Finely minced beef braised low-and-slow with soy sauce, five-spice, fried shallots, and rock sugar until it becomes a glossy, unctuous topping cascading over a bowl of hot steamed rice.
Ingredients
500g ground beef (coarsely minced)
80g fried shallots
4 cloves garlic, minced
3 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp dark soy sauce
1 tbsp rice wine
1 tbsp rock sugar
1 tsp five-spice powder
1 tsp white pepper
300ml water
4 cups cooked steamed rice
Soft-boiled eggs
Pickled daikon
Instructions
1In a heavy pot, cook ground beef over medium-high heat, breaking it into fine pieces, until browned — about 5 minutes.
2Add garlic and fried shallots. Stir for 1 minute until fragrant.
3Add soy sauces, rice wine, rock sugar, five-spice, and white pepper. Stir to coat the meat.
4Add water, bring to a boil, then reduce to a low simmer. Cover and cook for 40 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the sauce is reduced and glossy.
5Spoon the braised beef generously over bowls of hot steamed rice. Top with a halved soft-boiled egg and pickled daikon on the side.
Did You Know?
Lu rou fan is so fundamental to Taiwanese identity that when officials debated declaring it the national dish, it sparked passionate island-wide arguments about which region makes the best version.