Skip to main content

Beef Stew With Star Anise And Basil



Thats it! I am now obsessed with Vietnamese food! I am out of control! Ha ha! Just kidding:)
Anyway, according to the writer of this cookbook, in Vietnam, there are people who would travel a great distances each morning just to get a perfect bowl of beef stew. At breakfast, thit bo kho (beef stew) is served with a French baguette, but at other meals it is usually accompanied by noodles or steamed rice.

As for me, I just had it for brunch. So, I served the beef stew with baguette. It was simply delicious! Well, I strongly recommend this cookbook, "Pleasure Of The Vietnamese Table" by Mai Pham. I have tested many of her recipes and all of them turned out great each time.

Beef Stew With Star Anise And Basil

Ingredients

3 Tbsp Vegetable Oil
2 Tbsp Annatto Seeds
2 Tbsp chopped Shallots
1/2 Tbsp chopped Garlic
1 lb Beef Chuck Roast, cut into 1 1/2 inch cubes
3 cups fresh water, Chicken Stock or store bought low sodium chicken broth, boil
2 Lemongrass stalks, lightly crushed with flat side of a knife and cut into 3 inch pieces.
2 Tbsp Fish Sauce
1 Tbsp Soy Sauce
1 Tbsp Sugar
3 Whole Star Anise
1 Tbsp Curry Powder, preferably Vietnamese Three Golden Bells brand
2 tsp chopped fresh red chilies or dried chilies, or to taste
3 Carrots, peeled and cut diagonal into 1/2 inch rounds (about 3 cups), blanched in boiling water for 3 minutes and drained
1/2 cup Asian Basil Leaves
1/4 small Yellow Onion, sliced paper thin
5 sprigs Cilantro, cut into 2 inch lengths

Method

Heat the oil in a small saucepan over a low heat. Add the annatto seeds, stir a few times and remove immediately from the heat. (The seeds should foam upon contact but not burn). Let it stand for 10 minutes, then strain the oil and discard the seeds.

Heat half the annatto oil in a medium pan over a moderate heat. Add half the shallots and half the garlic and stir until fragrant, for about 10 seconds. Add the beef and stir until lightly seared, about 3 to 4 minutes. Add the boiling chicken stock, lemongrass, fish sauce, soy sauce and sugar and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer. Cook until the beef is tender, about 40 minutes, skimming the top occasionally.

While the beef is cooking, lightly toast the star anise in a dry pan over a low heat until fragrant, about 3 to 4 minutes. Transfer to a mortar and pound to a fine powder. (You can also use a spice mill)

Heat the remaining annatto oil in a small saucepan over a moderate heat. Add the remaining shallots and garlic, star anise powder, curry powder, and chilies and stir until fragrant, about 20 seconds. Set aside until ready to serve.

Fifteen minutes before the beef is done, add the carrots and cook until they are tender. Add the spice mixture and stir a few times. Stir in half the basil and transfer the stew to a serving bowl. Garnish with remaining basil, yellow onions and cilantro and serve immediately.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Hasselback Potatoes

These Hasselback potatoes looks beautiful, don't' they? Here, I also added several cloves of garlic to these Swedish version of baked potatoes to enhance the flavor. It turned out great, they were very delicious, crispy on the outside and tender on the inside.. Updated: November 26th 2013 This is an updated post with a new video guide on How To Slice Hasselback Potatoes Hasselback Potatoes (Printable Recipe) Ingredients 6 Medium Size Potatoes 2 - 3 Cloves Garlic, thinly sliced 2 Tbsp Olive Oil 30 g Butter Maldon Sea Salt Freshly Ground Black Pepper Method Preheat the oven to 220˚C (425˚F). Put the potato on a chopping board, flat side down. Start from one end of the potato, cut almost all the way through, at about 3 to 4 mm intervals. Arrange the potatoes in a baking tray and insert the garlic in between the slits. Scatter some butter on top of each potato. Then drizzle the olive oil and sprinkle some sea salt and freshly ground black pepper. Bake the

Raw Energy Bars~Chocolate, Cashew, And Almond

I get energized everytime I make Raw Energy Bars at home. I have tried several recipes and flavors before; but, this Chocolate, Cashew, and Almond flavor is currently my favorite! It's made from scratch using raw ingredients, such as Medjool dates, cashew, almond, cocoa, and coconut. You will be amazed with the end result. Not only are these bars good for you, they also taste great! So, if you are into raw energy bars, then you may want to try this recipe. If possible, please send me your feedback as well. Have a great weekend.

Dumplings

I'm actually laughing at myself! What have I got into? Trying to make dumplings?? Well, I have seen my late grandmother make them a long time ago. I can remember the ingredients but not the measurements! So, it took me about two hours to come up with the perfect recipes, and I'm glad I did! It was an instant hit! They were all gone, all gobbled up! Make the dough first, add about 480 to 500g of all-purpose flour with 300ml of water. Knead the dough and let it rest. You should be able to make 40 dumplings with the dough. Meanwhile, prepare the filling for the dumplings. Click here for the dumpling wrappers video. UPDATED: November 26th 2013 This is an updated post with a new photo and video cooking guide. Dumplings Ingredients 200g Ground Pork 100g Prawns, finely chopped 200g Napa Cabbage, finely shredded 1 stalk Scallions, finely minced 80g Chives, finely chopped 20g Ginger, finely minced 2 Tbsp Soy Sauce 1 1/2 Tbsp Sesame Oil 1 1/2 Tbsp Shaoxing W