Vietnamese Beef Stew

When I was traveling in Nha Thrang, Vietnam I caught the cold of death. I was bedridden for a full 2 days, and it was pretty awful. Fortunately, the volunteer group I was traveling with had a doctor on hand, so he got me some medicine and I got better in a few days. While I was sick, he gave me Beef Soup, because of the warmth and nutritional content of the soup. It is warm and delicious.

I didn't have Vietnamese Beef Soup for several years later, when I was doing my MBA in Hawaii. I would occasionally go diving, and there was a nice Vietnamese sandwich shop next to the dive center. I would always have a nice warm bowl of Vietnamese Beef Soup to warm me up after diving. It really hit the spot and brought back nice memories. 

I had been craving this soup for a while, and wanted to try my hand at making it myself. I scoured the internet for recipes and tried quite a few. The one that works best is from a blog called Wandering Chopsticks. 

I found Wandering Chopsticks recipe to be quite delicious, and I must say, I have blog envy! I followed the recipe exactly as is. The really key ingredient is Annato Seeds, which I found at Ranch 99 and at Island Pacific Market, a Filipino supermarket in Union City. I also had fresh lemongrass from my garden, which also helped a great deal. You can find Wandering Chopsticks's recipe for the Beef Stew here.

What I learned from this dish (or perhaps more appropriately, reinforced) is that it is really key to sear meats for a stew. I don't know the exact science behind it (perhaps Alton Brown has some episode on it, I don't know....) but searing the meat will lock in the juices, so if you slowly cook it in a broth, the meat to become very soft and delicious. I found the same principle works for chicken, when I am making Mango Chicken. 

The only change to the recipe I made is that I sometimes use fresh tomatoes instead of canned tomato paste. If I don't have any canned tomatoes, I take some fresh tomatoes off the vine in my garden. Fresh tomatoes will make the soup a little less viscous. Canned tomatoes will make the soup a little bit more thick. The taste is equally delicious!

As always, I recommend using a reputable company to get your meat from. It will cost more, but the long term benefits far outway the additional costs. This stew meat was from Marin Sun Farms, a local producer in Marin County.

 Stir fry the annato seeds in oil for a few seconds, and they will release their aroma, and turn the oil a beautiful orange color. Watch out, this orange oil really stains your countertops, especially if they are white like mine!

The flour on the beef creates a crispy outer shell for the beef, which locks in all the moisture. The oil, flavored with annato, gives the meat a beautiful red tinge and imparts delicious flavor! Make sure you have a large stock pot!

You can see the annato turning the beef  a bright orange color. 

Adding Oxtail will give additional meat to the dish, but more importantly, the protein in the bones will seep out into the soup, giving it more depth and structure.

















Adding your flavoring ingredients will impart that tangy flavor-cinnamon, lemon grass, bay leaf, star anise and fresh tomatoes.

 Add your vegetables-carrots, potatoes, onions. Add some water to dilute the flavor slightly (so the pot is 3/4 filled with water). I usually add enough water to make sure all the vegetables and meat are submerged with water. Let the water come to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 1 hour. After 1 hour, taste and flavor with fish sauce.

Simmer on low for another hour. Once the meat is really soft and falling off the bone, it is done.

You can fish out the lemon grass, ginger, cinnamon and anise seed if you want or just discard them in the serving bowl. I usually serve this with jasmine rice. It's so delicious!

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