Five-Spice Short Ribs with Ginger and Cilantro

4.0

(1)

5 Reviews

Sisters Jasmine and Melissa Helmsley, who created the superpopular London-based wellness blog Hemsley + Hemsley, grew up cooking Filipino food with their Manila-born mother, Evangeline Garcia. The flavors of the Philippines is laced through this rich stew of short ribs simmered in a broth punched up with star anise and a touch of fish sauce. Slideshow: More Beef Stew Recipes

By Melissa Hemsley

and Jasmine Hemsley

Updated on February 1, 2015

Asian Beef Stew — Photo: © Nicholas Hopper

Active Time:

45 mins

Total Time:

3 hrs 30 mins

Yield:

4

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Ingredients

2 tablespoons coconut oil
5 pounds English-cut short ribs
Sea salt
Pepper
1 red onion, finely chopped
3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
3 tablespoons finely chopped peeled fresh ginger
1 teaspoon Chinese five-spice powder
3 whole star anise pods
3 large carrots, peeled and cut into 2-inch pieces
2 celery ribs, cut into 1-inch pieces
3 tablespoons Asian fish sauce
One 14.5-ounce can crushed tomatoes in juice
2 cups beef stock or broth
4 cups stemmed curly spinach (4 ounces)
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
Chopped cilantro, for garnish

Directions

In a large enameled cast-iron casserole, heat the coconut oil. Season the ribs with salt and pepper. Working in 2 batches, brown the ribs over moderately high heat, turning, 4 to 5 minutes per batch. Transfer the ribs to a large plate. Add the onion, garlic and ginger to the casserole and cook over moderate heat, stirring, until golden, about 3 minutes. Stir in the five-spice powder, then add the star anise, carrots, celery and fish sauce and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Add the tomatoes, stock and short ribs to the casserole and bring to a simmer. Cover and cook over moderately low heat, turning the ribs every hour, until they are very tender, about 2 1/2 hours.
Discard the star anise. Stir the spinach and lemon juice into the casserole and season with salt and pepper. Divide the stew among serving bowls and garnish with cilantro.