Warming beef stew: a slow, spiced braise that fills the kitchen and holds you

This is a braise, the kind of dish that asks for a couple of unhurried hours and gives back deep, fall-apart tender beef. The original leaned on five-spice powder, which carries star anise, fennel seed, and Sichuan pepper, so the warmth here is rebuilt from cinnamon, clove, and fresh ginger, giving the same comforting, slightly sweet edge. Make this on a day you are home anyway. The long simmer becomes a quiet hum in the background while you rest.

The medicine is in the long-cooked beef. Chuck is rich in zinc, which is involved in immune regulation and gut-barrier repair, along with iron and B vitamins. The bone broth base adds its own gut support, and the sweet potato brings vitamin A, which is involved in mucosal health. Slow, moist heat breaks tough cuts down into something gentle on the gut and easy to take in, which is exactly what a recovering body wants.

Source the beef from an animal raised well, and use a tougher, well-marbled cut on purpose. These are the cuts most worth cooking slowly, and using them honors the whole animal. When the stew is done, ladle it into a bowl, notice the steam and the warm spice, and take one slow breath before you eat. Eating in a settled state is part of how the food serves you.

Ingredients

• 1 tbsp coconut oil
• 1 large onion, sliced
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 inch fresh ginger, grated
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/8 tsp ground clove
• 2 cups bone broth
• 1/2 cup extra bone broth (in place of rice wine vinegar)
• 1/4 cup coconut aminos
• 3 lb beef chuck, cubed
• 2 tsp sea salt
• 1 tbsp tapioca flour
• 1 1/2 lb sweet potato, peeled and cut in chunks
• 1/2 lb baby bok choy
• 1 tsp fish sauce (omit for low-histamine)
• Sliced green onions, to garnish

Method

Warm the coconut oil in a heavy pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the sliced onion and cook until it softens and begins to color. Stir in the garlic, ginger, cinnamon, and clove and cook about a minute, just until fragrant. These three are doing the work the five-spice did in the original, building warmth without the excluded seeds and anise.

Pour in the 2 cups of bone broth, the extra 1/2 cup of broth, and the coconut aminos, and bring it to a boil. Season the cubed beef with the salt, add it to the pot, then lower the heat. Cover and simmer gently for 1 1/2 to 2 hours, until the beef is fork-tender.

Make a slurry by whisking the tapioca flour into about a cup of the hot stew liquid, then stir it back into the pot to thicken.

Add the sweet potato chunks and simmer about 20 minutes, until they are tender.

Add the bok choy and the fish sauce and cook a final 5 minutes, until the greens are just wilted. Taste for salt, ladle into bowls, and finish with sliced green onion.

Instant Pot variation

This braise is well suited to the Instant Pot, both ways. For the same hands-off, slow result, brown the onion and bloom the garlic, ginger, cinnamon, and clove on Saute, add the broths, coconut aminos, and seasoned beef, then use the Slow Cook setting on high for 6 to 8 hours until fork-tender. When you are short on time, do the same Saute and browning step, then seal and cook on high pressure for about 35 minutes with a natural release. Thicken with the tapioca slurry on Saute, then add the sweet potato and pressure cook a further 8 minutes, or simmer it on Saute until tender, and wilt the bok choy in at the end. Browning right in the pot first deepens the flavor. The high-pressure time is a sensible estimate and is flagged for kitchen testing.

*Adapted from acleanplate.com*