Aromatic And Spicy Beef Stew (thit Bo Kho)

Total Time: 2 hrs 20 mins Preparation Time: 20 mins Cook Time: 2 hrs

Ingredients

• Servings: 6
• 3 1/2 lbs stewing beef
• 2 onions
• 5 garlic cloves
• 12 shallots or 12 pickling onions
• 1 stick lemongrass
• 7 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 6 tablespoons yellow bean sauce
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• 4 star anise
• 1/2 stick cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon black peppercorns
• 2 tablespoons sugar

Recipe

• 1 cut the beef into 1in cubes and set aside.
• 2 peel and finely chop the onions and garlic. peel the shallots, but leave whole.
• 3 cut the lemon grass into 1in sections, from the bottom to about 1in from the top; cut off and discard the straw like top. crush each section lightly with a mallet or other heavy object.
• 4 heat 3 tablespoons of the oil in a non-stick frying pan over a medium-high heat.
• 5 add the onions, garlic and shallots, and stir-fry for 2 minutes. add the lemon grass and continue to fry, stirring, until the onions are lightly browned. turn off the heat.
• 6 take the shallots out of the pan and set aside.
• 7 heat the remaining 4 tablespoons oil in a large, wide, preferably non-stick pan over a high heat. when hot, quickly fry the meat cubes in batches, turning to brown them all over. remove with a slotted spoon. brown all the meat in this way.
• 8 return all the meat to the large pan. add 4 cups water and the garlic mixture. coarsely chop the beans in the yellow bean sauce (if not already crushed) and add them too.
• 9 also put in the chili powder, star anise, cinnamon, peppercorns and sugar. bring to the boil, then cover, lower the heat and simmer gently for 1¼ hours.
• 10 add the reserved shallots, cover again, and simmer for a further 15 minutes.
• 11 remove the lid, increase the heat to medium and cook for a further 15 minutes or until the sauce has thickened a little and the meat is tender. skim the fat off the top of the stew before serving.