Asian Beef Stew

  • 4
  • 210 mins

Ingredients

  • 2 tablespoons coconut oil
  • 5 pounds English-cut short ribs
  • Sea salt
  • Pepper
  • 1 red onion, finely chopped
  • 3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
  • 3 tablespoons finely chopped peeled fresh ginger
  • 1 teaspoon Chinese five-spice powder
  • 3 whole star anise pods
  • 3 large carrots, peeled and cut into 2-inch pieces
  • 2 celery ribs, cut into 1-inch pieces
  • 3 tablespoons Asian fish sauce
  • One 14.5-ounce can crushed tomatoes in juice
  • 2 cups beef stock or broth
  • 4 cups stemmed curly spinach (4 ounces)
  • 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
  • Chopped cilantro, for garnish

Preparation

Step 1

In a large enameled cast-iron casserole, heat the coconut oil. Season the ribs with salt and pepper. Working in 2 batches, brown the ribs over moderately high heat, turning, 4 to 5 minutes per batch. Transfer the ribs to a large plate. Add the onion, garlic and ginger to the casserole and cook over moderate heat, stirring, until golden, about 3 minutes. Stir in the five-spice powder, then add the star anise, carrots, celery and fish sauce and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Add the tomatoes, stock and short
ribs to the casserole and bring to a simmer. Cover and cook over moderately low
heat, turning the ribs every hour, until they are very tender, about 2 1/2 hours.

Discard the star anise. Stir the spinach and lemon juice into the casserole
and season with salt and pepper. Divide
the stew among serving bowls and garnish with cilantro.