Ingredients
| 800g-1kg beef, chuck, cross-cut blade etc, cut into 2cm chunks | |
| 2 tablespoons fish sauce | |
| 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped | |
| 3cm piece ginger, grated | |
| 3cm piece turmeric, grated | |
| 1 teaspoon five spice powder | |
| 1 teaspoon palm or white sugar | |
| vegetable oil | |
| 1 red onion, sliced | |
| 1 cinnamon quill | |
| 2 black cardamom (optional) | |
| 2 star anise | |
| 2 tablespoons tomato paste | |
| 1 litre beef or chicken stock | |
| 3 lemongrass stalks, bruised and cut into 5cm pieces | |
| 3-4 chillies | |
| 4 makrut (kaffir) lime leaves | |
| 2 carrots, cut into 2cm chunks | |
| 2 potatoes, cut into 3cm chunks | |
| handful of Vietnamese mint for garnishing | |
| baguette to serve |
The French influence in this beef casserole is readily apparent; take a classic pot au feu and flavour it with Vietnamese spices and herbs. Black cardamom is not essential but it does add a smoky, astringent element to the stew. This can also be a made-ahead dish and one that improves on sitting for a day or so before eating.
Instructions
| 1. | Put the beef into a bowl with the fish sauce, garlic, ginger, turmeric, five spice powder and sugar. |
| 2. | Marinate for a minimum of 1 hour, or overnight ideally. |
| 3. | Heat a little vegetable oil in a heavy pan and fry the beef until brown, in batches if necessary. |
| 4. | Set aside. |
| 5. | Add extra oil to the pan if necessary then add the onion, cinnamon, black cardamom and star anise and fry gently until fragrant. |
| 6. | Add the tomato paste, cook for a minute and add the stock, lemongrass, chilli, makrut leaves and beef to the pot. |
| 7. | Bring to the boil, lower the heat and simmer gently for 21⁄2 hours, adding the carrot and potatoes in the final hour. |
| 8. | Serve with baguette, rice noodles or rice. |
Recipes & food styling Ginny Grant / Photography Aaron McLean / Styling Ellen J Hemmings
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