Hóngshāo Shūcài Red Braised Vegetable Stew

红烧蔬菜 Hóngshāo Shūcài     Red Braised Stew

Red braising is long cooking of ingredients in a soy sauce based sauce flavoured with star anise, cassia bark and fennel seeds. It’s a great winter stew because it consists mainly of root vegetables. It is a very flexible recipe: choose root vegetables of your choice - taro works well as would other very dense, starchy vegetables. Carrot, swede (rutabaga) and chestnuts lend a nice sweetness to the stew.  Serve with rice.

Serves 4

1 tbsp vegetable oil, e.g. rapeseed/canola

1 large onion, cut into approx. 3cm chunks

6 cloves garlic, peeled and kept whole

2 large chillies, whole

Assorted root vegetables – carrots, potatoes, swede, etc., as much as is required for the number of guests. 1kg will generously feed four. Chop into approx. 3cm chunks, but chop some of the potatoes/other starchy vegetables smaller so they break down to thicken sauce.

Approx. 100g whole, peeled chestnuts, or if not available, 1 x 400g tin chickpeas works well.

250 – 500ml water, depending on amount of vegetables.

2 tbsp soya sauce

1 tbsp molasses

1tsp sugar

Spices: 1 large piece (20cm x 3cm)of cassia bark – available in Asian/chinese grocer

You can use cinnamon but use half a stick as it is much stronger.

4 whole star anises

1 tsp fennel seeds

Heat wok/large saucepan on high heat until very hot. Add vegetable oil and fry onions and garlic for 3 minutes, using metal (“wok chan”) scraper/ large spoon or suitable long handled tool. Allow the onions and garlic to caramelise for flavour, try not to burn, a little black is ok, but mainly looking for deep brown bits on the onions. Add vegetables and allow them to caramelise as well for a few minutes. Add enough water to cover the vegetables, add spices and lower the heat. Simmer for 45 minutes – 1 hour, until vegetables are very soft and stew is thick – if using chickpeas add halfway through this time. If using chestnuts, add them about after about 35 minutes, cook until they are soft.

Tip: If stew isn’t thickening enough, add 2 tsp corn starch dissolved in 2 tbsp water.