Chicken noodle soup, chicken pot pie, mashed potatoes, mac n’ cheese. All these come to mind when searching for the perfect comfort food…in America. It’s all what was comforting to you as a child, I suppose. Consequently, cuisines that top my comfort menu would include: rice porridge with preserved duck egg, egg and oyster omelettes, jiaozi, and Chinese beef and carrots stew. Somewhere between my middle school social crises and current homeschooling-parenting-ministering-houseworking-crafting-wifery fatigue, I’ve altered this childhood meal to reflect my love for Vietnamese cuisine as well. The best way to learn how to make this dish is to come over for an afternoon visit of simmering, savoring, and soaking in the warming vapors of ginger, star anise, cinnamon, and cloves….comfort. But, if you can’t make it by, here are the basics…roughly:
1 pound beef stewmeat, cubed
1 pound carrots, cut into 2 inch chunks
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/8 cup fish sauce, or nam pla
4 cups beef broth
1 huge chunk of ginger, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
4 cinnamon sticks
4-5 whole cloves
4-5 whole pieces of star anise
2 tablespoons brown sugar, to taste
Chinese wide flour noodles, or Vietnamese rice noodles if you prefer
sesame oil, chopped fresh cilantro, sriracha hot sauce for garnish
*Update: I now enjoy putting all the ingredients minus the carrots, in a slow cooker for 4 hours on high, then four hours on low. I add the carrots at the halfway point. I’m finding that large pieces of stewmeat and all day in the crockpot makes for super tender stew. (I also often skip the beef broth and fill up the pot with water and add a tsp or so of Better Thank Bouillon.)
Throw the beef, soy sauce, and broth into heavy stockpot. Cook on med-high until meat is tender, about 30-40 minutes. Add all other ingredients, except for brown sugar, plus enough water to cover beef and carrots and still have broth. Cook on medium-low heat until carrots are tender, another 30-40 minutes. Add sugar if desired, to taste. When ready to serve, remove spices and ginger. Cook noodles as instructed. Ladle stew over cooked noodles, and garnish if desired.
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Look at your little boy eating that healthy, delicious soup! don’t you just love it when they eat something you know is so good for them?
I made beef in the crockpot today and it looked just as tender! You have to post the escarole soup when you make it.
MAN! Why don’t we live closer~??! I wouldn’t know where to find “fish sauce”. Is that something found in the International Aisle, or would that be found in an Asian Market? Or is it a separate recipe?
Comfort food… my Icelandic Grandma’s “Gryonagroitur” (spelled phonetically) which is rice simmered in whole milk with sugar and cinnamon and a pinch of salt. No recipe, as it is foolproof. Also, fresh Haddok or Halibut mashed with Yukon Gold potatoes and drenched in melted butter – sprinkle with salt. Then there’s Lamb Soup with turnips and rutabagas, carrots, onions and a handful of rice…… aaaaaahhhhhh. Makes me hungry, and makes me miss my Amma (grandma).
Thanks for sharing!
KH
Hey Ruth, =)
I also grew up with this dish. I tried to make it a few weeks ago in my dutch oven, simmering the stew meat at low heat all afternoon — but it turned out really dry and very tough! Is it the meat? I used cube stew meat. Or it is my technique? Any thoughts?
@Seda, I’ve made this so much now that I don’t follow my own recipe.
I think “all afternoon” is unnecessary. I used to think it took all day as well (perhaps from memory?), but my meat would turn out like cardboard. I now cut my stew meat a bit smaller, and usually do not have the pot going for longer than 1.5 or 2 hours total including carrots, on medium heat. Also, I use pretty lean meat, but if you grew up like I did, they always used marbled, tendon-y meat. 
Very interesting. I’ll try that! Thanks. =)
Made it! Well, I made beef stew anyway, with a different set of vegetables, but with your recommended method. The verdict? The meat was SO much less cardboard-like. Almost tender and juicy, but not quite. I am convince it was because the meat was so lean.
Do you add starch to your meat (bread crumbs, oatmeal, etc)?
You once mentioned soy sauce ginger meatloaf.. I am intrigued.
Ahh…the meatloaf. I’ve always planned to post it, but have never written it out. I use graham cracker crumbs and an egg as the binding agent. Shredded carrots, grated ginger, and soy sauce are among the main ingredients.