This hearty stew was adapted from a recipe in Wine Food - New Adventures in Drinking and Cooking. The authors, Dana Frank and Andrea Slonecker, pair Vietnamese Beef Stew (Bò Kho) with Cahors Malbec. In the book they write that they “turned to the dark, floral broodiness of Malbec to match with this stew’s spices.” The authors chose a French Malbec from Cahors (rather than a “juicier” one from Argentina) for its “deep fruitiness, crunchy tannins, and beautiful limestone minerality.”

I served a Clos Triguedina Probus 2008 with the meal. The wine is 100% Malbec, made from 100-year-old vines in Cahors. Its rich, dense body and velvety tannins paired perfectly with the spicy ginger and anise-flavored stew.

Other excellent Cahors Malbec producers to look for include Château Haut Serre, Château Combel-la-Serre, Château La Grave, Clos La Coutale, Domaine Cosse Maisonneuve, and Simon Busser.

Bon Appétit!

Serves 6

Ingredients

2 & 1/2 pounds boneless beef chuck, trimmed of excess fat and cut into 1 & 1/2-inch cubes

1/4 cup matchsticks of peeled ginger (easy-to-use substitute: 6 cubes frozen Dorot Gardens crushed ginger, mashed into the fish sauce and brown sugar)

2 tablespoons fish sauce

2 teaspoons light brown sugar

5 tablespoons coconut or vegetable oil

2 tablespoons annatto seeds

1 medium onion, chopped

2 large cloves garlic, minced

1 tablespoon yellow curry powder (I used Madras Indian curry powder)

3 cups beef broth (or 2 cups beef broth and 1 cup Trader Joe’s Miso Ginger broth)

2 tablespoons soy sauce

2 lemongrass stalks. loose outer leaves and and dry tops discarded, cut into 3-inch lengths and crushed with the side of a large knife. I also like to bend the pieces to release the fragrance. You will be removing the lemongrass before serving so don’t make the pieces too small

1 bay leaf

1 pound carrots, peeled and cut 1-inch thick on a diagonal

1 large shallot, thinly sliced

1 small jalapeno, seeded and sliced

2 star anise, ground

1/4 cup fresh basil leaves

Asian wheat-and-egg noodles, boiled and drained, and/or french bread, for serving

Small cilantro sprigs, for serving

Instructions

1) In a bowl, combine the beef with the ginger, fish sauce, and brown sugar; toss to coat and leave to marinate for about 30 minutes

2) Warm the oil in a small saucepan over medium-low heat. Add the annatto seeds and stir briefly to coat, then remove from the heat and set aside for 10 minutes to infuse the oil. Strain and discard the seeds, reserving the oil.

3) In a 5-quart (or larger) Dutch oven, warm about 2 tablespoons of the annatto oil over medium-high heat. Sear half of the marinated beef until a light crust forms, turning once, 4 to 5 minutes total. Transfer the seared beef to a plate and repeat to sear the remaining beef. Transfer meat to the plate and set aside.

4) Decrease the heat to medium and add the onion and about half of the garlic. Cook until softened and fragrant, scraping up the bits from the bottom of the pan, 4 to 5 minutes. Add the curry powder and stir briefly until fragrant and well combined. Add the seared beef and any accumulated juices, the broth, soy sauce, lemongrass, and bay leaf. Increase the heat to bring to a boil, lower it to maintain a very gentle simmer, cover, and cook about 1 & 1/2 hours. Add the carrots and cook until both the beef and carrots are tender but not falling apart, 15 to 20 minutes more. Taste and adjust seasonings. The stew will keep, covered, in the refrigerator for up to 3 days).

5) Put the remaining annatto oil back into the small saucepan over medium heat. Add the remaining garlic, shallot, chile, and star anise, and cook until the shallot is just beginning to soften and the mixture is fragrant, about 1 minute.

6) Just before serving, stir the aromatic shallot mixture and about half of the basil into the hot stew. Serve in big, warm bowls, poured over noodles or with bread on the side. Pass the rest of the basil and cilantro at the table.