Spicy Beef Stew

Name: Spicy Beef Stew
Cuisine: China
Ingredients: 2 lemongrass stalks, tough outer leaves removed, chopped; 500 g (1 lb 2 oz) beef brisket; 1 finger of fresh turmeric, chopped; 3 cloves garlic, chopped; 1 knob of ginger, peeled and chopped; 1 knob of galangal, chopped; 2 tablespoons fish sauce; 3 tablespoons grated palm sugar (jaggery); 3 candlenuts, roasted until golden, chopped; 1 teaspoon sea salt; 1 small handful of Thai basil leaves; 3 red shallots, chopped; 2 tablespoons tamarind water; 6 long red chillies, chopped; 2 tomatoes, cored and quartered; 5 kaffir lime leaves; 4 cinnamon sticks

Preparation info

Difficulty
Medium

Appears in

Balance and Harmony

By Neil Perry

Published 2008

About

This is a sort of half-curry, half-stew or braise. It is easy to make and delicious, and gives you another way to make a curry, by simply boiling the paste in water. What could be easier than that?

Ingredients

500 g (1 lb 2 oz) beef brisket
2

Asia
China
Spicy
Gluten-free

Method

Pound all the spice paste ingredients together in a mortar with a pestle until you have a fine paste. Or process the ingredients with a blender, adding a little water if necessary.

Put the spice paste, brisket, tomatoes, cinnamon, lime leaves and sea salt in a large heavy-bas