Ingredients
- 2 lb beef shank cut into 3/4 – 1" pieces
- tap water
- 1 tbsp salt
Marinade
- 2 tbsp soy sauce
- 2 tbsp hoisin sauce
- 2 tsp salt
- 1 tsp Vietnamese beef stew seasoning
Aromatics
- 2 tbsp neutral cooking oil
- 4 cloves garlic roughly chopped
- 1 tsp paprika optional, for extra color boost
Broth
- 1 tbsp Vietnamese beef stew seasoning
- 1 medium onion quartered
- 1.5 tbsp fresh ginger sliced or pounded
- 1-2 stalks lemon grass use ~7" of the aromatic root area, pounded
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- 2 tbsp dark soy sauce
- 3-4 pods star anise
- 4-5 bay leaves
- 1 can chicken broth about 2 cups
- 6 oz coconut soda, Coke, or Sprite
- 5 c filtered water or enough to barely cover the ingredients
- 2-3 carrots peeled, cut into 1" chunks
Accoutrement
- 6 12" Vietnamese bread loaves
- 2 sliced jalapenos
- 1 sliced lemon
- salt and pepper
- 1 bunch Thai basil
Instructions
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Clean the meat. Add beef to a large pot and add 1 tbsp salt and enough tap water to barely cover the meat. Bring to a boil on high heat, and once it hits a boil for 30 seconds, kill the heat, drain, and rinse under running water to clean. If you haven't cut the meat into 3/4 – 1" pieces yet, do it now.
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Marinate the meat. Add all marinade ingredients to the meat in a covered bowl or a bag for at least two hours, but overnight would be better.
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Aromatics. Preheat a large pot on medium high. When hot, add the oil, let it warm a bit, then add all the garlic and stir to slowly saute until it turns light brown. Then add the paprika an stir until it releases its aroma, about 30 seconds.
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Broth. Add all broth ingredients to the pot except the carrots. Turn the heat to high until it hits a boil, then reduce heat so it maintains a low boil. Cook until the meat is as tender as you'd like it, about 60-90 minutes. Add carrots towards the final 10 minutes so it softens. Discard the cooked onions and star anise pods.
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Serve with accoutrement as shown: tearing fresh Thai basil onto your plate, taking occasional bites of jalapeno, and dipping a few pieces of meat into the salt / pepper / lemon juice side for variety.
Notes
2/16/2021: Added approximate meat cooking time.
