As the temperature drops, this fragrant Vietnamese beef stew is a divine dinner, that fills your kitchen with beautiful exotic aromas. The pungent ginger, lemongrass and star anise all mellow over time to create this light, but warming stew. The technique here may not seem traditional Vietnamese but instead is reflective of the French Colonial times in Vietnam. Hence, why this stew is served with a crusty baguette. The perfect addition for mopping up delicious juices.
It is easy for me to leave this bubble away on the stove top for a few hours in a cast iron pot, especially if it is the weekend. But it does also work well in the oven, or a slow cooker – just adjust the cooking time to suit.
Please let guests know to expect a crunchy hard little star anise when dishing the stew up. Otherwise it can be an awful surprise. You may also pick them out before serving, however I find warning people much easier.
Ingredients
- 4 cloves garlic, peeled
- 2 shallots
- 4 cm ginger, chopped
- 4 sticks lemongrass, woody outside removed
- 1 tbsp sesame oil
- 1 kg beef, diced into 1 cm cubes
- 4 whole star anise
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 2 tsp ground five spice
- 1 tbsp fish sauce
- 1 tsp sugar
- 1 litre water
- 5 tomatoes, peeled and chopped
- 3 carrots, peeled and chopped
- 2 potatoes, diced
- 2 spring onions sliced to serve
Instructions
Into a food processor put the garlic, shallots, ginger and lemongrass. Pulse until a paste has formed. In a heavy based casserole pot, heat the oil over a medium heat. Add the herb paste and gently fry for two minutes until fragrant. Add the beef and continue cooking for about 8 minutes, until the beef brown on the outside.
Add the star anise, cinnamon and five spice and continue to cook for a few minutes. Add the tomatoes, fish sauce and sugar to lightly stir through. Top up with the water and turn the heat down to a simmer. Leave to bubble away for 1 hour and half. Add the carrots and potatoes, and leave to simmer for a further hour or until the potatoes are cooked through.
Serve with crusty buttered baguette and some sliced spring onions on top.
