Cinnamon Beef

Prep Methods/Techniques
Cuisine
Course ,
Servings 8
Description
This recipe is easily halved. Serve the cinnamon beef over hot rice or just cooked wide fettuccine type noodles.
Noted on 2/13/2012
Ingredients
  • 1 tbsp peanut or vegetable oil
  • 2 lb beef chuck or stew meat, trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces
  • 2 bunch green onions, trimmed and cut into 1 1/2-inch lengths
  • 10 clove garlic, thinly sliced
  • 1 2-inch knob of ginger, peeled and minced
  • 2 tbsp chile-garlic paste, or to taste, plus additional for serving
  • 3 cinnamon sticks
  • 2 tsp anise seeds
  • 8 cup low-sodium beef broth (store bought is fine)
  • 1/2 cup soy sauce
  • 2 tbsp cornstarch dissolved in 1/2 cup water
  • 1 lb spinach leaves, washed
  • 4 cup freshly cooked long grain rice or 1 pound just cooked fettuccine noodles, for serving
Method
  1. Heat the oil in a large pot until nearly smoking. Add the meat and cook until nice and brown on all sides, adjusting the temperature to agressively brown the meat, not burn it, 7 to 10 minutes. The meat will stick to your pot at first, but will release when browned.
  2. Add the green onions, garlic, ginger, chile-garlic paste, cinnamon sticks and aniseed and stir until fragrant, 15 to 20 seconds.
  3. Pour in the beef broth and soy sauce and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to a low simmer and partially cover the pot. Cook the meat until it is very tender and almost falling apart. 1 1/2 to 2 1/2 hours. Add the cornstarch and water mixture and simmer briefly until thickened. Add the spinach and simmer until wilted. Serve the meat, spinach and sauce over rice or noodles in deep bowls.
Cook's Notes
Advance Prep

The Cinnamon Beef can and should be made a day or two ahead. Add the spinach to the rewarmed sauce just before serving.  It also freezes beautifully. Once again, don't add the spinach until just before serving.