Braising

Braising imparts a lot of flavor and generally cooks things until they are soft and tender. This is probably not culinarily accurate, but in my mind the difference between a boil and a braise is the lid. The lid traps flavor, keeps moisture, and increases air pressure, making the boiling point higher, causing the food to break down at a higher temperature. Furthermore, a braise generally has a lot more flavor than simply salt water, whether it's more spices, stocks, or aromatics, and over the whole cook time, those flavors penetrate the main ingredients of the braise.

Because braising happens over a long period of time, it's important to time the addition of your braise ingredients. Things like carrots or potatoes might become mushy if braised too long, so add it later in the process. Meat like chicken or beef can be braised for pretty much the whole time since it will continue to tenderize, the fat will render and gelatinize, and flavor will go throughout the braise. It is possible to over-braise meat too, when the meat is still dry and chewy even though it sits in a lot of liquid. All of these timings will heavily depend on your feelings.

I like to think of braising with the following template:

1. Season meat, and sear it in some oil. Make sure it's seared on all sides to lock in juices and create some fond (extra flavor) 1. Add in aromatics (garlic, shallots, chilis, ginger, etc.) 1. Add water or beer or stock or whatever braising liquid 1. Add seasonings for the braise (soy sauce, oyster sauce, salt, sugar, MSG, etc.) 1. Add other ingredients that pair well with the braise (mushrooms, carrots, onions, peppers, chestnuts, etc.) Cooking with color may also be helpful here.

The template serves as a great means to start experimenting with different flavors and ingredients. It can almost be done with anything that you like, and just keep using your feelings.