Five-Spice Beef Stew
40m prep 1h cook 2h ready
A hearty beef stew with Chinese five-spice, star anise, and cinnamon, simmered with root vegetables and finished with spinach, fish sauce, and lime juice.
Ingredients
- 2 lb boneless beef bottom round trimmed and cut into 2-inch chunks
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp pepper
- 2 tbsp canola or vegetable oil divided
- 4 cup low-sodium beef broth divided
- 4 medium shallots quartered
- 3 clove garlic finely chopped
- 2 ginger peeled and finely chopped
- 1 tsp Chinese five-spice powder
- 3 star anise pods
- 1 small cinnamon stick
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- 3 medium carrots peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces
- 3 medium parsnips peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces
- 2 small purple-topped turnips cut into 1-inch pieces
- 1 crushed tomatoes
- 1 spinach destemmed
- 2 tbsp fish sauce
- 1 tbsp fresh lime juice
- Cilantro
- thinly sliced red chile
Nutrition (per serving, estimated)
Estimated based off 15 of 21 identified ingredients (per 100 g food data, scaled by amount).
Vitamins & minerals
- Calcium: 180 mg
- Iron: 2.45 mg
- Magnesium: 52.7 mg
- Phosphorus: 157 mg
- Potassium: 803 mg
- Zinc: 1.2 mg
Let's Cook
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Step 1.
Preheat the oven to 325°F. Season the beef chunks with salt and pepper.
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Step 2.
Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Working in batches, add the beef and cook, turning occasionally, until browned on all sides, 6 to 8 minutes per batch. Transfer the browned beef to a large bowl.
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Step 3.
Pour ½ cup of the beef broth into the pot and cook, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom, for 1 minute. Pour the juices into the bowl with the beef.
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Step 4.
Reduce the heat to medium and add the remaining 1 tablespoon of oil to the pot. Add the quartered shallots and cook, stirring occasionally, until golden brown, 3 to 4 minutes.
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Step 5.
Add the chopped garlic, ginger, Chinese five-spice powder, star anise, and cinnamon stick to the pot. Cook, stirring constantly, for 2 minutes until fragrant.
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Step 6.
Stir in the tomato paste and cook for 1 minute.
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Step 7.
Return the beef and any accumulated juices to the pot. Add the carrots, parsnips, turnips, crushed tomatoes, and the remaining 3½ cups of beef broth. Bring the mixture to a boil.
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Step 8.
Cover the pot and transfer it to the preheated oven. Bake until the beef is very tender, 1½ to 2 hours.
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Step 9.
Remove the pot from the oven. Discard the star anise and cinnamon stick. Stir in the spinach, fish sauce, and lime juice until the spinach wilts.
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Step 10.
Serve the stew topped with fresh cilantro and thinly sliced red chile.
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