Smore (Eurasian Beef Stew)
This is an Eurasian dish, not to be confused with the American dessert made with toasted marshmallows (s'mores).
300 g beef shank
¼ teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
2 tablespoons ground pepper
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon sugar
2 tablespoons vinegar
4 tablespoons dark soya sauce
2 tablespoons oil
420 ml water
3 onions
5 cloves garlic
1 thumb-sized piece ginger, julienned
10 cm piece cinnamon, rinsed
100 g small carrots, peeled and sliced diagonally
3 potatoes, peeled and quartered
1 tomato, quartered
Spam (optional)
Chicken hot dogs (optional)
1 sprig coriander leaves, leaves plucked
Wash and cut beef into 2.5 cm chunks.
Drain in colander.
Combine beef with bicarbonate of soda, pepper, salt, sugar, vinegar and dark soya sauce.
Leave for 30 minutes to marinate.
30 minutes
Grind onions and garlic together.
Soak carrots and potatoes in water.
Heat oil in a pot. When hot, fry ground onion and garlic, shredded ginger, and cinnamon until the onions are brown and fragrant.
Add marinated beef. Fry until meat changes color.
Add water and simmer until meat is tender. Stir occasionally to prevent meat from sticking to pot. Add more water if gravy is too thick, and season accordingly.
Add carrots and cook for 5 minutes.
5 minutes
Add potatoes and cook until soft.
Add tomato. If you like, you may add a tin of Spam luncheon meat, cut into thick slices or chicken franks at this step.
Garnish with coriander leaves and serve.