Soy, sweet potato and beef pot with steamed lime rice

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Georgina’s simple beef stew recipe is packed with flavour from an aromatic blend of star anise, soy and chilli, with the hot and hearty flavours tempered by tender sweet potato. She serves the stew with a delicious lime rice, infused with lime leaves, zest and juice for a wonderfully tangy finish.

First published in 2016

This recipe combines the fragrant flavours of Southeast Asia with British-style casserole cooking. This thick and shiny dark stew is laced with sweet soy, firecracker spices and liquorice tones, and is accompanied by creamy cubes of sweet potato. Beef shin is slowly cooked in the sauce with charred peppers and aromatics until tender and falling apart. Sweet potatoes are added for a final hurrah and cooked until just soft.

To complement the rich stew I added a lively lime rice, made by simply simmering beautiful Akafuji Akitakomachi rice with fragrant lime leaves. Once the rice is cooked and fluffy, fresh lime zest and juice is added. It’s a wonderful, slightly acidic accompaniment to the sweet, soft beef. Serve in the colder months when you need a dinner to warm you from the inside out.

Ingredients

Metric

Imperial

Beef casserole

Lime rice

To serve

Method

1
Begin by getting all the frying out of the way. Heat 1 tbsp of olive oil in a deep casserole pan over a high heat. Fry the pieces of beef shin until browned all over, then remove and set aside. This is best done in batches to avoid overcrowding the pan
2
Add a further 1 tbsp of olive oil to the pan and add the peppers in 2 batches until they begin to char, this should take about 5–6 minutes. Set aside with the beef shin. Reduce the heat to medium, add a touch more oil if needed and add the onion to the pan
3
Soften the onion for approximately 5 minutes, adding the garlic for the last minute. Stir through the flour, then throw in the five spice, star anise and chopped chilli. Sprinkle with the brown sugar, season with black pepper and heat through for a minute or so. You’ve done all the hard work now
4
Add the soy sauce and beef stock and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat, cover, and simmer for 3 hours or until the beef is perfectly tender
5
Remove the lid and add the sweet potatoes. Simmer for a further 45 minutes until the potatoes are just tender
6
Meanwhile, make the rice. Place the rice in a medium pan and pour over 500ml of cold water. Add the lime leaves, bring to the boil and allow to simmer for 6–8 minutes, until the rice is tender and the water has been absorbed. Remove the rice from the heat, cover with a lid and allow to steam for a further 5–6 minutes. Remove the lid and add the fresh lime zest and juice to the rice to finish, stirring to combine
7
Just before serving, heat a dry pan over a high heat, add the coriander seeds and toast until fragrant. Serve the casserole alongside the lime rice with a handful of coriander leaves, toasted seeds and lashings of buttermilk

Georgina is a chef who's had five years, three cookery courses, one restaurant and a fiercely sharp mother to hone her culinary skills.

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