Despite arriving on a full stomach, there was no spoiling Louis’ meal. Angela served five spice & lemongrass short ribs, paired by the Waitrose wine experts with a glass of Penfolds Bin 28 Shiraz. There’s dessert, too, in the shape of a rhubarb & pear crumble, a Chetna Makan recipe, which makes the most of seasonal ingredients.
Five spice & lemongrass short ribs
1½kg beef short ribs
1 tbsp Essential Vegetable Oil
4 echalion shallots, peeled and halved
2 stalk/s lemongrass, halved horizontally and bashed
1 garlic bulb, halved horizontally
25g ginger, thinly sliced into matchsticks
2 bay leaves
25g pack coriander, stalks roughly chopped, leaves picked
2 tbsp tomato purée
1 tbsp Cooks’ Ingredients Chinese 5 Spice
300g baby parsnips, scrubbed
300g baby topped carrots, scrubbed
500ml fresh vegetable stock
3 x 250g pouches Merchant Gourmet Brown, Red & Wild Rice
1 tbsp fish sauce
2 unwaxed limes, zested and cut into wedges
1 Preheat the oven to 170°C, gas mark 3. Pat the short ribs dry with kitchen paper and season. Put the oil in a large, lidded casserole dish and set over a medium-high heat. Add the short ribs in a single layer (you may need to work in batches) and brown on all sides for 6-8 minutes, turning with tongs.
2 Transfer the ribs to a plate. Turn the heat down to medium and add the shallots, lemongrass, garlic, ginger, bay leaves, coriander stalks, tomato purée and Chinese 5 spice; cook for 2 minutes. Add the parsnips, carrots, stock and 300ml water. Bring to the boil, then season. Nestle in the ribs, cover with the lid and put in the oven for 2 hours. Uncover, turn the ribs over and roast for a further 1 hour, until the beef is very tender.
3 Heat the rice according to pack instructions and stir the fish sauce into the stew. Serve the stew with the rice, scattered with lime zest and coriander leaves, plus the lime wedges on the side.