I found this in the comments section of a blog that I frequent.
CHINESE STYLE BRAISED BEEF SHANK WITH GRAVY
Take 2 lb beef shank. Trim away as much as possible from the pieces. Season with salt and pepper and set aside.
In about 2 tablespoons mild-tasting oil, sauté a generous spoonful each of minced garlic and ginger, if available, and a small onion (diced). When the vegetables are fragrant, add the beef shank and brown on all sides.
Deglaze the pan with a teaspoon of mild-tasting vinegar. (If using dried garlic and/or ginger, add it at this point.) Add 1/3 cup soy sauce and a teaspoon of sugar.
If not using a slow cooker with a metal insert, move the shank pieces into a slow cooker and pour the stock base you just made around them. At this point you may pile carrot and/or potato chunks around the meat, if desired.
Add a quart of water (more if needed to submerge everything), cover, and slow cook all day, until the meat falls off the bone.
Two hours before dinnertime, take the shank pieces out. There will be a lot of on the surface of the broth. Skim carefully. Then put about half a cup of cold water into a container that has a tight-fitting lid. Add 1/4 cup cornstarch, cover, and shake vigorously. Pour this mixture into the broth and stir until it begins to thicken.
When cool enough to handle, carefully cut and pick the meat away from the shank bones, remove any remaining fat, dice the meat, and return to the top. Leave on the Warm setting while you make the rest of the meal. (You can make these dishes one at a time, BTW--no need for multiple timers.)
VIETNAMESE STYLE RED CABBAGE
You need a big skillet for this one. Cut a small red cabbage into spoon-sized pieces, rinse, and set aside. Heat some mild-flavoured cooking oil in the skillet on Medium and sauté a spoonful of minced garlic (if available) until fragrant. Deglaze the pan with a tablespoon of mild vinegar, then add a teaspoon EACH of fish sauce, sesame oil, brown sugar or molasses, and hot sauce. Rinse the cabbage again and put it into the skillet in two layers, adding salt and pepper to the first layer. Put the lid on and leave to cook. Check and stir occasionally. It's done when it has the texture of al dente pasta. Turn off the heat and leave the lid on.
RICE
If using 15-minute white rice, start it now.
SIMPLE STIR-FRIED KABOCHA
Microwave a kabocha for 2 to 4 minutes to soften it slightly. Cut off about a pound and a half--half of a dinner-plate-sized kabocha. Cool and refrigerate the unused part.
Scoop the seeds out and use in another recipe or discard. Cut away the stem.
Cut the kabocha into manageable hunks, then slice each one as thinly as you can manage--make slices as thin as a cracker of you can.
Heat some oil in your wok as usual. Add the kabocha with some salt and about a teaspoon of sugar. Stir-fry vigorously. If you have an old kabocha that has partly cured, it may not want to soften before it starts to char. In that case, grab the lid off the cabbage, fill it with water, dump that in, and keep stirring.
When the kabocha is tender (note that the rind of an old kabocha is edible but may be tough to chew) dinner is ready.
Serves two adults, two hungry teens, and the third one who's between jobs and gets his dinners here for now. Everything reheats.
