Make a slight cross mark on the bottom of the tomato by using a sharp little
blade. Put the tomatoes in boiling hot water for 30 seconds. Take them out. Peel
the skin off. Remove the hard stem. Roughly cut the tomato into big chunks. Set
it aside.
Finely dice 1 medium-size onion. Cut 1/2 lb of carrot into big chunks. Cut beef
into 1.5 inches cubes. Set aside.
Add 2 tbsp of cooking oil to the cast iron pot or heavy dutch oven. Sear the
beef until nice and brown. Take the beef out.
Use the same pot to sauté the garlic, onion, star anise, bay leaves, cinnamon
stick, and dried orange peel over medium heat. The moisture from the onion will
help to deglaze the pot.
When the onion is soft and translucent, add the 5 tbsp of tomato paste and 1.5
tbsp of Chu Hou paste (It is a Cantonese seasoning that we often use to make
beef stew. It adds a nice complexity to the dish). If you don’t have it, don’t
worry, because it is optional.
Stir to combine the tomato paste and the Chu Hou paste. Toss in the tomato
chunks. Keep some of the tomatoes to add at the end. Add beef back into the pot.
Stir to combine.
Keep the heat at medium-low. Put on the lid. Bring the pot to a boil. Seasoning
it with salt and sugar. Be sure to taste and adjust the flavor.
Turn the heat to the lowest and simmer this for 2 hours. Again, you might need
to adjust the cooking time depends on what cut you are using.
30 minutes before it is done, add in the carrots chunks. Cover the lid and wait
for the carrots to be done.
Before serving, add the remaining tomatoes. Give it a final taste to make sure
the flavor is right.
Serve over saffron rice, sprinkle with chopped cilantro.