Papis

Method

1. Use cleaned food-grade tendon from a butcher. If it is too hard to cut safely, leave it in larger pieces until tender rather than forcing a knife through it. Pat the beef dry and prepare a heavy pot with a well-fitting lid.
2. Heat oil over medium-high heat and brown the beef in two batches, about 5 minutes per batch. Remove temporarily. Lower the heat, soften onion for 3 minutes and add garlic for 30 seconds, loosening browned juices with a spoonful of water.
3. Return beef and add tendon, water, bay leaf, pepper and the initial fish sauce. Bring to a boil, skim foam, then reduce to a very gentle simmer. Cover partly and cook for about 3–4 hours, checking liquid level every 30 minutes.
4. Add boiling water as needed so the meat stays mostly covered. Test beef and tendon separately: beef should yield to a fork, while tendon should be soft and gelatinous rather than rubbery. If one is ready first, remove it and continue cooking the other.
5. When both are tender, cut any large tendon pieces with kitchen shears or a knife once cool enough to handle, then return them to the pot. Reduce excess broth uncovered until about 500–600 ml remains around the meat.
6. Add the canned pork and beans with all their sauce. Simmer gently for 8–10 minutes, stirring carefully so the beans retain shape. Taste before adding any more fish sauce; canned products vary in sweetness and salt. Remove the bay leaf.
7. Serve with plain rice. Divide leftovers into shallow containers and refrigerate within 2 hours; use within 3 days. The broth gels when cold because of the tendon, which is expected. Reheat once to 74°C with a little water to loosen.