Beef Cheeks by Charles Namba. Credit: Wyatt Naoki Conlon

Beef Cheeks with Bok Choy, Burdock, and Wasabi

Name: Beef Cheeks with Bok Choy, Burdock, and Wasabi
Prep time: 30 s
Cook time: 120 s
Total time: 840 s
Yield: 1
Cuisine: French
Ingredients: FOR THE BEEF CHEEKS AND BRAISE; Beef cheeks; Chicken stock; Red wine; Sake; Madeira; Brandy; Tomato paste; Tare; Bacon; Large carrots; Yellow onion; Garlic cloves; Thyme; Parsley; Bay leaf; Bok choy; Butter; Sherry vinegar; Black pepper; Large burdock root; Kizami wasabi or grated fresh wasabi; FOR THE TARE; Soy sauce; Mirin; Raw sugar; Tamari

19 May 2025

Charles Namba

Chef

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Difficulty

Challenge

Total Time

14H 0MIN

Cuisine

French

Japanese

Ingredients

FOR THE BEEF CHEEKS AND BRAISE

Beef cheeks: 5 lb

Chicken stock: 500 g

Red wine: 375 ml

Sake: 50 g

Madeira: 50 g

Brandy: 50 g

Tomato paste: 25 g

Tare: 70 g

Bacon: 6 strips

Large carrots: 2 (sliced)

Yellow onion: 1 (diced)

Garlic cloves: 6 (sliced)

Thyme: 1 sprig

Parsley: 3 sprigs

Bay leaf: 1

Bok choy: 1 lb

Butter: 2 tbsp

Sherry vinegar: to taste

Black pepper: to taste

Large burdock root: 1 (thinly shaved)

Kizami wasabi or grated fresh wasabi: to taste

FOR THE TARE

Soy sauce: 3.5 qt

Mirin: 1.5 qt

Raw sugar: 2 kg

Tamari: 100 g

A deeply savory dish with layered French and Japanese influences, this slow-braised beef cheek recipe from Chef Charles Namba of Camélia in Los Angeles highlights the power of time and patience. Served with crisp bok choy, burdock root, and a wasabi finish, it’s a refined take on comfort food that exemplifies Camélia’s fusion of technique and heritage.

How to make Beef Cheeks with Bok Choy, Burdock, and Wasabi

01.

Make the Tare

Combine all ingredients in a pot and bring to a boil, stirring continuously.
Once the sugar has fully dissolved, remove from heat.
Let cool and store in the refrigerator until ready to use.

02.

Prepare the Beef Cheeks

Preheat oven to 300°F.
Clean the beef cheeks, removing any silverskin.
Heat oil in a large oven-safe Dutch oven over medium-high heat.
Sear beef cheeks until deeply browned on both sides, about 10 minutes total.
Remove and set aside.

03.

Build the Braise

Pour off and discard any remaining fat from the pot.
Lower the heat to medium. Add bacon and sauté until the fat is rendered.
Add carrots, onion, and garlic. Cook until lightly browned.
Stir in tomato paste and cook briefly to toast.
Deglaze the pan with red wine, sake, Madeira, and brandy. Reduce the liquid by half.
Return beef cheeks to the pot and add chicken stock to cover.
Wrap thyme, parsley, and bay leaf in cheesecloth to form a sachet; add to the pot.
Cover and braise in the oven for 90 minutes or until fork tender. Cool, then refrigerate overnight.

04.

Finish the Sauce

The next day, remove the chilled fat cap from the top of the pot.
Return to medium heat and bring the sauce to a simmer.
Stir in tare, butter, sherry vinegar, and freshly cracked black pepper to taste.

05.

Prepare the Vegetables

Blanch bok choy in salted boiling water until al dente. Shock in cold water and set aside.
Keep shaved burdock root in cold water to prevent browning.
Heat oil in a fryer or deep pan to 250°F.
Drain and pat dry the burdock.
Fry until crisp and golden.

06.

Plate and Serve

On each plate, arrange one beef cheek with a generous spoonful of sauce.
Garnish with bok choy, crispy burdock root, and a touch of kizami wasabi or freshly grated wasabi.

19 May 2025

The Chef

Charles Namba was born and raised in Beverly Hills after his parents moved to Los Angeles from Japan in their early twenties. Though his career took him across the country, Namba eventually returned home to open his first restaurant, Tsubaki, in Echo Park in 2017 with his business partner, Courtney Kaplan.

Having grown up immersed in Japanese culture and cuisine, Namba paid homage to his heritage with the opening of the classic izakaya and, later, its sister sake bar, OTOTO. But his path to that point wasn’t linear. “In high school, I worked at a pizzeria in Beverly Hills called Mulberry Street,” he recalls. Though he always loved Japanese food—his mother nearly had a cooking show of her own—he enjoyed exploring other culinary traditions.

In 2004, Namba moved to New York City and joined the opening team of EN Japanese Brasserie. He later shifted gears to study classical French technique at Chanterelle. “I wanted to learn more about French cuisine,” he says. “Everyone working there had been there for 20 to 30 years. It was a great family environment that I now base my restaurant culture on.” Working alongside Chef David Waltuck, Namba absorbed lessons he carries into his kitchens today.

In 2010, he returned to Los Angeles to assist Chef Thomas Keller in opening Bouchon Beverly Hills, before launching Tsubaki in 2017.

His newest restaurant, Camélia—a French Japanese bistro in Downtown Los Angeles—represents the culmination of his wide-ranging culinary journey. “The food is elevated, but the environment is comfortable,” Namba says. “Like a French bistro with a raw bar and Japanese sashimi.”

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