Vietnamese Beef Stew with Star Anise, Cinnamon and Steamed Rice

Combine diced beef with lemongrass, fish sauce and brown sugar mix and leave for 5-10 minutes.

Tip! Overnight is even better if you have time.

Peel and dice onion. Peel and mince garlic and ginger. Pick coriander leaves and finely chop stalks. Cut carrots into chunks.

Heat a pan over high heat and add a drizzle of oil. When the oil is shimmering add the beef in batches and sear on all sides. Set aside with any remaining marinade.

In the same pan, add onions and cook for 3 minutes until softened. Add the garlic, ginger, coriander stalks and tomato paste/stock and cook for 2 minutes. Add 400ml water, carrots and beef with any juices and the star anise and cinnamon. Bring to a gentle simmer and cook for 2 hours until beef is tender. Taste and adjust seasoning.

Tip! At this stage you can pop everything in the slow cooker and cook for 4 hours on high or 6 hours on low. Reduce water by 100ml for slow cooking. You can remove the star anise halfway for a milder flavour.

In a medium pot, bring 1¹⁄₂ cups water to a boil. Stir in the rice. Cover and reduce the heat to low. Simmer for 15 minutes until all of the water is absorbed. Remove from heat and set aside, with lid on, in a warm place to let rice finish cooking. Fluff the finished rice with a fork.

Serve the stew over the rice and top with coriander leaves. You can also add some crusty bread if you like for all that delicious sauce.

Combine diced beef with lemongrass, fish sauce and brown sugar mix and leave for 5-10 minutes.

Tip! Overnight is even better if you have time.

Peel and dice onion. Peel and mince garlic and ginger. Pick coriander leaves and finely chop stalks. Cut carrots into chunks.

Heat a pan over high heat and add a drizzle of oil. When the oil is shimmering add the beef in batches and sear on all sides. Set aside with any remaining marinade.

In the same pan, add onions and cook for 3 minutes until softened. Add the garlic, ginger, coriander stalks and tomato paste/stock and cook for 2 minutes. Add 400ml water, carrots and beef with any juices and the star anise and cinnamon. Bring to a gentle simmer and cook for 2 hours until beef is tender. Taste and adjust seasoning.

Tip! At this stage you can pop everything in the slow cooker and cook for 4 hours on high or 6 hours on low. Reduce water by 100ml for slow cooking. You can remove the star anise halfway for a milder flavour.

In a medium pot, bring 1¹⁄₂ cups water to a boil. Stir in the rice. Cover and reduce the heat to low. Simmer for 15 minutes until all of the water is absorbed. Remove from heat and set aside, with lid on, in a warm place to let rice finish cooking. Fluff the finished rice with a fork.

Serve the stew over the rice and top with coriander leaves. You can also add some crusty bread if you like for all that delicious sauce.