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.
What Makes This Pot Roast Asian?
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!
Asian Pot Roast: Recipe Instructions
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, Shaoxing 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!
Asian Pot Roast: A New Take on a Classic Sunday Dinner
Ingredients
- 4 pounds boneless beef chuck roast (1.8 kg)
- 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)
Instructions
- 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!
nutrition facts
Loved it! Followed the recipe with one small twist. I browned it in a cast iron dutch oven on the stove top and then after adding spices and broth finished in the oven at 300. Perfect!
Thanks so much for the review and kind feedback!
Everyone said this was very tasty, but that it just tasted like traditional pot roast & no one (out of 9 people) could detect ginger/Asian flavors, which is a bummer, because I was expecting something unique & different. I love the idea though💙
Hi Katie, you’re right that this isn’t hit you over the head “Asian.” I would try our Cantonese Braised Beef with Daikon if you’re looking for something like that: https://thewoksoflife.com/instant-pot-braised-beef-radish/
Oh dear! My mistake. When I reread the recipe I forgot that I added cardamom pods, a cinnamon stick and Star anise that another reader added. Everything else I did according to the recipe The addition of those items give it a very authentic Chinese dish. So wonderful!
Glad you enjoyed the dish, Barb!
Made this for supper–we had company. Definitely a hit. I used red wine in place of the sherry. I didn’t have dark soy, so just used what I had.
Glad everyone enjoyed this, Merie!
This is one of the very best roasts I have ever cooked. The sauce is fantastic with so much flavor and the carrots got rave reviews at the table. I used an eye of round roast and it was so good. I followed the directions as written and served over rice. Am making again tomorrow.
Thank you for the stellar review, Barb!
SO GLAD I FOUND YOUR RECIPES. QUESTION, CAN I USE THE REGULAR SOY SAUCE I ALWAYS HAVE.COOKING FOR TWO I DON’T BUY ALL OF THEM.
Hi Mary, yes you can. I would just use 3 tablespoons, and omit the dark soy sauce. You won’t get quite as dark a color, but it’ll still be tasty!