Keto Chinese Braised Beef and Zucchini Noodles

Keto Chinese Braised Beef is made extra tender in an Instant Pot (if you do not own one, you can braise this dish in a Dutch oven instead). The tender beef is seasoned with Shaoxing wine, soy sauce, five-spice powder, and garlic. The final dish is thickened slightly with arrowroot powder to glaze the meat. The deliciously tender beef is served on top of somewhat crunchy zucchini noodles. Braised beef is a great make-ahead meal as you can double the recipe and divide it out for individual servings/meals.

What kind of beef should I use?

Please use beef stew meat which has already been cut and makes it very convenient to use.

Where can I find Chinese five-spice powder?

You can find Chinese five-spice powder at Asian grocery stores and most supermarkets.

I want to avoid soy. What can I use?

Please use coconut aminos instead, but add a little more salt to the recipe as it has a lower sodium content than soy sauce.

Serving suggestions

Serve Keto Chinese Braised Beef and Noodles with Traditional Chinese Walnut cookies:

https://www.carbmanager.com/recipe-detail/ug:920f3c74-bc4d-094b-f74c-857a4b21b67d/keto-chinese-walnut-cookies

Net Carbs

5.5 g
Fiber

1.8 g
Total Carbs

7.3 g
Protein

51.2 g
Fats

15.7 g

370 cals

Quantity

Serving Size

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Extra virgin olive oil

3 tbsp
Beef Chuck For Stew Separable Lean And Fat All Grades Raw

4 lb
Coarse Kosher Salt

2.25 tsp
Shaoxing Rice Wine

4 tbsp
Tamari sauce

2 tbsp
Sweeteners Sugar Substitute Granulated Brown

2 tbsp
Ginger

3 slice - 1" diameter
Scallions or spring onions, tops and bulb, raw

2 large
Five Spice Powder

2 tsp
Garlic Raw

5 cloves
Arrowroot Flour

2 tbsp
Water

0.25 cup
Zucchini

32 oz

Step 1

Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add in the olive oil and swirl the pan. Add in ½ of the stew meat and ½ of the kosher salt. Allow the meat to cook on the first side for several minutes (upwards of 10 minutes), turning the heat to medium. Do not disturb the meat until then.
Step 2

Once the time has elapsed, give the meat a toss.
Step 3

Cook for another 3-4 minutes, then deglaze the pan with half of the Shaoxing wine. Pour the beef into the bottom of an instant pot bowl and repeat with the remaining meat.
Step 4

To the Instant Pot bowl, add in soy sauce, five-spice powder, sweetener, scallions, ginger, and garlic cloves. Stir. Cook on high pressure for 1 ½ hour. If there is not enough liquid from the cooked meat, add 1-2 cups of water to the bottom of the pot.
Step 5

Once time has elapsed, add two tablespoons of arrowroot powder to a small bowl and combine with two tablespoons of cool water. Add to the pot and stir it. Place the lid onto the Instant Pot and set it on high for one minute to cook the starch. Alternatively, you can thicken the meat in a saucepan instead.
Step 6

In the meantime, spiralize the zucchini noodles and set them aside in the fridge. Right before serving, add a couple of pinches of salt to them and cook them in the microwave in 30-second intervals until slightly cooked. Serve noodles with hot Chinese braised beef and sauce.