Apparently they don’t shy away from anything when it comes to Chinese cuisine. White radish cooked in Sprite is one such example that I discovered on Instagram today. The comments under the recipe were unflattering, especially because of the lemonade. A few years ago I discovered a recipe for this in a Peruvian cookbook Chicken with Cola. It’s still on my to-cook list. So it’s not just Chinese chefs who pour lemonade into their food. Then a renowned American food magazine came up with a recipe for a casserole dish Dr Pepper Limo introduced, I was finally inclined enough to give it a try.
Dr Pepper? I didn’t know this lemonade at all. I hardly ever drink lemonade and when I do, it’s something with currants or something like that. My research revealed that this is the… oldest lemonade of the United States. The caffeinated soft drink with flavors from supposedly 23 herbs has been around since 1885. The Krombacher Brewery secured the trademark rights for Germany in 2006. And certainly not too much invested in the advertising budget, because as already mentioned – I didn’t know this lemonade.
It’s in the exact spot in the supermarket where I never look. In addition to Cola and Co.
So this is supposed to be braised together with beef and vegetables? I wanted to try it. Beforehand, I took a quick sip of the lemonade and decided that it actually tasted a bit like cola that had been poured with a shot of Worchestershire sauce or Maggi. Not uninteresting. Still a little scary.
But – oh wonder! – what was simmering gently for 3 hours tasted incredibly good. There was a hint of sauerbraten but also spicy, hearty notes like an Asian braised dish and then the sweetness of the carrots and fennel. I would never have thought of it, but it was definitely worth the try and I will definitely cook it again.
Dr Pepper braised beef with spices, fennel and carrots
For three to four
2 tbsp neutral vegetable oil
1.2 kg beef goulash meat
1 scant tbsp sea salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 can of 0.33l Dr Pepper ®
80 ml tomato ketchup (ideally the one with less sugar from the health food store)
1.5 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
4 large cloves fresh garlic, finely sliced
2 tbsp mild white vinegar (Condimento Bianco)
1 tsp mustard powder
½ tsp ground ginger
a pinch of ground cloves
¼ tsp nutmeg
200g carrots, peeled and cut into bite-sized pieces
2 small fennel bulbs, cut into wedges
1 tsp cornstarch
fresh parsley for sprinkling
Goes well with mashed potatoes.
Pat the meat dry and season with salt. Heat the oil in a cast iron pot and fry the meat vigorously all over and then season with pepper.
Deglaze with the lemonade.
Add ketchup, mustard powder, vinegar, garlic and the spices.
Add the carrots and fennel to the pot too. Close the lid and simmer over a gentle heat for about 3 hours. Thicken with cornstarch as needed and season again if necessary.
Sprinkle with parsley before serving.
