into quarters.  Set aside one quarter.
6. Optional:
7. Cut the Tofu into quarters (ie- 4 big pieces)
8. Boil eggs for about 15 minutes. Let cool and remove shells and set aside.

Putting Everything Together:

1. Transfer marinated beef shank from the bowl into 7 Qt pot.  Pour in soy sauce from the bowl.  Add water to cover beef shank.  The water should be at least an inch above beef shank.  This is to allow enough water left in the pot after evaporation during cooking.  Put the wok in high heat and let the water boil.  
2. Once boiled, turn the heat to medium.  Remove blood scum as much as possible.  
3. Add spices that are prepared in a small bowl into the boiling pot.
4. Add sliced ginger and an onion quarter.
5. Add sweet bean sauce and fermented bean curd as well.
6. When the water gets boiled, taste the soup and add salt if needed.  Start with 1/2 tsp and add more as needed.
7. Turn the heat to low and simmer mode.  Cover the pot with the lid and cook for at least 2.5 hours to 3 hours.
8. After 3 hours, poke through a beef shank with a chopstick. If you could poke through it the it's done.
9. Turn the heat off.  Take the beef shank out from the soup, transfer them to a plate, and let cool.  
10. Refrigerate them overnight before cutting.  Refrigeration overnight allows cutting the beef shank into small thin slices.
11. If you wan to braise tofu or boiled egg, add them to the soup after taking beef out.  Braise them for about 45 minutes to an hour.