Chinese Hot Pot of Beef

And Vegetables Prep: 30 minutes Cook: 2 hours Servings: 6

Serve it over plain Chinese noodles or all by itself with some crusty French bread–it's delicious either way. If you don't want to use the sherry, replace it with 3 tablespoons of additional beef broth or water.

Ingredients

4 teaspoons vegetable oil, divided 1 ½ pounds beef stew meat ½ cup chopped green onions 2 tablespoons minced ginger 1 teaspoon aniseed, crushed 4 garlic cloves, minced 4 cups beef broth ¾ cups water ¼ cup low-sodium soy sauce 1 tablespoon brown sugar 3 tablespoons dry sherry 2 to 3 teaspoons chile paste with garlic 2 (3-inch) cinnamon sticks 2 cups (1-inch) cubed peeled turnips (12 oz) 1 ½ cups baby carrots 1 tablespoon water 2 teaspoons cornstarch 8 (8 oz) cups fresh spinach

Directions

Cut meat into 1-inch pieces. Heat 2 teaspoons vegetable oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat; add half of beef, browning on all sides. Remove from pan. Repeat the procedure with remaining oil and beef. Add onions, ginger, aniseed, and garlic to pan; sauté 30 seconds. Stir in broth, scraping pan to loosen browned bits. Return beef to pan. Add ¾ cups water and next 5 ingredients (¾ cups water through cinnamon sticks), and bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 1 hour. Add the turnips and carrots; simmer for 45 minutes or until tender. Combine 1 tablespoon water and cornstarch; add to beef mixture. Bring to a boil; cook for 1 minute, stirring frequently. Add spinach; cover and cook for 3 minutes or until wilted. Discard the cinnamon sticks.

Nutritional information:

Calories 359 Caloriesfromfat 30% Fat 11.9g Satfat 3.4g Monofat 5.5g Polyfat 1.5g Protein 26.4g Carbohydrate 35.8g Fiber 4.5g Cholesterol 71mg Iron 4.8mg Sodium 536mg Calcium 88mg