Pot roast. It’s a dish that conjures images of mom’s cooking, cozy Sunday dinners with family, and cold wintery weather.
In other words, it’s the perfect thing to make for dinner right now, whether you’re looking for an easy Christmas meal or just a big vat of deliciousness for lunch or dinner any time this holiday week. My usual pot roast recipe is pretty traditional, involving red wine, herbs, and tomatoes. Today, though, I’m sharing a new “Asian Pot Roast” recipe, using many of the flavors from my own childhood.
This Asian pot roast shares a lot in common with the versions you’re probably familiar with. A thick, boneless chuck roast is first seared in a pan, and beef stock is added for braising. Instead of red wine, however, I used Shaoxing wine (you can also use a different rice wine or dry sherry if you can’t find Shaoxing wine).
The addition of ginger, scallions, and soy sauce give it an additional hint of “Asian” flavor, though the effect isn’t at all overpowering. In fact, I find that what the soy sauce does is add an extra layer of umami––rather than making the overall dish taste Chinese. Make it, and you’ll see what I mean.
Obligatory in my mind, however, is that this Asian pot roast be served over rice. You could serve it with potatoes or egg noodles, but me being me, rice is my starchy vehicle of choice.
The whole Asian pot roast idea was a huge hit in my house, and with my parents’ friends, when they made it for a dinner party recently. Give it a try, and let us know what you think of this twist in the comments!
You’ll need:
- 4-pound boneless beef chuck roast
- 2 tablespoons vegetable or canola oil
- 3 slices ginger, mashed
- 2 medium onions, thinly sliced
- 5 cloves garlic, peeled and smashed
- 2 cups beef stock
- 1/3 cup shaoxing wine or dry sherry
- 3 tablespoons soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon dark soy sauce
- 2 teaspoons sugar
- 5 medium carrots
- 3 scallions, cut into 2-inch lengths
- 1 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch, dissolved into ¼ cup water
Pat the beef dry with a paper towel. Heat the oil in a large skillet or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the roast and sear for 5 minutes on each side, until browned.
Add the ginger and cook for 2 minutes, until fragrant. Add the onions, garlic, beef stock, wine, soy sauce, dark soy sauce, and sugar.
Bring to a boil. Turn down the heat to low, cover, and simmer for 1 hour and 30 minutes.
After an hour and 30 minutes has elapsed, stir in the carrots, cover, and simmer for another hour.
Uncover, and stir in the scallions and cornstarch mixture.
Continue to simmer, stirring gently, until the sauce has thickened and the scallions have wilted (about 2-3 minutes).
Serve your Asian Pot Roast with rice or mashed potatoes!
- 4-pound boneless beef chuck roast
- 2 tablespoons vegetable or canola oil
- 3 slices ginger, mashed
- 2 medium onions, thinly sliced
- 5 cloves garlic, peeled and smashed
- 2 cups beef stock
- ⅓ cup shaoxing wine or dry sherry
- 3 tablespoons soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon dark soy sauce
- 2 teaspoons sugar
- 5 medium carrots
- 3 scallions, cut into 2-inch lengths
- 1½ tablespoons cornstarch, dissolved into ¼ cup water
- Pat the beef dry with a paper towel. Heat the oil in a large skillet or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the roast and sear for 5 minutes on each side, until browned.
- Add the ginger and cook for 2 minutes, until fragrant. Add the onions, garlic, beef stock, wine, soy sauce, dark soy sauce, and sugar. Bring to a boil. Turn down the heat to low, cover, and simmer for 1 hour and 30 minutes.
- After an hour and 30 minutes has elapsed, stir in the carrots, cover, and simmer for another hour. Uncover, and stir in the scallions and cornstarch mixture. Continue to simmer, stirring gently, until the sauce has thickened and the scallions have wilted (about 2-3 minutes). Serve!
Sarah says
I added Chinese 5 Spice to mine to give it a more rich, spiced “Asian” flavor – so, so good for a cozy night in with a glass of red wine.
Bill says
Hi Sarah, a little extra 5 spice never hurts and this dish sounds even better served with a glass of red wine – yasss!
myearlyretirementjourney says
Anyone try this in a crockpot? That’s what I’m looking for this fall…new ideas for the crockpot…
Sarah says
This recipes does seem like a good fit for a crockpot, as long as it’s big enough to fit all the beef! If not, you could totally cut it into smaller pieces.
Susan says
Made this today for Sunday supper. To give it a more Asian taste added two star anise, cinnamon stick and three green cardamom pods to the simmer, tasted great. I suggest coconut rice and a sauté of Asians greens, garlic and oyster sauce as a side.
Sarah says
So glad you liked it, Susan! Thanks for sharing your experience. :)
Wai says
Try putting some kosher salt and cracked black pepper on the roast before Browning. I cut the soy sauce back by one tablespoon to compensate and I increased the black soy sauce by a half tablespoonful. I used brown sugar instead of regular sugar. I also used a larger cast iron pot for the roast You can always add one cup of beef broth at the end if not enough liquid. I tried to take the meat out of the pot then I thickened it with cornstarch… it came out pretty good. I also put mine in the oven at 350 for 3 hours covered without touching it for the 3 hours. Try it again!!
Sarah says
Nice, thanks for sharing your recipe tweaks!
Hungry in San Francisco says
Hi there, I enjoy reading your family’s blog. I find your glossary on various veggies and sauces extremely helpful as I grew up in the USA and only know some of the names in chinese. I want to tell you that I tried making this pot roast recipe today and found that my broth does not look red like yours does in the picture. Mine is dark brown. Also my broth only covers only half of the chuck roast and yours seem to cover the whole piece of meat even though I bought the amount specified in your recipe. Lastly, the meat has only a little bit of flavor, but the broth is good, but salty.
Amy says
Having the same problem with broth only covering 1/2 the roast.
Sarah says
Hey Amy, the roast does not actually have to be completely submerged in liquid!
Sarah says
Hey Tina, what brand of dark soy sauce did you end up using? This can affect the color of the dish––the level of the broth in the pan does depend on the size and shape of the pan used. Yours might have been wider than mine. That said, the meat does not necessarily have to be completely submerged in liquid. Just flip it over a couple times during cooking to get an even doneness. If the broth was too salty for your liking, you can back off the soy sauce a bit!