When the weather turns cool, this is the pot many households make to eat with bread. The pleasure is a thick red sauce scented with five spice. The difficulty is beef that carries a strong smell and a sauce that turns cloudy.
Before marinating, the beef is simmered briefly with cilantro stems and crushed ginger, then rinsed. That step decides whether the sauce comes out clear or cloudy. A further 30 to 45 minutes of marinating lets the seasoning sink in.
This batch weighs about 1.8kg, at roughly 156 calories per 100g.
Method
Cut the meat from 1kg beef short ribs, cut it into cubes, soak it in lightly salted water for 30 minutes and rinse it thoroughly.
Cut 1 onion into wedges, core 2 tomatoes and dice them, peel and crush the ginger, mince 2 cloves of garlic, chop 3 spring onions finely, and separate the cilantro leaves from the stems.
Bring the beef to a boil with the cilantro stems and crushed ginger to clean it, then lift it out, rinse it and drain it.
Marinate the beef with 3 teaspoons seasoning powder, 1 teaspoon kOBE Monk Fruit Blend, 1/2 teaspoon ground pepper, 1/3 teaspoon five spice powder, 1 teaspoon mild chili powder, 1 tablespoon fish sauce, 1 tablespoon cooking oil, 1 teaspoon crushed ginger and 1 teaspoon minced garlic. Mix well and leave it for 30 to 45 minutes.
Fry the remaining garlic and ginger in 1 tablespoon cooking oil over high heat until fragrant, then add the onion and stir fry it.
Add the tomato and cook it down until soft, add the marinated beef, stir fry for 2 minutes to sear it, then cover, lower the heat and cook for 5 minutes so the flavors settle in.
Uncover, add 300ml water, bring it to a hard boil, then lower the heat and simmer until the beef is tender.
Stir 1/2 teaspoon potato starch into 2 tablespoons water, pour it into the pot and stir until the sauce thickens, adjust the seasoning and turn off the heat.
Ladle it into a bowl, scatter over spring onion and cilantro, and serve with rice, bread or pho noodles.
Tips
Blanching the beef with cilantro stems and crushed ginger gives a clear sauce and a milder smell.
Soak the beef in lightly salted water for 30 minutes and rinse it thoroughly.
A full 30 to 45 minutes of marinating lets the five spice powder and chili powder soak all the way in.
Fry the diced tomato until it gives up all its color before the water goes in, which is what makes the stew naturally red.
Potato starch stirred into cold water first will not form lumps in the pot.
Roasted ginger, pounded and rubbed over the meat before rinsing, also clears the beefy smell.
Need kOBE Monk Fruit Blend?
The recipe above is sweetened with kOBE Monk Fruit Blend, measured 1:1 like sugar. See the product page or send us a message.