Asian stew
This Asian stew is made with tender beef in a sauce of sweet and salty soy sauce, red chili, and Chinese five-spice powder. The bimi and bok choy are added to the meat only at the end. Serve the stew with rice, coriander, and peanuts, and you have a complete meal.
- 700 gr round rib eye steak
- 150 g of herbs
- 200 g bok choy
- 7 g coriander
- 3 shallots
- 1 red pepper
- 3 cloves of garlic
- 750 ml beef broth
- 60 ml KIKKOMAN soy sauce
- 100 ml sweet soy sauce from KIKKOMAN
- 1.5 tsp Chinese five-spice powder
- 50 g salted peanuts
- 1 volle el maizena
- (sunflower) oil
- salt and pepper
- Rice
- Cut the beef short ribs into pieces and season them all around with salt and pepper. Peel the shallots and garlic and chop them finely. Finely chop the red chili. Chop the bok choy and bimi into coarse pieces.
- Heat a splash of (sunflower) oil in a large stewing pan and brown the meat in batches on all sides. Remove the meat from the pan and set aside.
- If necessary, heat an extra splash of oil in the stewing pan. Sauté the shallot, garlic, and red pepper for 2 to 3 minutes, until everything starts to smell fragrant and turns light in color. Add the Chinese five-spice powder and stir through the vegetables.
- Return the meat to the pan and pour in the sweet soy sauce, regular soy sauce, and beef broth. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat, and let the meat simmer gently with the lid on for about 2.5 hours, until you can easily pull the meat apart with a fork.
- Meanwhile, cook the rice according to the instructions on the package. During the last 5 minutes of the simmering time, add the bimi and bok choy to the meat and let them cook along. In a small bowl, make a slurry of the cornstarch with a few tablespoons of broth from the pan. Spoon the cornstarch slurry into the pan and stir well; let it simmer gently for about 3 to 4 minutes until the sauce thickens slightly.
- Chop the coriander and peanuts coarsely. Serve the Asian stew with the rice and garnish with coriander and peanuts.
Would you like to learn more first about choosing meat, cooking time, and getting stewed meat nice and tender? Then check out our classic stewed meat recipe.
What is five-spice powder?
Chinese five-spice powder is a powerful spice blend. The composition may vary slightly by brand, but the mix usually consists of star anise, cinnamon, cloves, fennel seeds, and pepper. It gives this Asian stew a warm, spicy, and slightly anise-like flavor.
You don't need much of it. For four people, we use 1.5 teaspoons. The flavor pairs well with the combination of sweet and salty soy sauce.
The flavorings in this Asian stew
For this recipe, we use two types of soy sauce from KIKKOMAN. We are all familiar with the classic salty soy sauce, which provides that typical savory, umami flavor that is so important in Asian cuisine. In addition, we also use KIKKOMAN sweet soy sauce [This link opens in a new tab]. It is slightly thicker, mildly sweet, and makes the sauce just a bit fuller and richer. Together, they create a good balance between salty, sweet, and savory. Exactly what a stew like this needs!
